Hail Satan?
The Satanic Temple has just been given tax-exemption under the same laws that protect all the major religions in America, and even Scientology, from having to pay taxes, at the exact moment that Penny Lane’s documentary about the organization is making its way into theatres. Coincidence? Of course it is. If that drives more people to watch Lane’s film, however, so that they may get a more fundamental understanding of what The Satanic Temple is about, it’s a net positive not just for this film, but for society, as well, because, despite what their name signifies to a large portion of the population, The Satanic Temple is truly doing the Lord’s work.
Even after the 95 minutes of Lane’s film, it’s hard to figure out whether The Satanic Temple is a legitimate religious organization, or simply an organization intended on trolling evangelical Christianity as a way of spreading the message of religious pluralism this country was founded on in the First Amendment. You can certainly make the argument, by the end, that it’s both, and applaud how up front they are about it. And the truth is, the Temple, as founded and codified by Lucien Greaves, does more than simply troll conservative Christian hold over America, as they adopt highways, do charitable work for the homeless and poor, and educate on the legal, and moral, hypocrisy in America’s view of itself as a “Christian nation.” They even have 7 tenants they strive to practice that outline a clear moral mission statement the way The 10 Commandments have come to signify to Christians- if I’m being honest, the tenants of The Satanic Temple come more in line with my beliefs than The 10 Commandments, though that’s not to say that I’ll be joining anytime soon. The Satanic Temple just takes a more humanistic view of the world than a supernatural one; it’s kind of refreshing, honestly.
The film takes us through the founding of The Satanic Temple, the origins of its activism, and a historical view of Satan, the way people have followed him, and the way Americans have feared him, over the years. It’s a fascinating look at a form of worship not just building, but finding its voice, and its guiding light, in America. Any time a filmmaker can shine a light on religious faith, how people come to it, how it moves them, and even, how it can betray them, it’s a story worth telling. The best documentaries on the subject will look at it objectively, without judgement, and free to ask questions about where it is leading its followers, and Lane’s film does that here. As The Satanic Temple gets bigger, it begins to become more of an institution with a set of guidelines and principles that, if violated, actually might result in a lack of freedom to practice one’s faith in a particular way, and that is seen late in the film as one, particular chapter comes under fire with its bold rhetoric. It’s a compelling realization than every organization of faith will have people who lose sight of a particular message, and it’s well within our rights to wonder if it’s the larger group itself. The journey The Satanic Temple takes to get there is one of the most interesting parts of the film.
One of the chief narrative pieces in Lane’s film, and the central form of activism, The Satanic Temple takes part in is how it challenges evangelical Christianity’s attempts to merge Church and State in a way that abandons the spirit of religious diversity in America. Some ways we may have heard about prior to this film include a chapter in Arizona seeking their turn in a rotating public prayer at city council meetings, or working to erect a statue of Baphomet at state capitols the same way Christian lawmakers have erected statues of The 10 Commandments in front of government buildings. That last form of activism led to probably the most mind-blowing revelation of the entire film, for me, and I’ll just say this- you’ll never look at the act of erecting The 10 Commandments in the public square the same way ever again. It makes the act of doing so look even sillier than it already was.
