Requested by Students Whose Beliefs Align

A study group of the Satanic Temple is now available to the Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy (USNA), like any other group that meets regularly because of their beliefs.

The origins of this study group are in Annapolis, Md., and was requested by students of the academy that shared beliefs aligned with those practiced by the Satanic Temple. According to Naval Academy spokeswoman Commander Alana Garas, the purpose of the study group was “so they could gather and share their views.”

On October 8, an internal email was sent out to the student body and stated that “satanic services” would begin at the academy. However, Cmdr. Garas shared that the announcement wasn’t reviewed or approved by the appropriate facilitators, nor did it reflect or represent the US Naval Academy’s Command Religious Program. Garas also went on to say that the student’s request was for space to conduct a study group, not any kind of satanic service.

In her statement, she also mentioned the USNA provides in its program the exercise of diverse beliefs, for Midshipmen to have designated areas to assemble and facilitate the beliefs of all service members, a responsibility outlined in Navy instructions.

They Will Always Turn on One Another

Satanic Temple is a non-theistic Satanists group and recognized as a church for tax purposes by the IRS. It is a politically active and aware organization, protesting the Westboro Baptist Church, had advocated on behalf of public school children against corporal punishment, stood against laws regarding women’s reproductive rights, among a few.

The origins of the group are rooted in historically haunted Salem, MA. They specifically distinguish themselves from the Church of Satan, founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in the 1960s, in that the Church of Satan strongly opposes the activities of the Satanic Temple. This is mostly because the former consider their ideology to be the only “true” arbiters of Satanism. The Satanic Temple responded by asserting that the Church of Satan didn’t even exist to them, and didn’t care about it at all.

Nothing on the organization’s website talks about rituals or black masses. But it still doesn’t dispel the fact that the picture featured on the site is a photo of a statue of Baphomet, a goat head on a man‘s body, full of satanic symbolism, and surrounded by children. Not only that, the statue sits in Detroit, and was paid for by the Satanic Temple.

The Baphomet statue is relative to the ancient cultures that believed that sacrificing their infants and children would appease their idol and would in return have financial blessings, fertility, fortune, or any other type of prayer worthy gift.

Overall, I’m not sure how I would answer the question of “which Satanism is better?” Neither, never, no thank you.