Nicholas Marc stood to address the group of Satanists gathered before him. “Welcome to the many new faces here tonight,” he said. It was a Wednesday evening in Ottawa, and around two dozen people had gathered for the biweekly meeting of the Satanic Temple. Some were there in secret, fearful of getting fired from their jobs or being shunned by their families for associating with such a group. Instead of an actual temple or place of worship, they congregate at The Koven, a heavy metal bar downtown adorned with skulls, spikes and drawings of the underworld. Some ordered beer or one of the 17 types of poutine, which include the DevilDriver and Cheesus Krist. “When we first started, there was like four or five of us at meetings. Now there’s this,” Marc said as he extended a tattooed hand toward everyone seated at the tables. “And it’s happening across Canada.” WATCH: Satanic Temple unveils statue in protest of Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas 1:50 ‘Hail Satan’: Satanic Temple unveils statue in protest of Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas ‘Hail Satan’: Satanic Temple unveils statue in protest of Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas As the national co-ordinator for the Satanic Temple in Canada, Marc has overseen the group’s latest developments and events since he started the chapter here in 2016. He says he got involved shortly after retiring from a decade in the Canadian military, searching for a new purpose in life, and new regimens. Advertisement Many members, including Marc, were raised in devout Catholic households. Once they eschewed those beliefs, they found their way to Satanism. And it makes them feel whole. Lately, Marc can barely keep up with the sudden explosion of interest in the Temple and says hundreds of people across the country are trying to join. “We have to put a moratorium on new chapters because we literally have too much growth right now,” Marc told the group. Attendees passed around brochures that describe the Satanic Temple’s mission as facilitating “the communication and motivation of politically aware Satanists, secularists and advocates for individual liberty.” Their literature also clarifies that they do not worship the devil. While his Ottawa group is the only official chapter of the Satanic Temple in Canada, a number of unofficial groups — called Friends of the Satanic Temple — have been popping up across the country over the last year. They aim to become official chapters, but must first go through an official vetting process. And that takes time. Marc recited the list off his phone. “There’s Atlantic Canada, Toronto, Montreal, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg,” he said, adding that the Temple is trying to be methodical with the sanctioning process and he expects most of these groups will be granted official status over the next year. Nicholas Marc, national coordinator for the Satanic Temple in Canada, at The Koven in Ottawa. Global News READ MORE: Satanic Temple unveils goat statue in protest of Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas While the group, founded in the U.S. in 2013, has carved out a clear role in their battle for the separation of church and state there, its Canadian counterpart is still shaping its identity and the issues it hopes to tackle. “We have a place and a role to play in our community,” Marc said. That night, a few members volunteered to organize their participation in the Capital Pride Festival parade and arrange an “unbaptism” ceremony in August. While members are not required to participate in any rituals, the Ottawa group hosts unbaptisms for people who want to undo the Christian rite imposed on them as children, and holds a Black Mass, which its website describes as “a celebration of blasphemy, which can be an expression of personal liberty and freedom.” The Ottawa meeting was about to come to a close. “You may now yap amongst yourselves, and I’m going to go have a cigarette,” Marc said. The group cheered: “Hail Satan!” A man in his 50s, who wanted to go by the pseudonym Mourning Starr due to fear of reprisals if he were publicly identified, said this was his third time attending Satanic Temple gatherings, which included the last “unbaptism” hosted by the group. “I learned about this by reading news on the computer,” said Starr, who said he, too, was raised Roman Catholic. “I cannot resist a spectacle.” He said he is still deciding whether to become an official member. “There’s something humourous and clever about claiming to be a nontheistic religion in order to advance the separation of church and state,” he said. “But in Canada, I’m not sure if we have those same issues or not.”

The Satanic Temple vs. the Church of Satan

The Satanic Temple is not to be confused with the Church of Satan, which was founded in 1966 by a musician from San Francisco named Anton LaVey, who died in 1997. The Satanic Temple is not to be confused with the Church of Satan, which was founded in 1966 by a musician from San Francisco named Anton LaVey, who died in 1997. “The Church of Satan expresses vehement opposition to the campaigns and activities of the Satanic Temple, asserting themselves as the only ‘true’ arbiters of Satanism, while the Satanic Temple dismisses the Church of Satan as irrelevant and inactive,” the Temple states on its website. Advertisement LaVey, who played the devil in the Roman Polanski film Rosemary’s Baby, published The Satanic Bible in 1969 and caused media firestorms for things like televising a satanic baptism and a satanic wedding. Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey in costume. March 4, 1967. Getty Images Then the “Satanic Panic” or “Satanism Scare” of the 1980s and 1990s ensued, in which fundamentalist Christians, overzealous law enforcement and some media outlets perpetuated mass hysteria around violent “satanic ritual abuse,” including against daycares. Thousands of people all over the world, including in Canada, were wrongfully accused of committing horrendous crimes in the name of Satan. WATCH (August 2016): After-school Satan Club coming to schools across U.S. 0:15 After School Satan Club coming to schools across US After School Satan Club coming to schools across US Many Satanists, including members of the Satanic Temple, neither worship the devil nor believe in Satan as the evil force outlined in religious texts such as the Bible. Rather, they perceive Satan or Lucifer as a witty intellectual who confronts the status quo, more in line with the literary anti-hero of the Enlightenment found in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. “For the most part, they are using Satan as a symbol, as a metaphor,” said Cimminnee Holt, a lecturer at Concordia University in Montreal who specializes in modern religious Satanism. “Most of them are atheists — not all. But even those that aren’t atheists still aren’t conceiving of Satan as a cosmic evil.” As for whether the Satanic Temple has staying power, specifically in Canada, Holt said that remains to be seen. But because the Temple is tackling important and topical issues of the day, that will contribute to its longevity and relevance. “A new religion always emerges as a response to negotiating the demands of modern society. They are emerging as something they see as lacking,” Holt said. “They are always reflecting contemporary ideas. As long as they continue to be invested in challenging those issues, I certainly think they will have an audience for that. Whether or not that lasts five, 10, 100 years, no scholar knows.” And it is particularly difficult for fringe religious groups to push their way into the mainstream and gain acceptance, she said. “The general population’s reaction to Satanism or witches or those types of groups tends to run the range from amusement, or even boredom, to then genuine fear that this is a theological threat, that they represent evil,” Holt said. “No matter what, the very nature of the imagery and the symbol of Satan means that widespread acceptance is not necessarily feasible.” Nicholas Marc, national coordinator for The Satanic Temple in Canada, meets with other members in Ottawa. Rachel Browne / Global News