Suppose I invite you to join an organization. We’re 700,000+ members and growing.
“What’s your organization stand for?”
“I’m glad you asked! Here’s what we’re all about:”
Our motto: “Empathy. Reason. Advocacy.”
Our mission: “To Encourage Benevolence And Empathy, Reject Tyrannical Authority, Advocate Practical Common Sense, Oppose Injustice, And Undertake Noble Pursuits.”
We have seven fundamental tenets:
I. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
II. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
III. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
IV. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
V. Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
VI. People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
VII. Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
What do you think? Sounds pretty good, right? I copied and pasted all of this directly from The Satanic Temple website. Surprised? Here’s why you shouldn’t be.
Satanism isn’t what most people think.
The word “Satanism” conjures up all kinds of dark images. Shadowy figures in black robes, performing ritual sacrifices. Candle-lit rooms with blood-stained walls and upside-down pentagrams scrawled on the floor. People summoning demons, worshipping the devil, and doing evil deeds for the dark lord.
Movies, books, and television shows have popularized this version of Satanism. There may be a small number of people who fit this description, but they are of little concern. That kind of blatant evil is easy to spot and condemned by virtually everyone. True Satanism is far more subtle, and infinitely more destructive.
A Biblical understanding of Satan.
Who is Satan, and what is his goal?
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12: 7-9
Satan is a fallen angel who wants to usurp God. He is real, he is powerful, and he has great authority in this world… for now (Ephesians 2:2 ; I John 5:19 ; Luke 4: 5-6). But it’s a mistake to think of Satan as God’s opposite. Satan is nothing compared to God. He is a created being, and whatever power he has was granted to him by God. One day, in God’s time, Satan will face judgement.
Satan is a liar and a deceiver (Genesis 3 ; John 8:44). He hates God and he hates human beings because we are made in His image. Satan doesn’t really care if people worship him, he wants to destroy people (I Peter 5:8).
Satan’s goal is to lead people away from God any way that he can so that they will suffer the same fate as him (Mathew 25:41).
Master of deceit.
Let’s revisit the mission statement of The Satanic Temple:
“To Encourage Benevolence And Empathy, Reject Tyrannical Authority, Advocate Practical Common Sense, Oppose Injustice, And Undertake Noble Pursuits.”
All these things seem good. In fact, they are good. Moses and Jesus did these things! So what’s going on? To understand, you have to look closer at the actions of this Satanic group and the stances they take on the important issues of our day.
For example, when members gleefully rip up a Bible and toss its pages to the floor, it’s clear that by “Reject Tyrannical Authority” they mean: reject God and Christianity. When they tear a thin-blue-line flag in half, we can be sure that “Oppose Injustice” means: oppose the police. Visit their website and you will see that “Undertake Noble Pursuits” means: fund abortion clinics, and “Encourage Benevolence And Empathy” means: embrace all things LGBTQIA+.
Satan is a master at disguising evil. He takes what is good and twists it until it becomes corrupted. He can make sin look sweet; make it seem right. Beware! His counterfeits are well made, and easily fool those who aren’t grounded in Truth and on their guard.
Nothing new.
Satan’s been pushing the same garbage since the dawn of creation: He whispers to us, “God is a liar and a tyrant. He’s trying to keep you under his thumb and deny you what is good. Disobey! Rebel! and you can be like God.” It’s not a new lie, but it’s being packaged in new ways, and it seems to be gaining in popularity. We must equip ourselves with the Truth, and be ready to stand against it.
The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
II Corinthians 4:4
God, I pray for those around me who are being deceived by Satan’s lies. Let your light shine through me that they may see the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
