THE DEVIL’S WORK IS NEVER DONE: AUSTIN SATANISTS SAY THEY ARE HERE TO HELP

Tattoos of Austin Satanic Temple member, Amahl Farouk, that reads “Baphomet,” the name of the Sabbatic Goat deity commonly associated with Satanism.

Austin, TX - When people hear the word “Satanism,” many conjure up images of black robed figures looming over candles and pentagrams, engaging in animal sacrifice, ritualistic sex or communication with demonic and mystic forces.

But in actuality, real Satanists clarify that many spend more of their time engaging in civic activities, raising awareness in their communities and promoting charitable and empathetic thinking.

The Satanic Temple (TST) was founded in 2013 by Lucien Greaves with the mission statement of encouraging open-mindedness and empathy among people, questioning authority and advocating practical common sense and justice. Since then, TST has established chapters across the United States, including one in Austin.

Shelby Scates has been the chapter head of the Satanic Temple of Austin for about a year and oversees the chapters growth and charity drives.

“The Satanic Temple means a lot of things to a lot of people,” said Austin TST chapter head, Shelby Scates. “First and foremost, we are about promoting civic-minded Satanists and to question authority, however that manifests in our environment, and encouraging good-will and benevolence onto others.”

Scates likes to clarify that TST and many of its members do not believe in a literal Satan, instead they are a strictly atheistic and nonsupernaturalist organization and that they use the Devil as a metaphor or symbol of rebelling against authority.

“There is a name for people who believe in Satan,” Scates said, “and they are called Christians.”

Alumnus member, Amahl Farouk, who joined the Satanic Temple after hearing of them during his move down to Austin, TX.

Amahl Farouk, a member of the Austin chapter of TST, also likes to clarify this misconception of the organization.

“It’s almost like people get upset when we tell them we don’t worship Satan,” Farouk said. “Be it’s more of a metaphor for us, a set of philosophies about questioning authority and regaining control over your own self.”

The organization first gained notoriety back in 2013 when publicly opposing Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps by holding a “Pink Mass” over the grave of his mother, consisting of two gay men kissing and TST founder, Lucien Greaves, placing his genitals over the tombstone.

This along with other notable events like the “Black Mass” gathering in Boston and the battle in Arizona over the construction of a statue of Baphomet, a goat-like angelic creature commonly associated with Satanism, led to a surge in interest and membership for TST.

These include members like Farouk, as well as Shawn Senavinin, who became aware of the group after the “Pink Mass”.

“And that got my attention,” said Senavinin, “I just saw a bigger picture, that there’s a group out there who’s willing to put it to the worst of evangelical Christianity, the people who are really the most glaring examples of Christian hypocrisy.”

Austin Satanic Temple members meeting outside the Vigilante Gastropub in Austin, TX for a night of discussion, fun and games.

Since the summer, The Satanic Temple has reported a steady increase in membership nationally and internationally since the release of the Penny Lane documentary, “Hail, Satan?” which chronicles the origins of the organization and their series of public actions calling for religious freedom and equality.

“The amount of growth that we’ve been experiencing has been phenomenal,” said Scates, “it’s been a challenge to keep up with it all, and I see no end in sight. In the future, I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the community.”

While still not opposed to sensationalism, most chapters of TST nowadays like to focus more on promoting their values by means of charity and donation drives.

One of the Austin chapter events is the “Unholy Baptism,” or “Unbaptism,” a drive to raise bottled water donations for the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH). For their third annual Unholy Baptism on Sept. 21, the Austin chapter managed to raise over 5,000 bottles in donations and entry fees.

Scates said the event’s primary purpose is to not only raise water for homeless, but also acts as a cathartic ritual for those in the community who feel they were baptized without their consent and want to revoke and regain control over their body.

The Austin chapter of TST also holds drives to collect feminine care products for women’s shelters and gathering clothing for the homeless.

“People want to help, whether they like the word ‘Satanism’ or not,” said Senavinin, “most people are down with what we are doing and it doesn’t really matter if they identify as a Satanist or not, they just want to do something good for people.”

Alumnus member, Kent Cook, and several others also pointed out that their appreciation for the increase in donations and growing support from those not in the TST community, and especially those from a religious background.

“Overcoming those deep seeded fears and things you’ve been taught your entire life to be afraid of, that takes work,” Cook said. “the fact that [people] are willing to do that work shows that even a name like ‘The Satanic Temple’, provocative as it is, can be transformative in the lives of even non-Satanists.”

Farouk explained that before moving to Austin, he struggled with substance abuse, but since going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and joining TST, it has helped him regain control over his life and gain a sense of community.

“When I moved out here to Austin for treatment, I got the opportunity to go to a meet up out here and I meet with the nicest people I’ve ever met in my entire life. I definitely felt like I belonged somewhere for the first time,” said Farouk.

Farouk hopes in the future to create a Satanic Temple version AA, helping those within and out of the TST community struggling with issues following the organization’s philosophies and tenets.

“I saw Lucien Greaves talking about how this was his life’s work, and it just really stuck with me,” Farouk said, “and I just wanted to do something that I could also be proud of, and something that could help others like the group and the meetings helped me.”

Individual members’ reasons for joining differ depending on who you are asking, but all universally agree that what they strive most for in the group is sense of a real community, accepting those different from themselves and providing a voice for those they believed have been silenced.

“We do believe strongly in the first amendment, and at no point are we saying that anyone should be deprived of a voice,” said Scates, “it’s more that we just want equal representation, especially in matters of government and law.”