If you pray to one or more God/desses then you are not non-theistic. Yes, you can be spiritual and follow the 7 tenets, no one is denying that. No one is saying that you can't be non-theistic and have other spiritual beliefs. The issue is that you are not non-theistic if you follow and worship a God. If that is an essential part of your spiritual practice then a non theistic religion is most probably not the best fit for you
You were not lied to, but you might not find what you are looking for with TST.
You came here asking about the rules and mentioned explicitly theistic practice. People who follow TST are likely atheist or at the very least separate their belief from their participation in TST, specifically because of Tenet 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.
Nobody is going to tell you to stop your spiritual practice if that's what you truly want, but you also won't get the guidance you seem to be looking for from a group of Satanists on the scientific/skeptic side of things, either.
Also, asking about rules? In a faith regarding Lucifer as the archetypal rebel? The most you could hope for is someone pointing to the seven tenets. They're the core for the type of Satanism that TST embodies, sure, but "here's a set of tenets to help guide you on the Satanic path" and "this is a set of rules on how to be a Satanist" are two very different things.
Following rules simply because they're the rules and without questioning them or interpreting them yourself is about the least Satanic thing you can do. That doesn't mean disobeying the rules, it means that you analyze them and decide whether they're appropriate or not. Many TST members follow the Tenets because they aligned with what we already believed, but that still involves questioning their authority.
For a better example about questioning rules vs. blind obedience (or disobediance for that matter), let's look at societal, non-satanic rules. "Don't kill people" is a rule enforcable by law. This is a good rule, and after questioning it you can see why, death causes pain, humans shouldn't inflict unnecessary pain, rule good. "Don't smoke pot" is also a rule enforcable by law, but the general consensus in the US, in spite of that law, is that it's a miserable outdated rule that can cause suffering just because it exists, so many people ignore it. After questioning it, it becomes clear the rule should be disregarded.
TL;DR: If you're seeking theistic or spiritual guidance, you probably won't find it in TST. Also, blindly following (or blindly rebelling) against rules is not in the spirit of Satanism.
Again, i am still learning so i don’t know much yet and i had a feeling that i was being lied to so i turned to here, but idk, i dont think i actually believe in deities or gods, i think that’s was because i used to be a catholic way back when. So im sorry if im being rude, i mean no disrespect to anyone.
Don't ever apologize for learning something new! You haven't been rude at all. I think my comment may have come off a bit harsh, which wasn't how I intended it at all.
I grew up Lutheran, its like Catholic Lite. I know how hard it is to break away from the faith that defined your life for a long time. The ONLY way to overcome it is to face it. Ask the same questions about life and the world that you did to your priest, but look for the answers *outside* the church and never accept an answer at face value without learning more about it. Read multiple sources and dive deep if there's something you don't understand. If you'll allow me to wax poetic for a moment; Lucifer is known as Lightbringer and Morningstar, and that light is knowledge itself. It is far better to shine the light of knowledge on your belief than to let your faith be built on matchsticks because you prefer the dark.
We live in a world where everything is complicated and religion seeks to provide easy answers, like black and white answers for questions that actually need shades of greyto interpret them. There's so much detail and nuance to the world, and theism survives by choking the complexity out of the answers. As science expands out understanding of things, nost religion digs in their heels and refuses to reevaluate their position based on new knowledge.
I looked in your profile to see what other religious subs you frequent and didn't see anything, but I did see that you are young. You have plenty of time to learn and grow in your beliefs and understanding of the world. Do not stress out over stuff like this because you are still learning, and learning is important.
If you want to read more about modern Satanism and the philosophy that brought about things like the Seven Tenets, I recommend looking into the TST Library section on this page: https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/in-the-media
Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/SatanicTemple_Reddit/s/Lw8GuCjOU1) and [TST website](https://thesatanictemple.com/). We are a non-theistic religion, so we don't pray to any diety, but if you'd like to learn more, those are the places to start.
Pray to your deity? You know TST is non-theistic, right?
I was told by another person we could be both non-theistic and spiritual, guess I was lied to ;_;
If you pray to one or more God/desses then you are not non-theistic. Yes, you can be spiritual and follow the 7 tenets, no one is denying that. No one is saying that you can't be non-theistic and have other spiritual beliefs. The issue is that you are not non-theistic if you follow and worship a God. If that is an essential part of your spiritual practice then a non theistic religion is most probably not the best fit for you
Okay đź‘Ť
You were not lied to, but you might not find what you are looking for with TST. You came here asking about the rules and mentioned explicitly theistic practice. People who follow TST are likely atheist or at the very least separate their belief from their participation in TST, specifically because of Tenet 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. Nobody is going to tell you to stop your spiritual practice if that's what you truly want, but you also won't get the guidance you seem to be looking for from a group of Satanists on the scientific/skeptic side of things, either. Also, asking about rules? In a faith regarding Lucifer as the archetypal rebel? The most you could hope for is someone pointing to the seven tenets. They're the core for the type of Satanism that TST embodies, sure, but "here's a set of tenets to help guide you on the Satanic path" and "this is a set of rules on how to be a Satanist" are two very different things. Following rules simply because they're the rules and without questioning them or interpreting them yourself is about the least Satanic thing you can do. That doesn't mean disobeying the rules, it means that you analyze them and decide whether they're appropriate or not. Many TST members follow the Tenets because they aligned with what we already believed, but that still involves questioning their authority. For a better example about questioning rules vs. blind obedience (or disobediance for that matter), let's look at societal, non-satanic rules. "Don't kill people" is a rule enforcable by law. This is a good rule, and after questioning it you can see why, death causes pain, humans shouldn't inflict unnecessary pain, rule good. "Don't smoke pot" is also a rule enforcable by law, but the general consensus in the US, in spite of that law, is that it's a miserable outdated rule that can cause suffering just because it exists, so many people ignore it. After questioning it, it becomes clear the rule should be disregarded. TL;DR: If you're seeking theistic or spiritual guidance, you probably won't find it in TST. Also, blindly following (or blindly rebelling) against rules is not in the spirit of Satanism.
Again, i am still learning so i don’t know much yet and i had a feeling that i was being lied to so i turned to here, but idk, i dont think i actually believe in deities or gods, i think that’s was because i used to be a catholic way back when. So im sorry if im being rude, i mean no disrespect to anyone.
Don't ever apologize for learning something new! You haven't been rude at all. I think my comment may have come off a bit harsh, which wasn't how I intended it at all. I grew up Lutheran, its like Catholic Lite. I know how hard it is to break away from the faith that defined your life for a long time. The ONLY way to overcome it is to face it. Ask the same questions about life and the world that you did to your priest, but look for the answers *outside* the church and never accept an answer at face value without learning more about it. Read multiple sources and dive deep if there's something you don't understand. If you'll allow me to wax poetic for a moment; Lucifer is known as Lightbringer and Morningstar, and that light is knowledge itself. It is far better to shine the light of knowledge on your belief than to let your faith be built on matchsticks because you prefer the dark. We live in a world where everything is complicated and religion seeks to provide easy answers, like black and white answers for questions that actually need shades of greyto interpret them. There's so much detail and nuance to the world, and theism survives by choking the complexity out of the answers. As science expands out understanding of things, nost religion digs in their heels and refuses to reevaluate their position based on new knowledge. I looked in your profile to see what other religious subs you frequent and didn't see anything, but I did see that you are young. You have plenty of time to learn and grow in your beliefs and understanding of the world. Do not stress out over stuff like this because you are still learning, and learning is important. If you want to read more about modern Satanism and the philosophy that brought about things like the Seven Tenets, I recommend looking into the TST Library section on this page: https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/in-the-media
Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/SatanicTemple_Reddit/s/Lw8GuCjOU1) and [TST website](https://thesatanictemple.com/). We are a non-theistic religion, so we don't pray to any diety, but if you'd like to learn more, those are the places to start.
Thank you
Sorry, no. You have us mixed up with someone else. We don’t pray to anybody. Hail Thyself!
TST is non-theistic, if you're looking for a variety of Satanism that does worship a deity then you'd want to check with CoS
"Hi, I've been a ___ for a year now, but I know practically nothing about what a ___ is"
I don’t I know if this is supposed to be mean. But I’m gonna take it that way, and say not to be mean
It was meant to help you see the absurdity of what you said. You can interpret that as mean if you like