The Satanic Temple and Christian nationalists are on the same side
TST isn't engaging in "successful trolling" or undermining Dominionists; they are actively fueling a culture war that benefits both reactionaries and corporate Satanists
In general, people will call The Satanic Temple's activities “successful trolling” or “drawing attention to “the direct conflict between Christian Dominionism and the US Constitution”, claiming it’s the *reactionaries* who are falling for something every time.
In reality, the idea that the right wing is the one being hoodwinked assumes that they aren't benefitting from exactly this, and that these conflicts do not boost both sides taking part in it, each running their own grift for their own reasons.
Partially, this is because Doug "Lucien Greaves" Misicko and Cevin Soling (a.k.a. “Malcolm Jarry”) are fundamentally reactionary Gen X edgelords whose politics never go further left than right-wing libertarianism.
But the reason The Satanic Temple and the Christian nationalists are on the same side is that both of them materially benefit from pointing to the other as “the enemy”.
If Republicans didn't have TST, they'd want to invent them (and have). The Temple is their perfect foil.
These Satanic panics get both parties more attention, a higher profile, and more money as folk primarily motivated by anti-partisanship reflexively support something opposed by the groups that those folk hate.
“This’ll really piss off my conservative uncle/liberal niece.”
Yes, it seems like it’s fun and a good thing to watch The Satanic Temple piss off people you hate. But that feeling is exactly the lubricant that makes the grift work.
We've long said that the best way to describe The Satanic Temple to someone unfamiliar with them is "Scientology For Mall Goths".
So imagine instead it were Scientologists doing this.
Would you still root for them just because Republicans were the ones getting publicly mad?
If media only ever treated Scientology like merry pranksters, never getting into the front companies, treatment of former members, or histories of the owners of a corporate religion, would that be informing people of what’s going on?
Or would it be doing the exact opposite.
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> Titled the “Reject Escalating Satanism by Preserving Essential Core Traditions (RESPECT) Act,” SB 1279 would alter the law by adding the following line to three different parts of the state statute:
> SATANIC MEMORIALS, STATUES, ALTARS OR DISPLAYS OR ANY OTHER METHOD OF REPRESENTING OR HONORING SATAN MAY NOT BE DISPLAYED ON PUBLIC PROPERTY IN THIS STATE.
Incandescent with rage at this proposal.
Obviously it's wildly unconstitutional, and there's really no chance it won't be struck down. (At least I really hope we're not that far gone...)
But this isn't an isolated action.
This is just one step towards normalizing Christian theocracy. They want to make Christianity the state religion. They want to wipe out every one of us who dares to disagree, to believe something but their lies and their dreck.
It's laying the groundwork for religious genocide. A call for a new Crusade. Alt-right circles have already been doing so for years now, it's just bubbling to the surface.
You're probably thinking it's not a big deal. Maybe you're not a Satanist. Maybe you think "normal" atheists are safe, or that they won't come for your liberal flavor of Christianity.
But you're wrong.
Satanists are just the easy target. It's easy to stoke fires of hate towards us, to start a new wave of the Satanic Panic.
We won't be the last target. They won't be satisfied with us.
And when they've killed us, we won't be here to speak for you.
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Your Roommate Sukuna
“That Time His Older Brother Gave Him A Tarot Reading”
Modern no curse AU, Sukuna X Reader
Synopsis: This housing crisis sure is no joke huh? Rent is just too expensive to live alone, so you put out a listing for a roommate and ended up living with none other than the tattooed bad boy Ryomen Sukuna! This is part of a series of drabbles and oneshots showing glimpses into you and Sukuna’s living situation!!
Contains: brothers au, pure fluff, reader is not present, Sukuna is pining hard
Word Count: 1.26k
Series Masterlist - My Full Masterlist
Sukuna isn’t one to make time for his family. Although he has an identical twin brother who bothers him far too much for his liking and an older half brother, he almost never talks about them and spends even less time talking too them. But today he was feeling nice… which is strange for him, but regardless, he decided to agree to come by his brothers’ apartment.
And was quickly reminded of why he never comes over.
Sukuna was seated on the antique couch while Choso kneeled in front of the coffee table between them, flickering candles on every surface bathing the living room in a soft warm glow and reflecting on the shiny surfaces of the crystals placed meticulously all over the table. Choso opened up a small black box, pulling intricately designed tarot cards from inside and fanning them between his fingers before spreading them face down across the table.
Sukuna really was trying not to roll his eyes at the whole ordeal, but the man can only take so much before he’s bound to cave, “This is so stupid.”
“Shh…” Choso leans forward and presses his finger over Sukuna’s lips.
“Don’t touch me.” He grumbles.
“Shut up,” Choso loses his calm demeanor for only a second before he’s closing his eyes again, “I’m focusing.”
“On what?”
“I’m tuning in…” He wiggles his fingers over the cards, “to the energies.”
“Jesus fucking christ.” Sukuna rubs his temples, “When did you start doing this witchcraft shit again?”
“Not witchcraft,” Choso peeks one eye open to shoot a quick glare at his brother, “And yesterday.”
“Oh you’re a real professional huh?” He smirks down at him.
“Sukuna,” His shoulders slump and he lets out a frustrated huff, “Just, fucking shut up.”
The two of them squint as the lights suddenly flick on, Yuuji not quite getting the memo of what’s going on downstairs as he leans his head over the stair railing to peek into the living room, “Ooh, how’s the satanic ritual going?” He calls out from the stairway.
“Yuuji!” The two of them call out in unison. He lets out a little “Oops” and flicks the light back off, running back to his room upstairs.
Choso rubs his eyes, smudging his eyeliner onto his fingers, “Okay just, pick a card.”
Sukuna huffs out an annoyed breath, reaching forward and tapping his pointer finger on one of the cards in the middle. Choso slides the card down in front of Sukuna and flips it over, revealing an upside down picture of a man sitting upright in a bed with his head in his hands and swords neatly stacked on the wall behind him.
“Oh, interesting.” Choso mumbles.
“The fuck is he crying about?” Sukuna leans down and squints at the card on the table, “It’s upside down.”
“It’s reversed,” Choso clarifies, “The nine of swords reversed.”
“Choso, I don’t know what the hell that means.”
The long haired man sits up a little straighter, pointing at the card with a manicured finger, “This first card is your past. The next will be the present, and the last will be your future.” He picks the card up and scans it carefully, “You were… struggling, alone, not one to talk to others even when you need to-“
“What is this fuckin’ therapy?”
Choso groans and rolls his eyes, “God knows you need it, but no. Anyway,” He clears his throat, “You were in a downward spiral, but this is past tense, clearly you’re more open now considering,” He gestures vaguely around the room, “Well, you’re here for once.”
Sukuna is visibly annoyed, not a fan of being picked and prodded at. Choso places the card back down on the table, gesturing for Sukuna to pick another one, which to Choso’s surprise and for Sukuna’s morbid curiosity, he does; tapping his finger on a card pushed to the side of the table.
Choso flips the card over, and once again, it's upside down. It pictures a man sitting cross crossed in front of a tree, three golden goblets on the grass in front of him and a fourth being given to him from a disembodied hand floating next to him.
He’s really fuckin’ bad at organizing his cards.
Choso’s gaze flickers between Sukuna and the card, his brows furrowed in thought so clearly that you could almost see cogs turning behind his eyes, “Four of cups… reversed.”
“The hell does reversed mean?”
“It’s usually a negative version of the card’s meaning.”
Sukuna scoffs, “Oh fuckin’ lovely.”
Choso props his elbow onto the table, tracing the outline of the card with his finger, “You’re withdrawing-“
“Well yeah. No shit,” Sukuna cuts him off, “You’re telling me I’m cursed. What’s the damn card mean?”
“That is what the card means, idiot. You’re reluctant to open up to someone.”
Sukuna leans back against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest, “Who?”
“I don’t know,” Choso shrugs, “Maybe the future card will clarify.”
“Absolutely not.” He huffs. Choso looks up at him with confusion, “I told you this was stupid, I’m not picking another.”
The light flicks on once again, Sukuna groans at the sound of Yuuji’s voice yelling from the stairway, “Sounds like someone’s a fucking pussy!”
“Yuuji, quit eavesdropping or I’ll gouge your fucking eyes out.”
The light flicks back off.
Choso looks up at Sukuna expectantly, and after glaring down at him for a moment he breaks, rolling his eyes and flipping over a random card, “If it’s upside down I swear to fucking god-“
“Oh shit!”
“What?” Sukuna sounds almost startled, looking down at the card he sees that this one is upright; picturing a naked man and woman standing in front of some kind of angel. But he’s quickly able to gather the most damning part of the card.
The bottom of the card says “The Lovers.”
“Oh fuck off.”
A smile spreads across Choso’s face, “I don’t think I need to explain this one to you. And it’s not upside down.”
“Reversed.” Sukuna mockingly clarifies.
“Shut up,” Choso leans forward, grin still plastered on his lips, “Who is it?”
“It’s nobody, this shit isn’t real.” Sukuna scowls, but deep down he’s glad the room is so dark to hide the tint in his cheeks.
It’s not fucking real idiot. Stop it.
“How about this,” Choso clasps his hands together, looking up towards the ceiling, “If this shit is real, give us a sign.”
Yuuji flickers the lights.
“No! Stop interfering, this is serious!” Choso yells out towards the stairway.
But Sukuna’s blood runs cold as his phone buzzes in his pocket, quiet enough that no one could hear, but he could feel it.
It’s not real.
The room is silent for a moment as Choso scans for any type of sign, but it’s as if the world had completely stopped turning, not even the candles were flickering. Choso plops his head onto the coffee table, mumbling under his breath, “I don’t know why I thought that would work.”
“Mhm.” Sukuna hums, putting up a disinterested front as he pulls his phone from his pocket, “Can we watch a movie or something now like a normal family?”
Choso defeatedly blows out the candles, collecting his crystals and placing his tarot cards neatly back into the box, “Fine, fine, but I still think it’s real.”
Sukuna’s heart nearly stops beating when he unlocks his phone and sees a text from you, “If u leave dirty dishes in the sink one more time I’m actually gonna kill u in your sleep.”
God I hope it’s fucking real.
A/N: Family bonding time has never been so awkward, anyway here’s that time Sukuna started to believe in magic, or witchcraft, or anything if it means you like him as much as he likes you. Dividers by @adornedwithlight
Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!
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