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.
The Impurity Ball is a counterpoint to traditional purity balls, where young girls often pledge chastity to their fathers. It embodies The Satanic Temple's (TST) perspective on purity and personal autonomy. For TST, a non-theistic religious group, personal agency and freedom from shame are paramount. These values starkly contrast with the suppressive norms of purity culture, which seeks to regulate and control, particularly in the context of women's bodies and choices.
This event is a celebration of defiance against repressive cultural norms. The Satanic Temple emphasizes the inviolability of the individual body and the importance of personal growth, free from the bindings of traditional religious shame and guilt. The Impurity Ball is not merely an event; it's a testament to TST's commitment to challenging unjust traditions and asserting individual choice and freedom.
“No one should be required to attend a recovery or treatment program that's religiously, it's faith-based and it goes against their core beliefs like how is that going to work it doesn't make sense so we want to give we want to ensure that there are options and we're just one of those options you know and yes it's completely legal it's a legitimate recovery peer support group.”
The Sober Faction of the Satanic Temple (TST) is a peer recovery support group and an official campaign of TST focused on non-theistic methods of overcoming addiction. Unlike traditional faith-based programs that advocate surrendering to a higher power, the Sober Faction emphasizes self-empowerment, personal responsibility, and control. They believe that individuals have the inner strength to take command over their lives and conquer addiction without reliance on supernatural beliefs.
Priest Jo D serves as the co-director of the Sober Faction and is actively involved in supporting those on their journey to recovery. Under Jo D's leadership, the group offers a community-based approach that not only provides support but also encourages introspection, goal-setting, and personal improvement. The organization strives to be an alternative option for those seeking a rational, medical, and self-empowered path to recovery, and it has successfully worked with court-mandated programs, highlighting its legitimacy and alignment with the principles of separation of church and state.
“We believe that we are our own higher powers. We have the ability to take control over our lives again. So by focusing on that, that we are in control with a support system, we can overcome addiction and begin the process of recovery.”
