Satancon One - Multimedia Production

In 2016, the City of Scottsdale found itself at the center of a legal storm when The Satanic Temple of Tucson's request to open a council meeting with a prayer was denied. The incident escalated into a landmark lawsuit, "Satanic Temple, Inc. v. City of Scottsdale, 423 F. Supp. 3d 766," where the plaintiffs alleged that the city violated the Establishment and Equal Protection Clauses by excluding minority religions and specifically denying Michelle Shortt's invocation. Several significant decisions marked this contentious legal battle. It epitomized a struggle for religious freedom and equal treatment, a theme that resonated deeply with The Satanic Temple and its followers. Although the lawsuit was lost, it left an indelible mark on the landscape of religious freedom. Fast forward to 2022, and the Satanic Temple's response to this legal setback took a vibrant and transformative form: the first-ever SatanCon in Scottsdale. Far from the feared rituals and misconceptions, the gathering became a beacon for dialogue on personal liberation, knowledge, and rebellion against arbitrary authority. A highlight of this unconventional convention was the Impurity Ball, presented by The Satanic Temple Arizona and The Satanic Temple. The Impurity Ball was a raucous night of music, ritual, and debauchery. Deliberately mocking the gross and weird "Purity Balls" of evangelical origin, it was a spirited display of bodily autonomy, personal growth, and the joys of sinning with abandon. Inside the brightly colored Saguaro Hotel, attendees partook in board games, dark arts and crafts, seminars, and the engaging Impurity Ball. This gallery captures the essence of SatanCon and the Impurity Ball, revealing the human expressions, interactions, and lively discussions that characterized this unique convention. The images offer a behind-the-scenes look at the event and resonate with a powerful message of diversity, knowledge, and personal empowerment. They testify to a community's resilience and determination to transform discrimination and legal challenges into a celebration of individuality and defiance against societal norms.

SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL TENETS TST 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.

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.

Sober Faction of the Satanic Temple

“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.”