OPINION (CL) – By recently granting tax-exempt status to the Satanic Temple, the IRS now officially acknowledges the group as a religion. “This acknowledgment will help make sure the Satanic Temple has the same access to public spaces as other religious organizations, affirm our standing in court when battling religious discrimination, and enable us to apply for faith-based government grants,” read a statement posted to the organization’s Instagram account. Until recently, the Satanic Temple, based in Salem, Massachusetts, was opposed to seeking tax-exempt status.
But that changed, says co-founder and president Lucien Greaves, with President Trump’s 2017 executive order on religious freedom. After that signing, Greaves wrote, “As ‘the religious’ are increasingly gaining ground as a privileged class, we must ensure that this privilege is available to all, and that superstition doesn’t gain exclusive rights over non-theistic religions or non-belief.” Accepting tax-exempt status, Greaves says, will help the group “better assert our claims to equal access and exemption while laying to rest any suspicion that we don’t meet the qualifications of a true religious organization.” He adds that “Satanism is here to stay.” READ MORE
