The Temple of Satan, an organization seeking to become Latin America’s first Satanic group with legal religious status, is allegedly growing popular in Chile amidst a decline in faith in traditional religions, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The Associated Press stated in its report that the Temple of Satan, founded in 2021, has 100 members, but has received membership request applications from “more than 400 people” in the past weeks, according to statements issued by a group spokesperson identified as “Haborym,” who spoke to the Associated Press under a pseudonym citing “growing threats” against its members, some of whom allegedly hold public-facing jobs.
“You are the owner of your present and future, there is no God that makes decisions for you,” said “Haborym,” who claimed that the figure of Satan is purely symbolic and the group’s rituals are performed “to bring out the emotions and leave the intellect aside.”
“We don’t want people killing in the name of Satan,” the spokesperson added.
According to the report, the Temple of Satan was founded by an individual identified with the name “Azazel,” who claimed to have quit Judaism four years ago.
“We do accept that there are certain bases, both academic and esoteric, that give meaning to our existence and reality,” said “Azazel.”
The Associated Press reported that prospective applicants must go through a lengthy process that includes “filling out a form, showing proof of not having a criminal record, being interviewed by a special commission and, finally, being evaluated by a psychologist.”
If accepted, AP further explained, members can choose a new name “normally that of a demon or fallen angel” as their identity within the Satanic organization. and its associated.
The report states that, just like its founders, others have turned to The Temple of Satan out of “disappointment” with traditional religions, including Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestant and Evangelical Christianity.
“In Satanism there are no solutions or absolute truths. You are your own god and you create your own reality,” said an individual identified as “Kali Ma,” the name of the Hindu goddess of destruction, further identified as a dentistry student with a Jehovah’s Witness family.
“If we compare both, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the real sect,” she continued. “They don’t let you do certain things, they tell you how to dress, what to do, how to behave, whether or not to grow a beard.”
In July, the Satanic organization initiated proceedings and submitted a formal request to the Chilean government to be legally recognized as a religious organization. If accepted, the Temple of Satan would be the first organization of its kind with legal status in Latin America.
The request immediately drew criticism from Chilean conservatives. Lawmaker Mauro González of the conservative National Renewal party called for the Chilean Justice Ministry to deny the Temple of Satan’s request. González asserted that “Chile cannot become the cradle of Satanism in Latin America.”
“In no part of Latin America have they been able to achieve it and Chile cannot be the exception. That is why we have officiated for the Ministry of Justice to deliver all the information and request the government not to open the doors to Satanism,” González said.
At press time, Chilean authorities have not issued a ruling on the status of the request.
“We comply with everything that is requested of us as a religious entity,” said “Haborym.” “So there would be no reason to reject us beyond the fact that we’re a controversial figure.”
Similar to those of other Latin American nations, Chileans are majorly Catholic. About 70 percent of Chile’s 18.5 million inhabitants identify as Catholic and an estimated 18 percent identify as practitioners of other Christian denominations.
In recent years, Catholic churches became the target of violent leftist rioters amidst a multi-year wave of leftist riots against the administration of late center-right President Sebastián Piñera. The deadly protests began in 2019 over a $0.04 public transit fare hike — and escalated to demands to trash the constitution and replace it with a new far-left core legal structure.
The violent protests, which caused widespread damage across Chile, saw leftist rioters vandalize Catholic churches with Satanic graffiti as well as leftist and anti-Catholic messages in October 2020. Two churches in the city of Santiago were burned down by the violent leftist protesters.
Late President Piñera caved to the demands of the protesters and initiated proceedings towards a constitutional process that continued in the administration of current far-left President Gabriel Boric. The constitutional process produced a far-left constitution that was overwhelmingly rejected in 2022.
Chilean leftists attempted to rewrite the constitution immediately after the first attempt failed, only for their plans to backfire when a majority conservative constitutional council was elected in May 2023. The conservative council produced a new core legal proposal that the Chilean electorate also rejected in December.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.