I am a theistic Satanist, which is a category that many atheistic Satanists disdain. But ironically, the more I talk to atheistic Satanists, and the more I refine my own theology, the more I realize that I have a lot in common with standard atheism.

Modern atheism is grounded mainly in a critique of monotheism– as much as many atheists don’t realize it. Atheist arguments like the problem of evil rely on the concept of a single God who is omnipotent and omnibenevolent. I agree with the premise of the problem of evil– that such a being cannot possibly exist.

Like most atheists, I reject the concept of a single Big God. In fact, I believe that the existence of such a being would necessitate an unfree universe, a place in which choice, individuality and liberty fundamentally cannot exist. A lot of atheists would agree with that, too.

The difference is that instead of being an atheist, I am now a radical polytheist.

Where I break away from atheism is, of course, by believing in the existence of things that cannot be empirically proven. I acknowledge that this is a pretty big schism. But I also don’t think it’s as important as it may at first seem.

In most of the ways that materially matter to atheists, I act like an atheist. I believe people can be moral without religion. I believe in strong separation of church and state. I believe in trusting good science (not in scientism, which is the ignorant tendency to believe that all “science” is equally valid and has been conducted to the same standards, or that science is static and not subject to change upon further information. This attitude is actually profoundly unscientific).

I differ from some atheists in that I believe religious belief is not delusional and can be profoundly healthy.

Religion, for me, is about emotional well-being. “Faith” of some kind– not necessarily faith in God or in something supernatural– is crucial to human survival. We live in awful, desperate, apocalyptic times. A purely rational appraisal of our situation would lead to paralyzing despair. I define faith as an irrational and yet adaptive belief that there is hope. Believing in God, gods, an afterlife, or magic can help support this type of faith, but isn’t necessary for it.

Of course, faith taken to an extreme can be just as paralytic as cynical despair. Leaving everything “in God’s hands” is just as awful of a survival strategy as not doing anything because “we’re doomed”– although one must admit that the apathetic believer is probably at least happier and less stressed than the despairing atheist.

For me personally, I wasn’t able to believe in hope until I believed in the supernatural. I think that actually says a lot about my cynicism. An atheist with hope is, in some ways, more irrationally optimistic than I am! And that’s not a bad thing. That’s a great thing. I salute them!

Atheistic Satanists believe in something I also believe in: religious community. While they may not exactly appreciate the “faith” part of religion, they definitely understand the collective aspect! Rituals, feasts, celebrations, gatherings, protests, events, fundraisers, and coffee hours are beautiful things. The decline of religion has coincided with the social isolation of Americans. Atheistic Satanic communities are combating that trend in their own lives.

I’m not saying religion is the only way to form a community of support– I’m saying that a really good community requires a religious level of commitment. Having a social “scene” you are involved in is great and not to be sneezed at. But in the olden days– and this is still true in some places– being part of a church meant never being alone when you were down and out. A real community should help you find a job when you’re unemployed, find an apartment when you get evicted, bring you dinners when you are too sick to cook for yourself, take up a collection for you when an unexpected emergency room bill clears our your savings. That’s what churches did, and sometimes still do.

(“Now wait a minute,” some random Randian-inflected LaVeyan is sneering, “A Satanist should be able to stand on their own two feet!” To which I say, A. you don’t understand how late stage capitalism works, B. in the 90’s Church of Satan literature emphasized that Satanists should have each other’s backs, fiercely, and C. have fun with your “Church” that isn’t so much a church anymore as just a smug twitter account. I’m not a huge fan of LaVey himself, but at least the dude brought people together and had fun parties. CoS really has fallen. No wonder TST is mopping the floor with them left, right and center. If CoS wants to stay relevant, they need to try harder and give people more. If you love capitalism so much than try to keep up with your competition. They are offering value that you are not.)

While The Satanic Temple is far from perfect, I give props to them and to similar atheistic Satanic groups for creating some real time community. The atheistic Satanists I know locally form social bonds with one another that appear to be just as strong as those formed in my own more theistic soiree. Social bonds are the real reason people stay involved with religious groups anyway. If it was all about the faith of the individual folks could all just practice on their own.

I’m happy to see atheists realizing the value of religious community, understanding that religion has great utility even if you take the God right out of it. To be quite honest, progressive Jews and some progressive Christians have realized this for a long time– new atheists might be surprised by how many people of faith don’t retain any belief whatsoever in the supernatural.

And as for me? Theistic as I am, I guess I’m still agnostic enough to insist that any sort of religious practice must be justifiable by its positive impacts on mundane “real” life.