The Salem, Massachusetts-based organization provided The Associated Press with a notice it recently received communicating its new tax-exempt status. The letter used a code that classifies it as a “church or a convention or association of churches.”
The group is now listed in an IRS database for tax-exempt organizations. An email seeking comment was sent to the IRS.
The group says the designation will help in religious discrimination legal cases and allow it to pursue faith-based government grants.
The “non-theistic” group advocates for a stricter separation of church and state. It placed a statue of the goat-headed creature Baphomet at the Arkansas State Capitol last year to call for the removal of a Ten Commandments monument.
DATELINE IOWA: Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville) introduced a new bill that would ban displays, symbols, and worship practices of “Satanism” from government property. This bill is a direct response to the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s display in the Iowa Capitol in December, which was protected by the US Constitution.
In her bill, Salmon wrote that the government has a duty to protect its citizens from “evil” and facilitate “good.” Salmon is best known for relentless efforts in introducing anti-LGBTQ bills and vilifying public schools.
FYI: The Satanic Temple doesn’t actually believe in Satan or that such an entity exists.
This was the Satanic Temple’s display at the Iowa Capitol last December. It was destroyed by a Christian who is now charged with a hate crime for his efforts.
