The Satanic Temple seeks to establish a student group at the University of Alberta

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come...
...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away...
...But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. II Timothy 3:1,5,13

The evil that has been prophesied to be characteristic of the last days is increasingly out of the closet, and university campuses provide ample evidence. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (bold in original):

secular adjective
sec·​u·​lar | \ ˈse-kyə-lər \

Definition of secular (Entry 1 of 2)

1a: of or relating to the worldly or temporal
// secular concerns

b: not overtly or specifically religious
// secular music

c: not ecclesiastical or clerical
// secular courts
// secular landowners

As posted on Reddit late in July 2019 (bold, link in original):

Posted byu/shinygoldhelmet

Would anyone else be interested in helping start a new student group as a chapter of the Satanic Temple?

Ooooo, Satanism. I know. It's scary! Those are the people who put subliminal messages in rock music, and who sacrifice goats! Aaaahhh!

Before you run off clutching your pearls and turning pale, have a read through the actual philosophy of the group:

There are seven fundamental tenets:

1. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.

2. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

3. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

4. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend.

5. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.

6. Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.

7. People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and remediate any harm that may have been caused.

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 mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will. Politically aware, Civic-minded Satanists and allies in The Satanic Temple have publicly opposed The Westboro Baptist Church, advocated on behalf of children in public school to abolish corporal punishment, applied for equal representation where religious monuments are placed on public property, provided religious exemption and legal protection against laws that unscientifically restrict women's reproductive autonomy, exposed fraudulent harmful pseudo-scientific practitioners and claims in mental health care, and applied to hold clubs along side other religious after school clubs in schools besieged by proselytizing organizations.

You may have heard of TST in the news lately as they've just been granted tax exempt status as a religion from the IRS, the first satanic organization to do so!

Anyways, I just thought I'd see if anyone else out there would be interested in forming a new student group. We need at least 10 members to register with the SU and receive official status and be able to apply for grants and funding.

A subsequent post, also from late in July 2019 (bold, link in original):

Posted byu/shinygoldhelmet

Meeting to form a new student group - Secular Students for Reason and Justice. Please come out and see what it's about!

Hello folks!

Some of you may recall my previous post about starting a group as an unofficial chapter of The Satanic Temple. This group is still that, however after speaking with representatives of TST, I have been told that while they approve of the group forming and are excited for us to do so, we cannot use their name or logos or call ourselves an official chapter or say we're affiliated ... yet.

I know a few people on this sub were very interested in joining up, and we need 10 altogether in order to do so. Since I am a grad student, I also need two others to be on the executive. Well, probably one other, as /u/delciopp already expressed interest in being part of the founding executive.

What the group will be about

We cannot call ourselves a part of TST, but we are able to state that we follow the 7 Tenets that are the guiding principles of life as a Satanist...

...Our mission will be to promote these tenets, but it's not like we're going to go door knocking or riding around on bikes. We will promote them by being examples of reason and justice in our daily lives. We will advocate for those who have no voice, we will show up at protests, Pride parades, and charity events and show that one can be good without a god or religion in one's life. We will also be active in promoting debate and free speech on campus, potentially sponsoring or bringing in speakers at some point in the future.

There is an unofficial chapter of TST in Edmonton called Friends of TST Edmonton Chapter, and I've spoken with them. They're overwhelmingly supportive of us forming, especially since there are student groups on campus for pretty much all other religions. Anyone who wants to join this group would be more than welcome to also join that group, I've been told. We are welcome to go to their events and to join in on their charity drives. Once they become an official chapter (the process for which could take a year or so), then we would be free to officially affiliate with them.

Do you have to call yourself a Satanist in order to join? No, not at all. You must, however, agree to abide by the tenets to the best of your ability.

Who can join? Anyone! We will welcome anyone, from lifelong atheists to those who've left a religion, to agnostics or people who don't give a fuck about religion and just want to do some good in their life.

When and where is the meeting? I'm a little open on this one, but I have time from 1p - 2p on Saturday the 27th, and anywhere from 1p - 5p on Sunday the 28th. I haven't decided on a location yet, but somewhere on or near campus. Specifics to come once there are people interested!

In the first post, the group claims affiliation with the Temple of Satan, which claims to be "the primary religious Satanic organization in the world." In the second post, however, they call themselves "Secular Students for Reason and Justice." The Temple of Satan's own claims don't fit the definition of "secular" given by Merriam-Webster. How can this group be both "religious" and "secular"? To quote Sherlock Holmes out of context, "Most singular! Most remarkable!"