The filing cabinet: every source Hellpdesk may cite, sorted by desk. Each link is checked weekly, and each claim was checked against its page.
99 sources
Science
A 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine position paper concluded that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective at delaying sex and reducing teen pregnancy or STIs.
Santelli et al., Journal of Adolescent…: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Policies and Programs: An Updated Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (opens in a new tab)
The American Psychological Association's 2021 resolution opposes sexual orientation change efforts ('conversion therapy'), citing evidence that they don't work and are associated with harm.
American Psychological Association: APA Resolution on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (February 2021) (opens in a new tab)
Harold Camping predicted the Rapture for May 21, 2011. When it didn't happen, he called May 21 an "invisible judgment day" and reaffirmed an October date for the end of the world.
The Washington Post: Harold Camping reaffirms October date for the end of the world, says May 21 date was 'invisible judgment day' (opens in a new tab)
A 2009 Cochrane systematic review of 10 randomised trials (7,646 patients) found no clear effect of intercessory prayer on death and no significant difference in general clinical state. The authors said the evidence does not support a recommendation for or against intercessory prayer, and that they were 'not convinced that further trials of this intervention should be undertaken.'
Cochrane: Intercessory prayer for the alleviation of ill health (opens in a new tab)
Radiometric dating puts the age of the Earth at 4.54 billion years, with an uncertainty of less than 1 percent.
U.S. Geological Survey: Age of the Earth (opens in a new tab)
Eratosthenes (about 276–194 BCE), a Greek astronomer, made the first measurement of the size of Earth for which any details are known, using the angle of the Sun's rays at two cities.
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Eratosthenes (opens in a new tab)
A 1998 study in Pediatrics examined 172 U.S. child deaths from 1975 to 1995 where parents relied on faith healing instead of medical care, and found most of the children had conditions with high survival rates under ordinary medical treatment.
Asser & Swan, Pediatrics: Child Fatalities From Religion-motivated Medical Neglect (opens in a new tab)
In a 1992 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope John Paul II acknowledged 'the error of the theologians of the time' who condemned Galileo in 1633.
Pontifical Academy of Sciences: Address of John Paul II, 31 October 1992 (opens in a new tab)
In 1822 Pope Pius VII approved a decree by the Sacred Congregation of the Inquisition allowing books advocating heliocentrism to be printed in Rome; Galileo's Dialogue was removed from the Index of Forbidden Books in 1835; and in 1992, after a 13-year investigation initiated by Pope John Paul II, the church acknowledged it had persecuted Galileo unfairly.
UCLA Newsroom: The truth about Galileo and his conflict with the Catholic Church (opens in a new tab)
In a May 2024 Gallup poll, 37% of U.S. adults said God created humans in their present form within roughly the last 10,000 years; 24% said humans evolved with no part played by God.
Gallup: Majority Still Credits God for Humankind, but Not Creationism (opens in a new tab)
In 2019, a Catholic school in Nashville removed Harry Potter books from its library after its pastor consulted exorcists, citing the risk that the books' spells could conjure evil spirits.
In 1990, a judge rejected a lawsuit claiming hidden subliminal messages in a Judas Priest album caused two young men to harm themselves.
UPI: Judge rejects subliminal message suit against Judas Priest (opens in a new tab)
A 1992 FBI report by agent Kenneth Lanning found no evidence supporting claims of organized satanic cults committing ritual murders and abuse on a large scale.
FBI / U.S. Department of Justice: Investigator's Guide to Allegations of 'Ritual' Child Abuse (opens in a new tab)
The USGS lists the oldest known Earth rocks, the Acasta Gneisses in northwestern Canada, at 4.03 billion years; the Isua Supracrustal rocks in West Greenland at 3.7 to 3.8 billion years; and rocks older than 3.5 billion years on every continent.
pubs.usgs.gov: Geologic Time: Age of the Earth (opens in a new tab)
Radiometric ages are calculated from the ratio of parent and daughter isotopes measurable in the rock today.
pubs.usgs.gov: Geologic Time: Graphical Representation of Geologic Time (opens in a new tab)
In 1988, samples were dated by accelerator mass spectrometry at Arizona, Oxford and Zurich, with three control samples of known age. The paper was published in Nature on 16 February 1989 with 21 authors.
nature.com: Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin | NatureClose bannerClose banner (opens in a new tab)
A 2018 bloodstain-pattern study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences found that, read as real blood, the stains imply different body positions, and called the back stains "totally unrealistic" for a body lying supine.
cruxnow.com: CruxNew blood stain analysis casts doubt on authenticity of Shroud of Turin | Crux (opens in a new tab)
A 2018 bloodstain-pattern study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences found that, read as real blood, the stains imply different body positions, and called the back stains "totally unrealistic" for a body lying supine.
researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk: LJMU Research Online (opens in a new tab)
The CDC declared measles eliminated in the United States in 2000, crediting a highly effective vaccination program.
Centers for Disease Control and…: History of Measles (opens in a new tab)
Followers of William Miller expected Christ to return on October 22, 1844; when he didn't, the event became known as the Great Disappointment.
ChurchLeaders: The Great Disappointment: Faith, Prophecy, and the Millerite Movement (opens in a new tab)
In 1986, James Randi exposed faith healer Peter Popoff: Popoff's 'divine' knowledge of audience members came from his wife, who gathered details before services and fed them to him through a hidden earpiece.
TIME: James Randi: Fighting Against Flimflam (opens in a new tab)
Radiocarbon dating by three laboratories (Arizona, Oxford and Zurich), published in Nature in 1989, gave the Shroud of Turin's linen a date of AD 1260–1390 with at least 95% confidence, "conclusive evidence" that it is mediaeval.
Damon et al., Nature: Radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin (opens in a new tab)
Excavations beneath St. Peter's Basilica, ordered by Pope Pius XII in 1939, found a wooden box of human remains believed to belong to a man in his 60s, and in 1968 Paul VI announced that the relics of St. Peter were found. A Vatican-backed documentary about them, narrated by Chris Pratt, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in October 2026.
National Catholic Reporter: Actor Chris Pratt joins Pope Leo in new documentary about St. Peter's long-lost remains (opens in a new tab)
In the STEP trial (2006), intercessory prayer had no effect on complications after heart bypass surgery, and patients who were told they were being prayed for had a somewhat higher complication rate than those who were unsure.
Benson et al., American Heart Journal: Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients (opens in a new tab)
A 2009 Johns Hopkins study in Pediatrics found teens who took virginity pledges had about the same rates of sex as similar non-pledgers but were less likely to use condoms and birth control, and 82% of pledgers denied having pledged five years later.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of…: Virginity Pledges Can Mean Less Protection (opens in a new tab)
Edgar Whisenant wrote '88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.' After it didn't happen, he forecast a new date in September 1989.
The Washington Post: Sept. 1 Forecast as Day of Christian Rapture (opens in a new tab)
Ron Wyatt's claims of finding Noah's Ark, Red Sea chariot wheels, and the Ark of the Covenant are rejected as unreliable by Christian archaeologists, who note he had no archaeological training, no licensed excavations, and no peer-reviewed publications.
Bible Archaeology Report: Fake News In Biblical Archaeology (opens in a new tab)
Doctrine
Catechism paragraph 1035 says 'The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity,' and that souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer 'eternal fire.' It says the chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God.
The Holy See: Catechism of the Catholic Church, IV. Hell (paragraphs 1033-1037) (opens in a new tab)
Catechism paragraph 390 says the account of the fall in Genesis 3 'uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event,' and that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault committed by 'our first parents.' Paragraph 389 says the Church cannot tamper with the revelation of original sin without undermining the mystery of Christ.
The Holy See: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 7. The Fall (opens in a new tab)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 234) calls the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity "the central mystery of Christian faith and life," and para. 237 says the Trinity is a mystery "inaccessible to reason alone." Para. 247 says the filioque does not appear in the Creed confessed at Constantinople in 381 and remains a point of disagreement with the Orthodox Churches.
Holy See: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part One, Paragraph 2: The Father (opens in a new tab)
The Center for the Study of Global Christianity counts tens of thousands of Christian denominations worldwide.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Christianity is Fragmented (opens in a new tab)
In 2018, televangelist Jesse Duplantis asked his followers to help pay for a $54 million Dassault Falcon 7X private jet.
Fortune: Televangelist Jesse Duplantis Asks for Donations for $54M Private Jet (opens in a new tab)
In 1567, Pope Pius V cancelled all grants of indulgences involving fees or other financial transactions.
Catholic Answers: Myths about Indulgences (opens in a new tab)
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Watch Tower Society publications pointed to 1975 as a likely date for the end of 6,000 years of human history, which many Jehovah's Witnesses took to mean Armageddon.
JWfacts: 1975 - Watchtower Quotes to show what really was predicted (opens in a new tab)
Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds, citing biblical commands to abstain from blood.
Jehovah's Witnesses: Jehovah's Witnesses and the Question of Blood (opens in a new tab)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' own essay acknowledges that Egyptologists identify the surviving Book of Abraham papyri as standard funerary texts from centuries after Abraham, and that the characters on them do not match the translation Joseph Smith gave.
The Church of Jesus Christ of…: Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham (opens in a new tab)
In Latter-day Saint scripture (Joseph Smith—History 1:60), Joseph Smith says that after translating, he returned the golden plates to the angelic messenger, who still had them.
The Church of Jesus Christ of…: Joseph Smith—History 1 (opens in a new tab)
Article X of the Chicago Statement limits inspiration, "strictly speaking," to "the autographic text of Scripture," and its own denial clause speaks of "the absence of the autographs."
Gallup (2022): Record-low 20% say Bible is literal word of God; 29% say fables/legends; 49% inspired, not all literal.
news.gallup.com: Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God (opens in a new tab)
Mark Strauss, writing at Crosswalk, lists the standard repairs for the genealogies (Mary's line, royal versus physical line, adoption or levirate marriage) and concedes the royal-versus-physical view alone does not fix the fact that "Joseph can't have two fathers."
crosswalk.com: Why are Jesus’ Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different? - Bible Study | Crosswalk.com (opens in a new tab)
Bible Hub's answer page calls 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1 "complementary viewpoints": God as ultimate cause, Satan as secondary agent.
biblehub.com: Why does 1 Chronicles 21:1 say Satan incited David, whereas 2 Samuel 24:1 implies God did? (opens in a new tab)
Ligonier Ministries (Stephen Nichols, Ask Ligonier) calls Jesus' two genealogies "complementary" and offers no Mary's-line or levirate fix.
learn.ligonier.org: Why Are There Two Different Genealogies for Jesus? (opens in a new tab)
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's 2018 report says its four founders, Boyce, Broadus, Manly Jr. and Williams, each "owned slaves" and defended slavery as a "righteous" institution.
Insiders at Kenneth Copeland Ministries said they were afraid to talk; one said they had been warned that "God will blight our finances."
christiancentury.org: Senator ends probe of ministries, calls for ‘self-reform’ | The Christian Century (opens in a new tab)
In May 2018, the Washington Post reported that Jesse Duplantis asked followers to help buy a Falcon 7X, priced at about $54 million, which would be the ministry's fourth jet.
The SEP entry notes that if God's existence has no defined probability, or probability zero, the expected-value calculation fails.
plato.stanford.edu: Pascal’s Wager (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (opens in a new tab)
Papal infallibility was formally defined as Catholic dogma by the First Vatican Council in 1870, in the constitution Pastor Aeternus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Pastor Aeternus (opens in a new tab)
In a 2021 Pew survey, asked whether they get angry with God for allowing so much suffering in the world when they hear about terrible things happening to people, 3% of U.S. adults said they feel this way often and 14% sometimes. 26% said rarely and 48% never.
Pew Research Center: Views on human suffering and God's role in it (opens in a new tab)
A 2021 Pew survey found that 73% of U.S. adults believe in heaven. 48% of all U.S. adults believe people in heaven are reunited with pets or animals they knew on Earth, 44% that people in heaven can see what is happening on Earth, and 15% that people in heaven can choose whether they want to stop existing.
Pew Research Center: Views on the afterlife (opens in a new tab)
Scientology's mythology, revealed only to members of considerable rank, says Xenu, head of a "Galactic Federation" 75 million years ago, froze people's thetans (souls), brought them to Earth and left them near volcanoes destroyed by nuclear explosions.
Learn Religions: Who Is Overlord Xenu? Scientology's Creation Myth (opens in a new tab)
According to documents shared with the Guardian, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith rejected former Louisiana deacon Scott Peyton's appeal of his excommunication, saying he had joined an Anglican congregation and published that fact on social media. Peyton, whose son was molested by priest Michael Guidry, learned of the decision in a meeting with Lafayette bishop J Douglas Deshotel and said he intends to appeal.
The Guardian: Vatican upholds excommunication of US deacon who resigned after son was molested by priest (opens in a new tab)
Chapter III of the Westminster Confession of Faith says that, by God's decree, some men and angels are "predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death," and that their number is so certain and definite "that it cannot be either increased or diminished." It says the elect were chosen "without any foresight of faith, or good works."
Evangelical Presbyterian Church in…: Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter III: Of God's Eternal Decree (opens in a new tab)
Scripture
We have reviewed the incident. Complaint: "Go up, thou bald head." Response: a curse in the LORD's name, followed by two she-bears and forty-two mauling victims. The defense says they were really "adolescent young men" (the KJV translators, who were on your side, went with "little children"), as though the problem was the age and not the bears. There's no version of this where mocking a man's haircut deserves a mauling by bears, unless the lesson is that God's prophets are thin-skinned and have wildlife on retainer. Hellpdesk's own policy on bald jokes: we laugh. Status: Enforced selectively.
toughquestionsanswered.org: Why Did Elisha Curse a Group of Young Men? | Tough Questions Answered (opens in a new tab)
The Biblical Archaeology Society says George Smith presented the Flood Tablet on December 3, 1872, calls its hero Utnapishtim "the Mesopotamian Noah," and says the Flood story was added to the epic around the 12th century B.C.E.
library.biblicalarchaeology.org: George Smith’s Other Find: The Babylonian Flood Tablet - The BAS Librarysearch (opens in a new tab)
The Catholic Answers article "Does the Bible Support Slavery?" quotes Leviticus 25 as "25:43-45" and does not quote verse 46.
catholic.com: Does the Bible Support Slavery? | Catholic Answers Magazine (opens in a new tab)
Church & State
Kentucky approved a sales-tax rebate incentive of up to $18.25 million for the Ark Encounter after Answers in Genesis won a court fight over it.
Baptist Press: Ark Encounter gets tax incentive up to $18.25M (opens in a new tab)
Several state constitutions still contain clauses barring atheists from holding public office, though they've been unenforceable since the Supreme Court's 1961 ruling in Torcaso v. Watkins.
The Conversation: Why it matters that 7 states still have bans on atheists holding office (opens in a new tab)
Churches are not required to file the annual Form 990 information return that most other tax-exempt nonprofits must file with the IRS.
Internal Revenue Service: Filing requirements for churches and religious organizations (opens in a new tab)
Clergy can exempt themselves from Social Security taxes on income from their ministerial work, and roughly 2,000 receive an exemption every year. The Clergy Act (H.R. 227), signed by President Trump, lets clergy who opted out opt back in for tax years beginning in 2029 and 2030; under prior law the choice could not be reversed.
House Ways and Means Committee: Path Back to Social Security for Faith Leaders Signed into Law (opens in a new tab)
In Edwards v. Aguillard (1987), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring 'creation science' to be taught whenever evolution was taught.
Free Speech Center, Middle Tennessee…: Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) (opens in a new tab)
Eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs died in Queensland in January 2022 after her parents withdrew the insulin she needed for type 1 diabetes; her mother's sect, the Saints, didn't believe in medicine, and all 14 adult members of the church were convicted of her manslaughter. A nine-day coronial inquest into how authorities handled the risk to her has ended.
The Guardian: Authorities said Elizabeth Struhs was 'safe'. So why did the eight-year-old die? (opens in a new tab)
In Engel v. Vitale (1962), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government-written prayer in public schools violates the First Amendment, even when participation is voluntary.
United States Courts: Facts and Case Summary - Engel v. Vitale (opens in a new tab)
David Maltinsky, a 16-year FBI intelligence specialist, filed a lawsuit on 19 November 2025 in the US district court for the District of Columbia alleging he was fired for displaying a Pride flag at his desk, in violation of his first amendment rights. According to the complaint, Kash Patel's termination letter cited "an inappropriate display of political signage"; the FBI and justice department declined to comment.
The Guardian: FBI worker says he was wrongfully terminated for having Pride flag at desk (opens in a new tab)
In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014), the Supreme Court ruled that closely held for-profit corporations could claim religious objections to the Affordable Care Act's contraception coverage requirement.
FindLaw: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014) (opens in a new tab)
Idaho law shields parents from prosecution when they use prayer instead of medical care, even when a child dies; efforts to change it have repeatedly failed.
The Spokesman-Review: Idaho faith healing exemption remains unchanged, and more children die (opens in a new tab)
In a July 2025 court filing, the IRS said churches may endorse political candidates to their congregations without losing tax-exempt status, despite the Johnson Amendment.
Religion News Service: Churches can endorse politicians, IRS says in court filing (opens in a new tab)
In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that a public high school football coach had a right to pray on the field after games.
National Constitution Center: Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022) (opens in a new tab)
In Kitzmiller v. Dover (2005), a federal judge ruled that teaching intelligent design in a public school science class was unconstitutional, finding that intelligent design is not science.
Justia: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Dist. (opens in a new tab)
The Salt Lake Tribune reported (Oct. 15, 2026) that the LDS Church donated $1 million to the group opposing Idaho's Proposition 1 on abortion access, and that churches may oppose ballot measures but not campaign for or against candidates. Loyola University Chicago tax professor Sam Brunson said that in the 72-year history of the Johnson Amendment he is aware of one church that lost its tax exemption.
The Salt Lake Tribune: Why the LDS Church can wade into abortion politics — and even donate money — without risking its tax-exempt status (opens in a new tab)
In 2016 Donald Trump named "an eye for an eye" as a favorite verse, a line Jesus quotes in the Sermon on the Mount only to overrule it.
cbsnews.com: Donald Trump names his favorite Bible verse - CBS News (opens in a new tab)
We'd like to congratulate the candidate on finding the one verse that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically brought up in order to cancel. He quotes "an eye for an eye," then adds "But I say unto you," and the next instruction is to turn the other cheek. Picking that as your favorite is like naming your favorite constitutional amendment and choosing Prohibition. To be fair, it is a real verse (Exodus 21:24); it just comes with a red-letter override. Status: Working as intended.
cbsnews.com: Donald Trump names his favorite Bible verse - CBS News (opens in a new tab)
Thank you for your intercessory prayer request. Under review: a bumper sticker that says "pray for" and quotes a verse whose very next line asks for his children to be "fatherless" and his wife "a widow." Psalm 109 is a curse psalm. It's the Bible's own ill-wishing genre, so the merch picked its verse knowing exactly which neighborhood it was in. If your devotional practice needs plausible deniability, it isn't a prayer, it's a dog whistle in a choir robe. Status: Prayer not found.
nbcchicago.com: Is This T-Shirt Praying for Obama’s Assassination? – NBC Chicago (opens in a new tab)
In 2009, "Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8" spread on T-shirts and bumper stickers, and Zazzle pulled the shirt, saying the products may be interpreted as suggesting physical harm to the President.
nbcchicago.com: Is This T-Shirt Praying for Obama’s Assassination? – NBC Chicago (opens in a new tab)
Jeff Sessions cited Romans 13:1 in 2018 to defend separating immigrant families, while the same chapter sums up the law as love that "worketh no ill."
npr.org: Sessions Cites The Bible To Justify Immigrant Family Separations : NPR (opens in a new tab)
In January 2016, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled that Kentucky couldn't exclude the Ark Encounter from a sales tax incentive worth up to $18 million over its "religious purpose and message."
wcpo.com: Ky. will not challenge Ark Encounter tax ruling (opens in a new tab)
NKyTribune reports the rebate of up to $18.25 million is performance-based, and that the Williamstown TIF lets developers keep 75% of the property tax increase for 30 years.
nkytribune.com: As opening date for Ark looms, AiG excited about project, disappointed about portrayal of incentives - NKyTribune (opens in a new tab)
In July 2017, WCPO reported that the land under the ark, valued at $48 million, was sold for $10 to Crosswater Canyon, the nonprofit affiliate, and that Williamstown officials suspected a way to avoid taxes.
wcpo.com: Is Ark Encounter trying to dodge taxes? (opens in a new tab)
A Texas state judge ordered Galveston ISD to post the Ten Commandments displays within 10 days.
Texas's S.B. 10 requires a durable poster or framed copy in a "conspicuous place" in every classroom, at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, legible from anywhere in the room, containing the Commandments text and no additional content. Schools must accept donated copies that meet the specs.
According to K-12 Dive (Aug. 17, 2026), Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama now require Ten Commandments displays in schools, and there have been 82 bills in 26 states since 2021 related to Ten Commandments in schools, nine reaching a governor, eight signed and one vetoed in Arizona.
k12dive.com: Ten Commandments law appealed to Supreme Court | K-12 Dive (opens in a new tab)
In Pew's April 6-12, 2026 survey, 79% said churches should not come out in favor of one candidate over another during elections; 19% said they should. In 2019 it was 76% no and 23% yes; in 2022, 77% no and 20% yes.
pewresearch.org: Most Americans think churches should not endorse political candidates | Pew Research Center (opens in a new tab)
Salem Witch Museum Free tickets after board member's meltdown
friendlyatheist.com: Salem Witch Museum to give Batavia High students free tickets after pastor’s objection (opens in a new tab)
Louisiana passed a 2024 law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom; it has been challenged in federal court.
Free Speech Center, Middle Tennessee…: Louisiana Ten Commandments law (opens in a new tab)
'In God We Trust' became the official U.S. national motto in 1956.
Encyclopaedia Britannica: In God we trust (opens in a new tab)
In June 2019, amid the largest U.S. measles outbreak in decades, New York ended religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements.
NPR: New York Ends Religious Exemptions For Required Vaccines (opens in a new tab)
The words 'under God' were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, signed into law by President Eisenhower during the Cold War.
History.com: Why Eisenhower Added 'Under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance (opens in a new tab)
PRRI's 2024 American Values Atlas found roughly 3 in 10 Americans qualify as adherents of or sympathizers with Christian nationalism.
In May 2023 a federal judge ruled that Pennsylvania's Saucon Valley School District must let the After School Satan Club use its facilities for meetings, after the district had revoked its approval of the club.
In August 2018 The Satanic Temple temporarily placed a Baphomet statue at the Arkansas State Capitol during a rally calling for the removal of a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds.
Associated Press: Satanic Temple brings Baphomet statue to Arkansas for rally (opens in a new tab)
In December 2023, a Satanic Temple display inside the Iowa Capitol, permitted by the rules for religious installations there and about 100 feet from the Capitol's Christmas tree, was destroyed; a former Mississippi House candidate was charged with criminal mischief.
In December 2023 The Satanic Temple Iowa put up a holiday display with a Baphomet statue in the Iowa Capitol, which a Mississippi man destroyed; Iowa officials then denied the group's request for a holiday event at the Capitol in 2024 and again in November 2025. In June 2025 the ACLU of Iowa filed a civil rights complaint on the group's behalf alleging religious discrimination over the 2024 denial.
Iowa Public Radio: State again denies Satanic Temple's request to hold event at Iowa Capitol building (opens in a new tab)
In April 2019 The Satanic Temple said the IRS had designated it a tax-exempt church, and showed The Associated Press the notice.
Associated Press: Satanic Temple: IRS has designated it a tax-exempt church (opens in a new tab)
The Satanic Temple says its members do not worship Satan or believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural, and describes its religion as non-theistic and non-supernaturalist.
The Satanic Temple: FAQ (opens in a new tab)
In February 2016 the Phoenix City Council voted to replace the prayer before its meetings with a moment of silence, a move intended to block The Satanic Temple from offering a prayer at a later meeting.
The Christian Science Monitor: How Satanic Temple drove Phoenix City Council to drop opening prayers (opens in a new tab)
On November 17, 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a Kentucky statute requiring a copy of the Ten Commandments, bought with private contributions, to be posted on the wall of each public school classroom had no secular legislative purpose and violated the Establishment Clause. The Court said the 'preeminent purpose' of the posting was 'plainly religious in nature.'
U.S. Supreme Court: Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980) (opens in a new tab)
On May 24, 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10, which requires every public school classroom to display a Ten Commandments poster at least 16 by 20 inches, starting in September. He signed it even though a federal court had ruled that a similar Louisiana law violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
The Texas Tribune: Texas will require public school classrooms to display Ten Commandments under bill signed by governor (opens in a new tab)
A 2023 Texas law (SB 763) allows public school districts to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers to provide support services, with critics warning they could take on counselors' roles.
Education Week: Chaplains Could Work as School Counselors Under Bill Passed in Texas (opens in a new tab)
Article 11 of the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the U.S. Senate and signed by President John Adams, states that the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.
Free Speech Center, Middle Tennessee…: 1797 Treaty of Tripoli (opens in a new tab)
In Van Orden v. Perry, decided June 27, 2005, the Supreme Court held that a 6-foot-high monolith inscribed with the Ten Commandments, among 17 monuments and 21 historical markers on the Texas State Capitol grounds, did not violate the Establishment Clause. The Court's syllabus distinguished Stone v. Graham, which struck down a Kentucky statute requiring the Ten Commandments in every public schoolroom.
U.S. Supreme Court: Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005) (opens in a new tab)
Last updated October 26, 2026.