No. A Ponzi scheme is a type of investing scam that generates returns for early investors with money taken from later investors. The Satanic Temple does not require members to pay any money, and does not promise any money to members. The members are therefore not “investors” and nobody is ever promised any “returns.”
The Satanic Temple is also not a Pyramid Scheme. A Pyramid Scheme is a type of investing scam based on a hierarchical setup of network marketing, wherein money from new recruits provides funding for earlier recruits who are structured above them in the scheme. The Satanic Temple does not require members to pay any money, and does not pay or make any promise to pay members at any point in their membership.
The Satanic Temple is a non-profit religious organization classified as a church by the United States IRS. There is no membership requirements, and there is no requirement to purchase products. Activities such as the Ordination Program cost money to enroll, but that only offsets the costs of running the program and TST offers a number of ways to offset those costs for members in need. The Satanic Temple TV offers paid memberships, but the Religious Services hosted on that platform are completely free. Religious services will always be free, no matter what platform they are hosted on, because we feel it is important for services to be available to all of our members with no cost as a barrier to entry.
The Satanic Temple encourages donations from anyone who is interested in helping to offset the costs of running a growing world-wide religious organization. Managing campaigns, paying for lawsuits, organizing events, maintaining the basic technological infrastructure of the organization: all of these things cost money. However, if anyone tells you that you are or will be required to pay money to be a part of The Satanic Temple, they are lying. If anyone tells you that you are required to make any purchase simply to participate and be a member of The Satanic Temple, they are lying. If anyone promises you that you will receive money for membership or participation in The Satanic Temple, they are lying. If someone is telling you this kind of misinformation, and you can confirm that they are a member of The Satanic Temple rather than just an internet troll trying to stir up trouble, then please report the incident to the Suryan Council.