US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

[friend of]

US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

Should the atheist group, the Satanic Temple, have its way, the Arkansas state capitol will become home to a winged goat idol, placed beside a monument to the Ten Commandments, while Minnesota will come into possession of a new landmark – a statue that is "overtly" but "tastefully Satanic".

The Satanic Temple, a non-theist church with roughly 300,000 followers, is waging a legal battle across the US for religious liberty, to effectively be on par with Christians, the church declared.

The church that preaches empathy simultaneously with "freedom to offend" should a struggle "for justice" require this, has filed seven lawsuits in different states challenging the concept of religious freedom and its underlying features, demanding equal treatment with Christian groups in the public domain.

"People get a laugh when they see us fighting to put a Satanic monument on the same grounds as the Ten Commandments, but whether we succeed or fail is not of minor importance", Lucien Greaves, who co-founded the church in 2013, said, as cited by Bloomberg.

He says their goal is simple and very much in the American spirit.

In its most recent lawsuit, in Texas, the Satanic Temple seeks to have some abortion rules deemed unconstitutional when applied to any of its members insisting that the rules - which include requiring a woman to have a sonogram and view the results - interfere with her religious beliefs.

In Minnesota, the group has sued to set up a statue they refer to as being "overtly Satanic", albeit "tastefully so".

Similarly, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Satanists are involved in a lawsuit by secularists seeking to remove the granite Ten Commandments monument on grounds that it ostensibly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by allegedly favouring one religion over all the rest. For equal terms, the church wants to put up its angel-winged goat, Baphomet, to commemmorate people killed in witch hunts (the original kind) alongside the Christian monument.

State authorities, however, have fought to keep the Satanic Temple out of the suit, dubbing it a "notoriously-transparent" front for "trolling". The court filing also quoted the Satanic Temple's rival, the Church of Satan, which has fumed that the Temple's devotees tend to lack real religious beliefs and instead give Satanism "a bad name".

 

[Sabertooth]

...and instead give Satanism "a bad name".

​

[tags: shaggy dog stories in the news]

(Yes, I know that it is sad, too...)

 

[Chrystal-J]

How can they place their idol anywhere when they don't believe in the supernatural?
They want to have it both ways. Be atheists because it's less threatening than the word Satanist, but practice Satanism at the same time.

 

[cow451]

How can they place their idol anywhere when they don't believe in the supernatural?
They want to have it both ways. Be atheists because it's less threatening than the word Satanist, but practice Satanism at the same time.

It seems they do believe in the supernatural. A different one than that of Christians.

 

[Chrystal-J]

It seems they do believe in the supernatural. A different one than that of Christians.

That would make them theists when they claim to be atheist.

 

[hislegacy]

Sputnik news?

How does someone find articles from a Russian newspaper?

Asking for a friend.

 

[Fantine]

Whatever you say about the Arkansas satanists, they weren't the ones who were pushing the Arkansas legislators to pass "stand yor ground laws" to allow ordinary citizens to shoot fleeing "suspects" in the back. They weren't the ones who were passing laws allowing doctors to refuse treatment to patients if they deemed the treatment "immoral" (primarily affecting transgender individuals, but applicable in many circumstances). They weren't the ones who tried to exclude numerous categories of workers from minimum wage protection so that they wouldn't qualify for the higher minimum wages passed by popular referendum.
No, it was the "Christians" who were pushing all those bills.
I think that satanists are trying to enforce the First Amendment--that the government will not establish a religion...but I also believe that if Christians in Arkansas and other very conservative states started following Mark 12:31--the second great commandment--they wouldn't see the pushback from satanists.
I really believe the satanists are challenging these Christians: More practicing, less preaching.

 

[hislegacy]

Whatever you say about the Arkansas satanists, they weren't the ones who were pushing the Arkansas legislators to pass "stand yor ground laws" to allow ordinary citizens to shoot fleeing "suspects" in the back. They weren't the ones who were passing laws allowing doctors to refuse treatment to patients if they deemed the treatment "immoral" (primarily affecting transgender individuals, but applicable in many circumstances). They weren't the ones who tried to exclude numerous categories of workers from minimum wage protection so that they wouldn't qualify for the higher minimum wages passed by popular referendum.
No, it was the "Christians" who were pushing all those bills.
I think that satanists are trying to enforce the First Amendment--that the government will not establish a religion...but I also believe that if Christians in Arkansas and other very conservative states started following Mark 12:31--the second great commandment--they wouldn't see the pushback from satanists.
I really believe the satanists are challenging these Christians: More practicing, less preaching.

Opinion: I find it interesting that you have more problems with perceived "Christians" than you do with satanist.

 

[BNR32FAN]

US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

Should the atheist group, the Satanic Temple, have its way, the Arkansas state capitol will become home to a winged goat idol, placed beside a monument to the Ten Commandments, while Minnesota will come into possession of a new landmark – a statue that is "overtly" but "tastefully Satanic".

The Satanic Temple, a non-theist church with roughly 300,000 followers, is waging a legal battle across the US for religious liberty, to effectively be on par with Christians, the church declared.

The church that preaches empathy simultaneously with "freedom to offend" should a struggle "for justice" require this, has filed seven lawsuits in different states challenging the concept of religious freedom and its underlying features, demanding equal treatment with Christian groups in the public domain.

"People get a laugh when they see us fighting to put a Satanic monument on the same grounds as the Ten Commandments, but whether we succeed or fail is not of minor importance", Lucien Greaves, who co-founded the church in 2013, said, as cited by Bloomberg.

He says their goal is simple and very much in the American spirit.

In its most recent lawsuit, in Texas, the Satanic Temple seeks to have some abortion rules deemed unconstitutional when applied to any of its members insisting that the rules - which include requiring a woman to have a sonogram and view the results - interfere with her religious beliefs.

In Minnesota, the group has sued to set up a statue they refer to as being "overtly Satanic", albeit "tastefully so".

Similarly, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Satanists are involved in a lawsuit by secularists seeking to remove the granite Ten Commandments monument on grounds that it ostensibly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by allegedly favouring one religion over all the rest. For equal terms, the church wants to put up its angel-winged goat, Baphomet, to commemmorate people killed in witch hunts (the original kind) alongside the Christian monument.

State authorities, however, have fought to keep the Satanic Temple out of the suit, dubbing it a "notoriously-transparent" front for "trolling". The court filing also quoted the Satanic Temple's rival, the Church of Satan, which has fumed that the Temple's devotees tend to lack real religious beliefs and instead give Satanism "a bad name".

I think the states should simply say no we don’t want it there but instead you can put it here out in some remote forest location that nobody sees or cares about. That should solve the problem. Then we Christians can go out there at night & tear it down.

 

[Shodan]

Whatever you say about the Arkansas satanists, they weren't the ones who were pushing the Arkansas legislators to pass "stand yor ground laws" to allow ordinary citizens to shoot fleeing "suspects" in the back.

"Stand your ground" laws do not allow ordinary citizens to shoot people in the back.

They weren't the ones who were passing laws allowing doctors to refuse treatment to patients if they deemed the treatment "immoral" (primarily affecting transgender individuals, but applicable in many circumstances).

Actually, they are pushing for something rather similar, as mentioned in the OP -

In its most recent lawsuit, in Texas, the Satanic Temple seeks to have some abortion rules deemed unconstitutional when applied to any of its members insisting that the rules - which include requiring a woman to have a sonogram and view the results - interfere with her religious beliefs.

I think that satanists are trying to enforce the First Amendment--that the government will not establish a religion...but I also believe that if Christians in Arkansas and other very conservative states started following Mark 12:31--the second great commandment--they wouldn't see the pushback from satanists.
I really believe the satanists are challenging these Christians: More practicing, less preaching.

Actually I think one of the legislators mentioned their motivation - they're trolling for attention. Satanists gotta troll - that's why they call themselves Satanists and then deny that they worship Satan, or believe in anything supernatural. They are going to try to offend and get attention for themselves no matter what Christians do.

I think in at least some circumstances the Supreme Court has ruled that monuments to the Ten Commandments and suchlike are allowed for their historical influence. Obviously Judaism has been much more significant in the development of Western civilization than this nonsense about goat idols. Putting up an idol to commemorate burned witches is kind of silly - none of the people burned as witches were really witches, and Satanism as these Temple people claim it didn't exist at the time.

Like I said, they're trolling.

Regards,
Shodan

 

[Fantine]

Opinion: I find it interesting that you have more problems with perceived "Christians" than you do with satanist.

I am a Christian, but I am decidedly not conservative, and the actions taken by our state legislature whenever they meet (thankfully only every other year) horrify me. I am also on the board of an ecumenical Christian women's group, and we regularly send resolutions to our state's legislators about their bills, some of which are so extreme that they are unconstitutional and will be challenged in the courts.
As for stand your ground, how is it interpreted? Is it EVER moral, ethical, or godly to kill someone in cold blood because of trespassing, burglary, or threatening your property, whether armed or unarmed? Stand your ground makes this legal.
Personally, I want to see religious principles reflected in the lives and votes of legislators, not on a courthouse lawn.
I think it is so sad that the secular humanists in western Europe heed to gospel message of Jesus far more closely than the state legislators of Arkansas--and I think that is one reason why organized religions are losing membership.

 

[NomNomPizza]

US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

Should the atheist group, the Satanic Temple, have its way, the Arkansas state capitol will become home to a winged goat idol, placed beside a monument to the Ten Commandments, while Minnesota will come into possession of a new landmark – a statue that is "overtly" but "tastefully Satanic".

The Satanic Temple, a non-theist church with roughly 300,000 followers, is waging a legal battle across the US for religious liberty, to effectively be on par with Christians, the church declared.

The church that preaches empathy simultaneously with "freedom to offend" should a struggle "for justice" require this, has filed seven lawsuits in different states challenging the concept of religious freedom and its underlying features, demanding equal treatment with Christian groups in the public domain.

"People get a laugh when they see us fighting to put a Satanic monument on the same grounds as the Ten Commandments, but whether we succeed or fail is not of minor importance", Lucien Greaves, who co-founded the church in 2013, said, as cited by Bloomberg.

He says their goal is simple and very much in the American spirit.

In its most recent lawsuit, in Texas, the Satanic Temple seeks to have some abortion rules deemed unconstitutional when applied to any of its members insisting that the rules - which include requiring a woman to have a sonogram and view the results - interfere with her religious beliefs.

In Minnesota, the group has sued to set up a statue they refer to as being "overtly Satanic", albeit "tastefully so".

Similarly, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Satanists are involved in a lawsuit by secularists seeking to remove the granite Ten Commandments monument on grounds that it ostensibly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by allegedly favouring one religion over all the rest. For equal terms, the church wants to put up its angel-winged goat, Baphomet, to commemmorate people killed in witch hunts (the original kind) alongside the Christian monument.

State authorities, however, have fought to keep the Satanic Temple out of the suit, dubbing it a "notoriously-transparent" front for "trolling". The court filing also quoted the Satanic Temple's rival, the Church of Satan, which has fumed that the Temple's devotees tend to lack real religious beliefs and instead give Satanism "a bad name".

USA is filled with many pagan statues anyways everywhere. You guys have Washington Monument which is literally pagan symbol of man's member.

Human logic be like : oh no devil horns on statue its Satanistic occult thing
Anything else : It's ok that there is this X figure on top of our goverment building it always been here.

 

[Fantine]

USA is filled with many pagan statues anyways everywhere. You guys have Washington Monument which is literally pagan symbol of man's member.

Human logic be like : oh no devil horns on statue its Satanistic occult thing
Anything else : It's ok that there is this X figure on top of our goverment building it always been here.

We also honor many Confederate generals--whose statues were erected during the Jim Crow era in order to honor white supremacist ideals.
Confederate Statues are Being Removed Amid Protests Over George Floyd's Death. Here's What to Know.

 

[Shodan]

As for stand your ground, how is it interpreted? Is it EVER moral, ethical, or godly to kill someone in cold blood because of trespassing, burglary, or threatening your property, whether armed or unarmed? Stand your ground makes this legal.

No, AFAICT it doesn't.

What does “stand your ground" mean? Stand-your-ground laws, which exist in most Southern states, among others, make it legal for someone to use deadly force in self-defense without first attempting to retreat.

:snip:

What exactly is the Arkansas bill trying to do? Senate Bill 24 proposes eliminating language from the state's criminal codes requiring a person to retreat, if possible, before using deadly force in self-defense.

Cite.

Note the reference to self-defense. It does not authorize person to shoot someone in the back, as you said earlier, nor does it authorize shooting because of trespassing. It says, if you are attacked, you do not have to try to run away or escape. IOW if you could use deadly force in self-defense before, you can still do so under the SYG law - you just don't have to try to run away first.

There is already a concept of "castle doctrine", as in "a person's home is their castle", where you didn't have to try to escape if you were attacked in your home. Under SYG, if you are attacked outside your home, you don't have to try to escape there either. You can use deadly force in self-defense, just as before the law.

You are free to oppose the law if you like, but it might be better if you understood its provisions before deciding whether or not to oppose it.

Regards,
Shodan

 

[Fantine]

I would oppose it no matter what its provisions are. The Second Amendment has been stretched out of all reasonable proportion since the 1980's.
Supreme Court decisions before then reflect the true intention of the Second Amendment over our nation's first 200 years.

 

[Nine of Spades]

US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

Should the atheist group, the Satanic Temple, have its way, the Arkansas state capitol will become home to a winged goat idol, placed beside a monument to the Ten Commandments, while Minnesota will come into possession of a new landmark – a statue that is "overtly" but "tastefully Satanic".

The Satanic Temple, a non-theist church with roughly 300,000 followers, is waging a legal battle across the US for religious liberty, to effectively be on par with Christians, the church declared.

The church that preaches empathy simultaneously with "freedom to offend" should a struggle "for justice" require this, has filed seven lawsuits in different states challenging the concept of religious freedom and its underlying features, demanding equal treatment with Christian groups in the public domain.

"People get a laugh when they see us fighting to put a Satanic monument on the same grounds as the Ten Commandments, but whether we succeed or fail is not of minor importance", Lucien Greaves, who co-founded the church in 2013, said, as cited by Bloomberg.

He says their goal is simple and very much in the American spirit.

In its most recent lawsuit, in Texas, the Satanic Temple seeks to have some abortion rules deemed unconstitutional when applied to any of its members insisting that the rules - which include requiring a woman to have a sonogram and view the results - interfere with her religious beliefs.

In Minnesota, the group has sued to set up a statue they refer to as being "overtly Satanic", albeit "tastefully so".

Similarly, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Satanists are involved in a lawsuit by secularists seeking to remove the granite Ten Commandments monument on grounds that it ostensibly violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by allegedly favouring one religion over all the rest. For equal terms, the church wants to put up its angel-winged goat, Baphomet, to commemmorate people killed in witch hunts (the original kind) alongside the Christian monument.

State authorities, however, have fought to keep the Satanic Temple out of the suit, dubbing it a "notoriously-transparent" front for "trolling". The court filing also quoted the Satanic Temple's rival, the Church of Satan, which has fumed that the Temple's devotees tend to lack real religious beliefs and instead give Satanism "a bad name".

I fully support religious freedom for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and even Buddhists. However, I draw the line at heathen religions like Wicca and especially Satanism, which is a dangerous religion. Allowing Satanists to openly worship Satan—despite their insincere insistence they’re atheists—isn’t any different than allowing neo-Nazis to practice Nazi religion. Believe it or not, such a religion actually exists; it’s called “Creativity.” You can read about it here: Creativity (religion) - Wikipedia

 

[Eftsoon]

I think that Satanism constitutes an affront to public decency. The problem is that the Satanists you have to worry about don't use inverted Christian symbolism or anything so obvious. They practice their craft within the New Age, and .... the church.
You could argue that Satanism in a Christian nation is a direct assault on Christian values. I don't think that that argument would hold however, as it's a matter of theological opinion. Some would just argue that Satan is just an accuser figure or a symbol etc.

 

[Arcangl86]

The thing is though, is that the First Amendment isn't limited to only religions that everybody agrees with. If it did it would be powerless. So that means, as long as they are not inflicting actual harm on other people, both the Satanic Temple and Creativity are entitled to First Amendment protections, and that includes being treated equally with other religions. If the state is going to erect a monument to one religion on the grounds of the capital, they need to permit other religions ot also place monuments there. The obvious solution, which of course is what the Satanists are after, is to simply not have any religious monuments at all.

 

[jgarden]

US Satanists File Lawsuits Seeking Equal Rights With Christian Groups

1) "Satan," who according to Scripture is a "Fallen Angel," serves as protagonist against God throughout mankind's period on Earth!

2) Given that "Satanists" also worship this "deity," that would preclude them from being considered atheists!

3) The Founding Fathers, well-aware of the religious conflicts that had characterized much of Europe's history, made the conscious decision not to make the same mistake by establishing a "state religion" - that would consider the others to be false teachings and therefore attempt to use the powers of the State to suppress them!

4) "Religious freedom" even extends to "Satanists" - "The Bill of Rights" and the Constitution were also designed to protect the rights of the minority from the "tyranny" of the majority!"

5) "The hallmark of a free society," according to the French philosopher Voltaire, whose writings influenced the aspirations of the "The Founding Fathers," is the willingness to recognize and defend the rights of those same individuals who hold opinions with which you may personally disagree - Satanists would fall into that category!

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Sounds like the solution is to reject liberalism. The Satanists and Liberal Christians can be on one side, the rest of us the other.

Why would any Christian actively want to defend the Satanic?