I decided to post this on my blog. It was intended for print, thus the difference in format. I find The Satanic Temple to be fascinating and a great critic of certain interpretations of the 1st amendment. I am not a Satanist and they typically do not believe in a literal Satan. Before commenting please use your critical reading skills to pay attention to the motives and desires of The Satanic Temple.
Religious Pluralism
and The Satanic Temple
The Satanic Temple (TST) is a politically
motivated religious organization that opposes any policy that privileges any
particular religion (a.k.a Christianity) over other religions. In
America, TST has been so effective at settling freedom of religion disputes
that Hermant Mehta, the Friendly Atheist, has called them the nuclear option in
church/state separation cases. Also, after distributing their coloring books in
Central Florida, David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community,
coined the phrase Lucien’s Law, named after the pseudonym of one of the
co-founders of TST. It states: “governments
will either (1) close open forums when The Satanic Temple asks to speak, or (2)
censor The Satanic Temple, thereby opening itself to legal liability.” As long
as all religions are denied an open forum, as in (1), TST is happy with the
result. TST’s successes should result in more theological and social reflection
about what successful pluralism entails, especially among Christians.
In 2014 TST commissioned a statue of Baphomet, an
ambiguously gendered half human/half goat, who has served as a symbol of
Satanism for decades. This statue was originally intended to be displayed at
the Oklahoma State Capitol alongside a monument dedicated to the 10
Commandments. However, an Oklahoma State Supreme Court judge ordered the
removal of the 10 Commandments monument, removing the need for TST to continue
its suit. Meanwhile in Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill that
would allow a privately funded 10 Commandments monument to be erected at the
Arkansas State Capitol. In response, TST also petitioned the state of Arkansas
to be allowed to place Baphomet there. There has been no final decision on when
or where to place these monuments; thus, Baphomet’s temporary home is Detroit,
MI, one of the strongest TST chapters.
In response to TST’s unveiling of this statue,
Bart Barber writing for The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the
Southern Baptist Convention, argued that Christians should not try
to win a monuments-and-statues race, every idol is a satanic monument, neither
Jesus nor the apostles attempted to take down any of the statues dedicated to
the Roman Gods, and that an angry response is TST’s intention[1].
This is not a good interpretation of their intentions. Their preferred response
is not anger, but rather acceptance of minority religions, even those that are
diametrically opposed to the majority. However, even this is better than
Detroit minister David Bullock’s understanding.
Bullock, one of the most vocal opponents of the
Detroit unveiling, stated: “…they [TST] now seek to pervert the notion of
religious freedom by poisoning our city and culture in their attempt to elevate
a demonic symbol.” This quote betrays a lack of understanding of TST’s
pluralistic purpose. However, his misunderstanding is even more obvious when he
claims that they were “kicked out of Boston, Oklahoma didn’t want them; they
tried to put Satanic coloring books in Florida, that was shut down…[2]”
With the exception of the attempt to hold a “Black Mass” in Boston, these cases
were successful from TST’s perspective. Yes, they were blocked from putting a
statue at Oklahoma’s State Capitol and were disallowed from handing out Satanic
coloring books, but Christians were denied their monuments and literature as
well. And appearing on “Let it Rip” with Jex Blackmore, the spokeswoman for
TST, Bullock seems unable to comprehend the possibility of a religion without a
supernatural God.
Bullock reacted with prejudice and did not attempt to correct this prejudice. He likely still would have opposed the
unveiling; however, he did not attempt to understand before offering his critique/vilification. Also, the Detroit unveiling was always intended to be
a private, not public event. Understanding Bullock’s reaction requires
understanding his belief system. In his version of Christianity, demons are
real and a statue dedicated to a demon would likely cause more demons or at
least a satanic presence to be brought to his city. Bullock was thinking on a
spiritual level and not about pluralism. And less devout Christians, Christians
with less intense beliefs in the supernatural, and even some non-believers
would likely have a similar “not in my backyard” response to the Baphomet
statue. However, we should reflect on when religion should be allowed into the
public sphere, because if a forum is open, your direct theological opponents
may request access to the open forum.
People
often have a deep seeded fear and respect for sacred things even if they do not
believe in them. In 2000, Jonathan Haidt and Fredrik Björklund discovered even
people who do not even believe in a soul are reluctant to sell it.[3] In
the Harry Potter series, the prohibition against speaking Voldemort’s name is believable
because virtually everyone has some idea what it is like to fear the name of
evil. For much of the Western world that name is Satan. TST has chosen a title
that most of people in the Western world fear.
And, at least in their choice of aesthetics,
TST does little to dissuade from this initial impression. The TST held a
ceremony at the Michigan State Capitol where they appeared with muted American
flags and dressed in black gothic clothing while Blackmore, their spokeswoman,
gave a speech that included a few repetitions of the phrase “Hail Satan.” On
their website there is currently a parody of “Silent Night” called “Arbitrary
Night,” complete with people dressed as goat men in honor of Baphomet. However,
TST does not encourage belief in a literal Satan. Instead,
Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel opposed to arbitrary authority. Thus,
they are choosing images and aesthetics that a predominately Christian nation
would find disturbing. And this works well to close previously open forums that
Christians had formerly dominated.
So
how might we use these events brought about by the TST to reflect on pluralism
more constructively? Not by dismissing them simply because they are Satanists. And not by calling them the enemy and fighting against their displays. A better theological
and social response would be to reflect on their motivations and how, in a
pluralistic world, religion should be conducted in the public sphere. Everyone
should be ask the question: “If someone had the exact opposite religious
beliefs as we do, how should we treat them when they enter the public sphere?”
No comments:
Post a Comment