Hail Satan? (2019) Movie Script

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Hi, I was wondering
who I would speak to
regarding an upcoming
local news event.
Oh, okay, great.
Uh, I'm calling
from "Big News Publicity,"
and there's a rally
that's taking place tomorrow
at the State Capitol
by the Satanic Temple.
The Satanic Temple.
S... S as in Sam.
Great, thank you.
And there you have it,
and that was an ABC affiliate.
Camera rolls.
Okay.
We thank you for coming
to our convening.
Hail Satan.
Not bad.
Could you hold it
for a beat longer?
Hail Satan.
Damn it.
Test, one, two.
Hey, how's it going?
- It's going fantastic.
- Why are you here today?
We're here to spread
a message of goodwill,
and benevolence,
and open-mindedness,
- and free expression.
- What is your name?
That's not important.
It's a beautiful day here
at the State Capitol...
great day to be a Satanist...
great day to be a human being.
We honor
Governor Rick Scott!
Hail Satan, Rick,
for providing us
this opportunity
to make
the Satanic clause clear
and make our presence known,
and, uh...
I believe it,
and I'm very excited about it.
A satanic temple
fully supports Florida Governor Rick Scott,
who has been
pushing for prayer in public schools.
Jesus Christ became my savior
at a very young age...
That's right,
Satanists pushing for prayer
and backing
a Tea Party favorite.
We spoke to one
of the Satanists today
about why they support the law.
Lucien Greaves,
and yes, that is the name
the gentleman gave us,
told us that the law
would lead to, quote,
"A boom
in religious diversity."
Basically, the argument
being you open the door to God,
you open the door to Satan.
We're not what
you think we are,
and we're here to...
we're here to help people
understand that about us
and also about themselves.
What do you think
of Rick Scott?
Think he's a great American.
- I do, and, uh...
- Man:
No.
Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
Hail Satan!
It was awkward.
it was messy,
and it was awesome.
It was national news,
but more importantly,
we realized
that we were on to something.
And where did the name
"The Satanic Temple" come from?
When I was looking
at all the different
Satanic organizations
that existed,
uh, the name wasn't taken.
The Rick Scott rally
was a media stunt
to show the hypocrisy
of what Rick Scott was doing,
and it required a spokesperson.
I didn't want to do it.
He is the leader
of the Satanic Temple,
and we're gonna be on the steps
of the Capitol Building.
Usually when I think
of, like,
a gaggle of satanic,
you know, worshippers,
I think of them wearing, like,
the red hoods.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Like,
that's like the group color,
and then leader color would be,
like, black, gray, brown.
Oh, I like that.
When we first started,
it was staged,
and there was
an actor involved,
but very quickly, um,
everything got real.
At the beginning,
we didn't have the hubris
to think that we could start
a large global
religious movement.
When the Satanic Temple
got started,
I wanted to be sure
that Satanism
was properly represented.
I very much felt
that I was a Satanist,
but there was no need to kind
of publicly advertise that.
Lucien.
You excited?
Not yet.
You excited?
No. I'm filled with angst.
I wanted somebody else
to be the face of this,
but I... I found very quickly
I didn't want somebody else
to be the voice of this.
God and Satan work
in mysterious ways,
and we're not really sure,
you know,
how all this is gonna manifest.
It became very clear
that there was
no amount of coaching
I could give somebody
who wasn't authentically
attached to Satanism
that would make them a credible
interview subject on the topic.
Why'd you guys pick, uh,
Governor Scott...
When it became my face
and my voice,
it needed to be everything
I believed in and stood by,
or it could not be at all,
so that's when
everything changed.
We will begin
with Lucien. All right, Lucien.
So is it, like,
Lucien as in Lucifer?
Is that where... is that
why you're called that?
Sure, as you like.
As you like.
I don't kn...
Like, is that your birth name?
- No, it's not.
- Okay.
So, what is it that first drew
you to the Satanic Temple?
Well, I... I helped co-found
the Satanic Temple.
Why?
Uh, why?
Because it is an embodiment
of my deeply-held beliefs,
and I think there's a distinct
need for a counterbalance
against the dominant religious
privilege in America today.
What are the deeply-held beliefs
that drew you
to the Satanic Temple?
Uh, essentially, we view, uh,
Satan as a symbolic embodiment
of the ultimate rebel
against tyranny.
Once you realize how
the media is constructed,
it becomes incredibly easy
to manipulate.
Good evening to you,
at six o'clock
I'm Chip Scarborough.
Well, the owner
of a Meridian cemetery
has already said
he plans to pursue charges
against members
of New York's Satanic Temple,
and now police
are investigating
the unusual ritual.
This you have to see
to believe.
A group of devil worshippers
giving Westboro Baptist Church
a run for their money.
God hates fags.
Except you repent,
you shall all likewise perish,
and God is not running
out of room in hell.
How do you fuck
with Fred Phelps?
Well... you fuck with his mom.
A group from New York's
Satanic Temple made the trip
to Meridian to protest
the Westboro Baptist Church.
They performed a ritual
they called Pink Mass
on the grave
of Catherine Johnston,
the mother of Westboro
founder Fred Phelps, Jr.
The ceremony involved
two same-sex couples
kissing over her grave.
They then declared
Catherine Johnston
a lesbian in the afterlife.
One of the things
that I wanted to play on is,
you know,
the Mormons have the belief
that they can baptize the dead
and do
this postmortem conversion,
so I proposed that every time
a same-sex couple kisses,
that she's pleasured
in the afterlife.
You know, which I took
from "It's a Wonderful Life."
You know,
"Every time a bell rings,
an angel gets its wings."
Every time a bell rings,
an angel gets his wings.
That's right.
And then developing,
as these things do,
into the obvious idea,
which is putting your testicles
on the tombstone of the
founder's mother's grave.
It's remarkable,
it hadn't happened before.
It is an unusual crime
that we haven't come across,
to my knowledge, in a while.
There was a desperate
attempt to figure out
what to charge us with.
The headline read, "Police
Want to Arrest," you know,
"Satanists
who Turn the Dead Gay."
Satana, blessed be.
Blasphemy isn't just
directed at other people
to offend them.
Blasphemy is very much
a declaration
of personal independence,
and I don't mind, of course,
when people are offended.
It's a city known
for its witch trials,
but the newest neighbors
on Bridge Street in Salem
are Satanists, the religious
and political organization
choosing this spot
for its international headquarters.
According to the
Satanic Temple's website,
the group is all
about religious pluralism.
What we want to do
is force people
to evaluate their notions
of the United States
being a Christian nation.
It's not.
We're a secular nation.
We are supposed to be
a democratic,
pluralistic nation.
We are supposed to be a nation
that doesn't allow
the government
to dictate what is appropriate
religious expression.
The donors have to wait
to find out
whether those donations
are tax-deductible
once there's a ruling. Uh...
Early on it was agreed
that Lucien would be
the spokesperson
and that I would keep
in the background.
Here's our...
our humble offices.
This is Malcolm's desk,
and this is mine.
Sorry about the mess.
This is, uh, where we're going
to have the shop.
This is where people will be
able to buy prints or T-shirts
or whatever else
we have on sale.
A lot of what we are doing
is going to direct people's perception
of what Satanism
will be hereafter...
but the Satanic Temple
did not invent modern Satanism.
You see now the Reverend
Anton Szandor LaVey,
who is the founder
and high priest
of the First Church of Satan,
who uses,
as somewhat of a credo,
this timeless quote,
"Remember,
evil backwards spells live."
Somehow,
that never occurred to me.
The most interesting thing
about Satanism
is that people...
willingly choose to identify
with an adversarial being.
What are you doing?
I'm giving a blessing
to the audience.
I don't think
they appreciate it.
They were throwing it back.
This is the sign of the horns.
It's a founding aspect
of Satanism
that you troll people.
That's the original troll,
isn't it, is to say to people,
"Yeah, I'm a Satanist,"
and see what happens to people.
I mean, they just... they faint,
or they get angry,
or whatever happens,
and then you move on from there.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
Satan is simply a word
that means the adversary
or the opposition
or the accuser.
It doesn't necessarily mean
evil, or brutality, or cruelty.
It simply means the dissenter.
Well, I had a man
come to me the other day,
and he said
that it was just terrible.
When... when he joined
the Satanic Church,
he was masturbating
just about every day,
and now he's masturbating
two and sometimes
three times a day...
...and he's very happy,
much happier
than he's ever been before.
That's an improvement.
I always get a lift
when I come here.
I suppose like other people do
when they go to church,
which I haven't done
for many years now.
Before the Church of Satan,
every time you had someone
who was called a Satanist,
that was because of attribution
by other people.
- Cover her face...
- No!
...with the mask of Satan.
But the Church of Satan
is a watershed moment
in the history of Satanism
because that's where
the attribution
of a Satanic identity
is not just something that
some people do to others.
It's something that people do
to themselves.
One of the differences
between the early Church
of Satan
and the Satanic Temple,
that the early Church of Satan
was much more
of a rat pack carnival.
They were never political,
whereas the Satanic Temple
is actually refining Satanism
and making it into a new tool,
a new weapon
in the ongoing culture wars.
If you're godless,
free-thinking,
and a rebel,
then you are a Satanist
in the eyes of many
in our community and society,
and certainly by people
in your government...
whether you like it or not.
Before I decided
that I was a Satanist,
it was really the Bible
that said,
"This is what
a Satanist is like."
I attended church
when I was a kid,
and funny story
is that I played Eve
in a musical in middle school.
The story of Adam and Eve
is the story
of Eve's original sin.
Eve was very curious,
as her nature was as a woman.
The Devil appeared
in the form of a snake
and offers
the fruit of enlightenment.
We are taught to fear that,
but at the same time,
it seems the most liberating,
because if we did not have
that opportunity,
we would have to be
in total servitude
without free choice,
and ultimate servitude
is slavery.
Reframing it in the light
of it being salvation
is probably
one of the greatest tricks
ever played on humankind.
Satanism is about embracing
that Satanic status
rather than being controlled
by it.
After I learned
about the Satanic Temple,
I set up a time
to meet with Lucien.
Throughout the conversation,
I realized that we have
very similar ideas
of what contemporary Satanism
was evolving to be.
The Devil directly
challenged God...
so as a Satanist,
I believe that
directly confronting injustice
and corrupt authority
is an expression
of one's Satanic faith.
And I believe activism
is a Satanic practice.
Traditionally, Satanists
practiced very privately,
you know, closed doors,
black candles,
black metal music.
But, with the
Satanic philosophy
being one where
Satan represents
rebellion
against arbitrary authority,
we believe it required a level
of political participation.
We are Satanists.
We are also Americans.
We are just as powerful
as those who work
in this institution here.
We do not seek followers.
We are seeking collaborators,
individuals for a visionary
Satanic alliance,
leaders of the new American era.
I think that we need to go
into the public sphere
and announce ourselves
without shame.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan!
Satanic Temple is mostly an idea
between a handful of people
that had potential,
and the problem was how do we
engage more individuals
and how do we make it,
you know, take off?
It's one of the strangest
stories to roil Boston
in recent memory.
A Satanic Black Mass
was scheduled yesterday
on Harvard's campus.
Here to talk
more about the black mass
is Lucien Greaves.
So, Lucien, just for people...
Lucien and Malcolm
had gotten permission
to host a Black Mass...
in Boston. Uh, yeah,
Boston's, uh,
it's pretty fucking Catholic.
A Black Mass is a grotesque,
deliberate perversion of
a traditional Catholic mass,
you know, quite vulgar,
but then again,
a mass is kind of vulgar too,
if you really think about it.
I mean, you're drinking blood
and eating flesh?
I mean, that...
that's just creepy.
They asked if I wanted
to participate, so I flew out,
and there was a lot
of miscommunication
in the beginning.
But I did the work of getting
a lot of people to show up.
The punk scene was mobilized.
We thought this would be
a small-scale event.
A declaration of independence
from superstition
was what it was meant to be,
but the archdiocese in Boston
insisted
on seeing it another way.
Thousands of Catholic
in a more-than-hour-long
procession
through the streets
of Cambridge.
If someone was going to do
a KKK reenactment
or a minstrel show
or something like that,
I would hope the reaction
would be outrage.
This is definitely
an act of hatred,
an act of bigotry
directed towards the Church
and towards
her faithful people.
We've actually got
a little bit of a petition
if anybody watching
would like to sign.
Nearly 60,000 names of people
who objected
to this hateful event.
There was a sense
that we should just give up
and cancel it,
and I just remember feeling,
like this unexpected sense
of justice and feel like,
"No, we can't."
I ended up standing on a table
and saying, like, "We weren't...
We aren't gonna
give in to this."
In just moments
near Harvard University,
some very mean-spirited
students
will be exercising
their First Amendment right
by insulting Catholics
not just at Harvard
but around the globe.
They're about to start a satanic mass,
which they know
is deeply offensive to Catholics.
What do I think?
Well, frankly,
I think they're awful.
It was nuts.
It was way more
than we had prepared for,
and hours before
we were supposed to go on,
Harvard canceled it.
This event was, like,
extremely chaotic,
and there was no plan for who
is communicating with the media,
and, like, I kind of got thrown
in front of a news camera.
A very unproductive
conversation.
Uh, it's just very disappointing.
We're looking for a change
of venue right now.
Um,
we still have our participants.
We haven't quite worked it out
yet.
Now apparently
you've got this
sort of moving Black Mass.
Where do you think
they're going?
Are they, like, going
undercover or underground?
I mean, it's sort of interesting
because we've been chasing them
for the last 90 minutes.
Well, hopefully...
...hopefully they're going away,
that's where they're going.
Some, uh, Chinese restaurant
with a comedy club up top of it
just off campus agreed
to host the Black Mass.
The Black Mass,
featuring four individuals
in hoods,
one man in a white suit,
a cape, and a horned mask,
and a woman revealed to be
wearing only lingerie.
No word on whether they shared
a scorpion bowl after.
We were all slightly broken
the next day,
and I remember just, like,
I had this just wave
of just this core of, like,
sadness. I felt guilty.
I felt just, "What did I do?"
And then it just occurred to me
this is the Catholic Church
of Boston,
which covered up
decades of child rape,
moved priests around,
covered it up,
let them continue
their raping and child abuse
and then had the gall to say
what we're doing was sinful?
I mean, fuck them.
Uh, that was the moment
that I really became a Satanist.
Let's shift gears
a little bit.
Tell me about Oklahoma.
Okay, so Oklahoma had
a Ten Commandments monument
on government property.
In my view, it's clearly
making a religious statement
by doing that,
and the Satanic Temple says
if you're gonna put
your giant piece of marble
that says, "Christianity,
Christianity, Christianity,"
then you also need to put up
our gigantic monument
to Satanism.
Just imagine it,
a statue of Satan right here
next to the Ten Commandments
at the State Capitol.
The statue will be a symbol
of Satan as a goat.
I want to show you
what this is gonna look like.
Take a look here.
It's a seven-foot-tall
goat-headed demon
sitting on a throne
with two children next to it.
They submitted designs,
and they hope construction
will start soon.
If we're gonna do this,
we're gonna do it right.
This is not something
that can be easily ripped down.
Like, we're gonna
do this in bronze.
We're gonna make
something beautiful.
We're gonna make
something permanent.
So we decided to raise money
to make
a gigantic Satanic statue.
And I have a friend who studied
traditional sculpting,
so I called him up,
told him the deal.
He said, "Are you serious?"
and I said, "Yes, I am,"
and he said...
"I'm going to clear
the next six months
of my schedule."
There's a call
Comes ringing
O'er the restless wave
Send the light
Send the light
There are souls to rescue
There are souls to save
Send the light
Send the light
- Send the light
- Send the light
The blessed gospel light
- Let it shine
- Let it shine
- From shore to shore
- From shore to shore
- Send the light
- Send the light
The blessed gospel light
- Let it shine
- Let it shine
- Forevermore...
- Forevermore...
I was envisioning,
you know, goat head,
I mean, everything
you associate with Satanism.
Lucien became involved
at that point
and kind of codified it
into an actual Baphomet.
The Baphomet image was taken
from a 19th century drawing
of the sabbatic goat.
I originally wanted
bat wings,
but a Baphomet
does not have bat wings.
It has angel wings.
We decided that Iggy Pop
would be the torso.
And a real Baphomet
traditionally has breasts,
but because we wanted
to get this
in front of the State Capitol,
we were worried that
the breasts would hinder us
from doing that.
One of the things
that I insisted upon
was having two children...
looking up.
Having little kids around it,
that's just ridiculous.
Are we making a mockery
of everything
with regard to Christianity
in this society?
You may not like the Satanists.
Guess what?
That doesn't matter.
- Do you? Do you?
- Everybody is equal.
I don't care. All religions
are the same to me.
So you think it's perfectly fine
to put a satanic
whatever message
they're gonna have up there?
- How crazy is it?
- Yes. I mean... You believe
in an invisible man
in the sky too.
You call him Satan,
you call him God. I don't care.
Whatever I believe in...
I had followed
the Satanic Temple
in the news
when they had announced
that they were making
the Baphomet statue.
I thought it was
genuinely inspired.
I thought it was hilarious.
And I was completely astounded.
These guys are super cool.
These are my people.
This is the best thing
I've ever seen.
- I was like, "Holy shit."
- I want to be a part of this.
I think
I donated 25 dollars,
and then I wrote them and said,
"If you're ever in L.A.
and you need some help,
hit me up."
I think you're
an incredible organization,
and I would really like
to be involved.
From a constitutional
law perspective,
I'm really interested
in the Satanic Temple
because it is basically
making these public bodies
confront the real implications
of their decisions
to allow religion
into the public square.
The government can't say,
"You're a good religion.
You're a bad religion."
- What?
- That's why you should not have
religious artifacts
on public property.
Their figurehead
is an Antichrist.
They should be able to put
the statue up,
and then they should be shot
right next to it,
- and then we take it down.
- So violence is the way
- of dealing with it?
- Yes. You're advocating
violence against people
with religious beliefs...
The Baphomet monument
is far more
than simply some middle finger
to the evangelical right.
Really... we were...
we were giving the Oklahoma
government a civics lesson.
It must be removed.
That is the order on the
Ten Commandments monument
outside the State Capitol
in a seven-to-two vote
by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Well, a group
of Satanists
is tonight claiming victory.
Are you still pushing to have
the goat with the horns
and so on put up
on the State Capitol grounds?
No, we don't want
our monument there
without the Ten Commandments there. Um,
the point all along was
that it would complement
and contrast
the Ten Commandments
and reaffirm that we live
in a pluralistic nation
that respects diversity
and religious liberty.
I joined this group
because I saw the TST website,
and it was something
that spoke to me.
- Thank you.
- When people wanted
to start identifying
with the Satanic Temple,
there was no turning back
on that.
People would write us messages
and were wanting
to get involved...
so we decided
to allow people to apply
to run a chapter
in their own city.
I decided to launch
a chapter in Detroit.
Response was incredible.
It was huge.
Hail Satan. Hail Satan.
I don't know
if I was surprised
that people wanted
to get involved.
I was surprised at how many people
wanted to get involved.
All right, friends.
Thanks for coming.
Um, I want to tell you guys
to start with
that we have three people
that we want to make
new members today.
Nick, and Dell, and Erin.
We have a lot of work
to do,
and I think Christian privilege
is a huge problem in our country
because it dictates our laws.
It dictates everything we do,
what bathroom I can use
in some states.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
I've just always been
an extremely curious person.
And I used to spend
a lot of time
at the bookstore alone
because I was a huge loser.
'Cause I don't like to be
involved in groups.
I'm not a very social person.
Most of my interactions
are online.
It wasn't until I took
that step to try to meet
these people, that's where
it really all came together,
and I was terrified that I was
just gonna
meet a bunch of people
that were like,
"All right, so we're gonna
meet up at the church.
We'll hand out
spray paint cans,
and we'll kick over
some graves." And...
everyone was amazing.
I came from a very,
like, conservatively
religious background.
I was very much a devout
Christian growing up.
You could almost say a zealot.
I've taught Bible school
in our church.
I've taught Sunday school
in our church,
and at the age of 13,
I was called to be a deacon.
The day that I graduated
confirmation,
you know,
we're sitting in church,
and, you know,
we're supposed to feel
the holy spirit come in,
and I'm just like...
...okay.
When I was in sixth grade,
we went on a field trip
to see the film Gandhi.
The next day
our history teacher said,
"You realize that in spite
of all these great things
that he did for his countrymen
and everything like that,
because he wasn't a Christian,
he went to hell,"
and I'm like, "Really?"
This guy almost invented
the idea of nonviolent protest,
but he's not a Christian,
so he went to hell.
I'm like, "Is that the moral
to this story? Really?
I call bullshit!"
This thing inside me
was just, like...
I want to be the opposite
of what these people are.
That's when I started, like,
looking for Satan anywhere.
- Hail Satan.
- Hail Satan.
When I became a member
of the Satanic Temple,
when I fully embraced
who I was as a Satanist,
uh, it was my coming home.
This is crazy. Isn't this crazy?
You all, like,
came from all over the place.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Invoking Satan is invoking
the struggle for justice
and equality for everyone.
Invoking Satan
is the firm denial
that only one point of view
is correct.
A willingness to fight
for all points of view
in accordance with reason
is imperative.
Invoking Satan
is to reach out
without reservation
and eat from the tree
of knowledge
rather than be subjected
to the whims of blind faith.
We will no longer choose
apathy over action
and perpetuate
our own oppression.
Ave Satanas.
- Ave Satanas.
- Ave Satanas.
Hail Satan!
Oh, those are cute.
Satanism is looking out
for the Other
because we are the Other.
In three years, we have gone
from three people to 50,000.
As we bring the Satanic
revolution to the world,
we do indeed invoke Satan
and all that he means to us.
Join us in reciting,
ave Satanas!
Ave Satanas!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
- Ave Satanas!
- Ave Satanas!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
I was just a member,
a card-carrying member,
and I wanted to get
more involved,
but I had no real
aspirations to be...
you know, I don't know.
I just wanted to do something.
In the capital of Phoenix,
there were these invocations
or prayers before city council meetings.
So please, if you can,
stand for the invocation.
It's usually
a hundred percent Christian,
and then every now and then
they'll throw another group in
to celebrate
how diverse they are.
I was a nobody.
I was kind of, like, you know,
just in this organization
as a bystander,
commenting
and supporting online,
and then I was very interested
in helping out
in whatever capacity
that I could.
Michelle was a radio personality
at the time.
I was an attorney,
and the first thing we did
was we wrote an email
to the city clerk in Phoenix
and said,
"Hey, we see you have
this invocation program
on a rotating basis.
We'd like to be on that list."
We got a response email
that said,
"Okay, here's your date."
A lot of people talking
about the Satanic Temple
in Tucson,
set to give an invocation
at the Phoenix city
council meeting
coming up next month.
"Let us demand
that individuals be judged
for their concrete actions."
That is just part
of the prayer
that members of the
Satanic Temple plan to read
at the Phoenix city
council meeting.
People that were
interviewing us
were bringing holy water
with them.
Uh, it was...
it was complete insanity,
and there came a point
where Michelle and I were like,
"What have we done?"
You wouldn't let ISIS come in
and give a prayer
at the city of Phoenix.
Are you comparing these guys
to ISIS?
Well, ISIS is evil.
What is Satan?
I'd like to make a motion
to change the practice
relating to invocations
and those chosen
to give the invocation
be residents
of the city of Phoenix.
That's okay to do that.
That's constitutional
to change it,
but what we couldn't do
is apply it retroactively
in this case.
That would be
an unconstitutional suppression
of a minority
religious viewpoint,
which is in contravention
of the First Amendment
of the United States
Constitution.
We knew that there were
gonna be meetings,
but we decided that, uh,
it was probably dangerous
for us to go.
I mean, people were
threatening to murder us.
Uh, people were threatening
to shoot us
on the way up the steps,
um, and it wasn't worth it,
and it was streaming live,
so we watched in horror.
We cannot stand by
while a hate group
stands up
and gives your invocation.
It's our goal to shut down
their agenda,
which is to bring death
and destruction over Phoenix.
We take a Pledge of Allegiance.
It's one nation under God.
- Yes.
- Yes.
That's not out there by mistake.
How many people
actually have a dollar bill
or a piece of money
in their wallet or their pocket?
I do believe it says,
"In God We Trust."
- Yes!
- Yes!
So are we invoking still
the blessings of God
on our state and our city?
Are we invoking the curses
of the deity spoken of
that they serve as Satan?
There are too many curses
on our land,
and we don't need another curse.
Do we want God in this room,
or don't we?
Don't mock God.
We want to lift up
the name of Jesus.
There is no other name
in heaven on earth
whereby a man must be saved
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Let's get that straight.
Make no mistake about it.
Jesus is the way.
Please, as briefly as possible.
We have a lot of cards
to get through.
In a matter of one week,
a decades-old tradition
of public prayer
before the city of Phoenix
council meetings was history.
In its place, a moment
of silent public prayer.
It's kind of shocking
that they would do away
with a 60-year tradition
for something
that was so harmless.
The more hate
that was thrown at us,
the more important this seemed
because it seemed
like such a deeper issue
than a two-minute speech,
where I'm like,
"Is this how everyone
that's different is treated?"
And, you know,
it's not something
that I'd faced in my own life.
For me to get this
from my religion,
a minority religion, um,
it was pretty eye-opening,
and that's what made me realize
how absolutely important
this is.
Thank you.
The bill today
allowing a monument
of the Ten Commandments
to be placed
at the State Capitol
was filed
by Senator Jason Rapert.
State Senator Jason Rapert
says the monument
isn't meant to be
a religious statement,
rather a testament
to what he calls
the historical
moral foundation of law.
These references are woven
into the fabric of our society.
We're one nation under God.
Our national motto
is in God We Trust.
It's time in our country
to remind ourselves of,
really, those things
that were important to us,
that were universal to us.
Senator Rapert,
you know, again...
I'm a taxpaying member
of the state of Arkansas,
and those
are my Capitol grounds,
and I don't want that there.
I was a... I would say
a zesty little atheist,
and I happened to go
to the American Atheist rally
in Memphis.
One of the presenters
is a gentleman
named Lucien Greaves.
You may be aware
of our monument campaign
in Oklahoma.
He proceeds to give
an entire presentation
of how they took a Ten Commandments
monument down
in Oklahoma...
and my immediate thought was,
"I've got to talk to this guy."
- Our Lady Victory.
- Pray for us.
Monuments to both
the Ten Commandments
and Satan could soon
find a home on the grounds
near the Arkansas
State Capitol.
Today the subcommittee
of the Capitol Arts
and Grounds Commissions
held meetings
to review
the proposed monuments.
The American History
and Heritage Foundation
wants a Ten Commandments
monument,
and the Satanic Temple
wants a statue of Baphomet.
I pledge allegiance
to the Flag
of the United States
of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.
Thank you.
And Mr. Lucien Graves is here.
Did I pronounce that...
Graves, or...
- Greaves.
- Greaves, I apologize.
I want to get that right too,
but they have proposed to place
a statue of Baphomet
on the Capitol grounds.
Here's a... here's a more recent
picture of our monument, uh,
it stands at eight feet,
six inches in height,
a width at the base
of the throne
of 37 and a quarter inches.
From the back
of the throne to the front
it's 46 and a half inches,
and the widest point
is at the tips of the wings,
which is 55 and a half inches
in width.
If you have any questions?
What are you memorializing,
or what is your monument to?
Well, we think
that our monument commemorates
what makes America great,
and in our case, we believe
that that's religious liberty.
And you mentioned earlier
that if the Ten Commandments
monument doesn't go up,
then you would
withdraw this request?
Correct.
What we're trying to avoid
is the appearance
of one religious viewpoint,
uh, apparently co-opting
the power
and the authority
of a government institution.
We feel that
that is unconstitutional.
And just as
none of the Ten Commandments
are cited
within the Constitution
or...
or in any of your state laws,
um, the principle of this kind
of religious equality
and government
viewpoint neutrality
is enshrined
in the Constitution.
American jurisprudence based
a lot of our initial laws
on the Ten Commandments.
You will find this
in the writings
of our Founding Fathers.
For most historians,
the question,
"Was America founded
as a Christian nation?"
is fairly straightforward
to answer.
The record seems quite clear
that we were not.
You can look
at the U.S. Constitution.
And when George Washington
signed that document,
he laid the foundation
for our great democracy.
G... gee, that's wonderful.
The only mentions
of religion or God
in the Constitution,
uh, in fact, are ones that keep
religion away from the state.
And if you look at the 1950s,
you can see a lot
of the trappings
that Americans point to today
as proof that their nation
is a Christian nation
were invented.
Many people say, well,
what is hell?
- Hell is separation from God...
- We see in the 1950s
the origins of what we might
term an evangelical lobby.
Jesus demanded repentance.
Billy Graham tells Americans
that communism
is directed by Satan.
We thought we could
get along without God.
We thought we could get along
without a moral standard.
We thought we could get along
without the Ten Commandments
and the Sermon on the Mount,
and we're beginning to wake up
to the fact that we can't!
Jesus said, "Except ye repent,
ye shall likewise perish."
Repent!
The country's just learned
that the Soviet Union
has the atomic bomb,
and he warns them
that Armageddon is coming.
Unless the nation rediscovers
its religious roots,
it'll be destroyed.
As America went to war
with the godless communists
of the Soviet Union,
Americans discovered
God themselves.
And so
this is a remarkable moment
when the nation really does
start to think of itself
as Christian.
In just the span
of a few years,
"Under God" is added
to the Pledge of Allegiance,
"In God We Trust"
is placed on paper currency
and becomes
the nation's motto.
For most Americans,
these ceremonies
and slogans
mattered more than anything
that was literally written
in the Constitution
because they were the things
they said day in and day out.
Their kids said the Pledge.
They saw it on their money.
It was all over their world.
It really becomes
an integral part
of who Americans
think they are.
We are what we believe.
Victory today
for the placement
of a Satanic monument
on State Capitol grounds.
That's right. This proposal
is deemed sufficient
by the Capitol Arts
and Grounds Commission,
but now comes the hurdle
of getting the statue
approved by the legislature.
It will be a very cold,
cold day in the pits of hell
before you'll ever see a statue
from the Satanic Temple
or some other group like that
at the Arkansas Capitol.
For Greaves,
it's a monumental task ahead,
stirring up what could be
a controversy
of biblical proportions
on the Arkansas
State Capitol grounds.
Do you think
that most people think
you're kidding
or that most people think
you're evil?
You know,
it's really interesting
because people
who don't understand the value
and concepts of Satanism
are so ingrained
in this Judeo-Christian
concept of good and evil.
Of course, why would anybody
claim to embrace evil?
But we're not doing that.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour
of our death, amen.
The bagpipes had just started
playing once again.
This is all happening
because the newly-formed
After School Satan Club
is holding an open house.
Organizers say
the After School Satan Club
is designed to counter
after-school Christian clubs
holding meetings
inside public schools.
The Satanic Temple
says that the club is meant
to broaden
the mindset of students
through critical
thinking skills.
You know, I understand
you guys don't want to follow
the status quo of religion.
That's fine.
What you guys do
on your own time
- is your own business.
- Mm-hmm.
If you really just want
to help the community,
- then go help the community.
- We can help
the community as Satanists.
How are you guys gonna help
the community as Satanists?
- We have been.
- When people already have...
Around the country.
We are providing
an alternate viewpoint,
an opportunity for kids
to have an understanding
that there is different ways
of looking at the world.
That's fine.
You're not their parents.
Why don't you go do this
at your kids' school?
- Please, please...
- You guys are horrible people.
You have scared
an entire school district.
You have frightened
an entire community.
I hope that falls in line
with your guise
of enlightenment
and prosperity.
- Time to go, lady.
- Bunch of assholes.
Hey, watch your language
with the kids.
Looking good.
I was gonna say.
When people ask
what kind of child
would want to be involved
in a club like this,
the answer is,
I was that kind of child.
Devil Worship.
Exposing Satan's Underground.
Whether a Satan exists
is a matter of belief,
but we are certain
that Satanism exists.
To some it's a religion.
To others it's the practice
of evil in the Devil's name.
It exists,
and it's flourishing.
You can't really
fully understand
the Satanic Temple
if you don't understand
the Satanic Panic
of the 1980s and '90s.
The United States was caught up
by anti-Satanist hysterics.
Baby killings,
ritualistic rape, cannibalism.
I was a young child
seeing these claims
about satanic cults,
a criminal network,
abusing babies,
and driving children
to Satanism.
Unsuspecting young people
are drawn to the occult
by seemingly
harmless pleasures.
They start by participating
in fantasy role-playing games
like Dungeons & Dragons.
Okay,
you enter a very small room,
and there's a large black coffin
right in the center.
The gates shut behind you.
As a kid in the '80s,
I loved Dungeons & Dragons...
and I played
Dungeons & Dragons constantly,
and several of my friends'
mothers forbade them
from hanging out with me.
That was, like...
you know, my childhood brush
with the Satanic Panic.
Millions enjoy D&D,
as the game is called,
but we don't really know
how many find
unsuspected dragons
in their psychic dungeons.
How, then, do we deal
with our demons?
And then I was
a young teenage metalhead.
I loved heavy metal
and Dungeons & Dragons,
which meant that there was,
like, a social campaign
against everything I loved.
If one or more
of these warning signs
are evident, you should look further
for ritual items
such as a pentagram
or other satanic symbols.
Experts advise you contact
your local law enforcement
agency at once.
The church
called it satanic,
and, you know, I didn't mind
antagonizing them,
so I just embraced
some of these symbols
and ideas, you know,
but what it really was,
is, like, these were the things
that made my life great.
D&D was awesome.
I'd play D&D all night,
whole weekends, whole weeks
at a time sometimes,
when I could, you know?
And then, you know,
heavy metal shows
is what my life
was built around in my teens.
Chris Edmonds
is a Detroit disc jockey
whose specialty is finding
secret recorded messages
by playing music in reverse.
A lot of people hear the phrase,
"My sweet Satan."
Here's to my sweet Satan
- You hear it?
- My sweet Satan.
With Dungeons & Dragons
and heavy metal music,
parents were like,
"Well, those are the doorways
to the Devil," and it's like...
In hindsight it's like,
"Yeah, maybe you're right."
You'll note on our model
the pentagram on the right
and the left side
of the upper chest.
Today people laugh
about the moral panic
surrounding things
like Dungeons & Dragons
or backwards masking in music,
but the fact of the matter is
the Satanic Panic
ruined people's lives.
- Pardon me?
- Do you worship Satan
- in any fashion?
- Not at all.
People who got accused
of satanic crimes
were not Satanists
and... and innocent.
The thing that I think
is really remarkable
and that everyone
has to pay attention to
is that the Satanic
Panic fantasies
were being indulged
by Christians.
A Pennsylvania
grand jury report
released last month
found more than 300
Catholic priests
sexually abused more than
1,000 children since 1947.
The Satanic Panic, we now
know in an entirely verified
and publicly known way,
was projection.
They were doing it.
I was playing D&D.
I came to see
that these cults themselves
never actually existed,
that the real evil
was in the witch hunt itself.
I know
not if she be a witch.
No, no, no, no!
You have the wrong woman.
In just a few minutes' time
the trial
of Bridget Bishop,
accused of witchcraft.
Unlike the Salem witch trials,
where there was some degree
of introspection afterwards,
there was even an apology
from one of the judges.
There was a general recognition
that something had gone wrong
and things needed to change...
no such thing happened
with the Satanic Panic...
and so I feel like
this is very much our fight,
forwarding
what it actually means
to be a Satanist,
and not allowing witch hunters
to define that for us.
In the coming months...
The Satanic Temple
of West Florida
is collecting socks.
To help bring dry socks
to local homeless people.
It doesn't matter
about the name
or where it's coming from,
as long as, you know,
they're doing what they can.
Ah! We have donations.
Menstruatin' with Satan
is a charity campaign
that focuses on collecting
menstrual products, tampons,
pads, to distribute these
to local shelters in our area.
The Seattle chapter
of the Satanic Temple
did a blood drive,
which was really, pretty fun.
For drivers
along the I-10
near Casa Grande,
the Satanic Temple
of Arizona
has now adopted
a two-mile stretch of roadway.
They even use
pitchforks to pick up trash.
Yes, pitchforks.
This is a group who just wants
people to know they exist,
they're friendly,
and they also hate litter.
As of yesterday, uh,
Seabright State Beach
was officially adopted
by the Santa Cruz chapter
of the Satanic Temple.
The Satanic Temple will serve
as the caretaker for it,
constantly helping
keep it clean
for the next year.
In order to help manage
the expansive growth
that we were experiencing,
we decided to start
the National Council.
We've become pretty much
the de facto governing body
of TST.
We work directly
as a point of contact
with the chapter heads
of the chapter
to address any concerns,
to help them develop ideas,
and to make sure that they're
on the right track
in terms of what
the overall mission of TST is.
That's our overarching thing
to do
as...
as part of the National Council,
is to work with the chapters.
Yeah, Kym, do you think that
that's an... a reasonable pivot?
Like... God,
I'm using corporate buzzwords.
Um...
We just want
to be conscientious.
We want to do as much good
as we possibly can.
- Mm-hmm.
- Cool.
I initially imagined
that the Satanic Temple
would have
no central authority,
but at this point
we're very keen to make sure
chapters don't put out
the wrong message.
There is a prescribed
set of rules
about how you are supposed
to protest.
You go to
your local politician.
You register
to hold a rally
that is approved
by the city council.
But I feel very strongly
that you can't dismantle
corrupt systems of power
while functioning within them.
We don't have money.
We don't have power.
We have
relatively little voice.
When we go and we do a political action,
it's more than just a protest.
To us it is the celebration
of our Satanic spirit.
It's a ritual in and of itself.
In much of our ritual practice we are taking
traditional symbols
of what we see
as an oppressive
religious institution
and destroying those symbols
as a form of empowerment.
We often use nudity
because there is a sense
of shame surrounding nudity
that still exists
and is pervasive today.
If I can,
I like to use bodies of men.
I'm very interested
in staying away
from the fetishization of
the beautiful female body.
We have used wine
in the past,
the idea of kind of,
like, choking on wine...
because the Church uses wine
as a metaphor for,
you know,
the blood of Christ,
but we see it as a form
of oppression and control.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners...
If there's anything
that anti-choice protesters
have been good at,
it's the spectacle.
We wanted to create a context
where we can start to understand
that people who are protesting
outside of clinics
are doing something
that's somewhat perverse
and disturbing.
So anyways, that was where
our starting point was,
"How do we do this?
How do we match them?"
And then it was a lot
of brainstorming and spitballing
and conversation
until somebody made a joke
about how they fetishize
the fetus,
how it becomes this kind
of object
that is revered in a way
that seems somewhat unnatural,
and, um,
you know, we landed
on fetish babies,
adult babies.
Uh, we're talking
about the abstraction
and fetishization
of the fetal image
as one that speaks
and diminishes
women's power and voice.
A lot of people
look at performance art
and are a little bit confused by it,
but that's exactly how we feel
when we see these people
in front of clinics.
Pray for us.
What the heck just happened?
Why are they doing this?
- I have no idea.
- All right.
They're worshiping...
they're worshiping Lucifer.
I mean, they're...
they're Satanists.
I don't know much
about Satanism. What is it?
Is it the worship of Satan?
No, we're actually non-theistic,
and modern Satanism
has been recognized
as non-theistic
for some time now.
So the word Satanist has
nothing to do with Satan.
Like,
if somebody wants to worship
a pickle jar full of sand...
- What did you say?
- A pickle jar...
- A pickle jar full of sand?
- That's what it sounds like.
That's exactly what
it sounds like.
If you don't believe
in the Devil, why call yourself
- a Satanist?
- It's called Satanism
'cause there's nothing else
to call it.
This wasn't pulled out of a hat.
This wasn't something
that was made up
just to screw with people.
This is a sociopolitical
counter-myth.
The reason I'm pressing you
on this
is... is because I sort of know
a fake media story
when I see one,
and the whole Satanism thing
seems like that.
Who calls me
from out of the pit?
The most important thing
about modern Satanism,
in my opinion,
is that it has
a lot of symbolic impact
on a global level.
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan.
No!
I mean, everybody knows Satan.
He's as famous as Santa Claus
or the Grey aliens.
I am a part of you all.
In the literary concept
John Milton wrote
that Satan
was derived from heaven.
He was ousted for not stepping in line,
like the rest of us,
and now we fight back.
You're not wanted here.
You're not wanted here.
Out. Get out, Devils.
When I tell people that
I don't actually believe
in a literal Satan,
they're almost disappointed
and upset.
They don't like the idea
that we've taken
a religion's villain
and made him sort of
our champion for rebellion.
What it's preaching is evil.
It's preaching
against Christianity.
It's anti-Christian.
To say that a Satanist
is anti-Christian is, again,
a half-truth.
They are anti-Christian
in the sense that
they are post-Christian.
They are...
They've actually left
Christianity.
They are
taking Satan with them.
I like the story of,
like, Abraham,
who's gonna kill his son,
and Satan comes over.
He's like,
"Hey, don't do this."
And on one side
it's... Everyone goes,
"Well, that's him
tempting Abraham,"
and you go... On the other side,
it's him going, like,
"Hey, asshole,
don't kill your kid."
Satan didn't sit on his ass
and just watch that happen.
He got up and did something.
Jesus walked into the desert
with no food, right?
Satan comes to him,
and he tempts him
with water and food.
He's starving in the desert.
Like,
"Hey, dude, don't do this.
Have some water.
Like, you're fine."
Shouldn't they just
call themselves atheists
if they don't believe
in anything supernatural,
a supernatural being?
Being an atheist is boring.
There's no community.
There's no iconography.
There's no history.
There's no code of conduct
or ethics.
There's no tenets.
It's just defining
what you're not.
And with modern Satanism,
you can define what you are.
I mean, we've defined Satanism
for the Satanic Temple
with our Seven Tenets.
One should strive
to act with compassion
and empathy
towards all creatures
in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice
is an ongoing
and necessary pursuit
that should prevail
over laws and institutions.
One's body is inviolable,
subject to one's own will alone.
The freedom of others
should be respected,
including the freedom
to offend.
To willfully
and unjustly encroach
upon the freedoms of another
is to forgo your own.
This is my favorite one.
Beliefs should conform
to our best scientific
understanding of the world.
We should take care
never to distort
scientific facts
to fit our beliefs.
People are fallible.
If we make a mistake,
we should do our best
to rectify it
and resolve 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.
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
I am very surprised
to find myself
part of an actual religion.
I wholeheartedly
agree with the Seven Tenets
of the Satanic Temple.
I believe they far outweigh
the Ten Commandments
in terms of morality
and, uh, best-case practices
to live your life,
and why can't that be
a religion?
Why can't me following
a code of ethics,
having fellowship
with brethren,
why... why can't that be
a religion?
- I'm recording.
- All right.
Well, I want to thank you
for tuning in to get an update
on the Arkansas
Ten Commandments monument.
In Little Rock,
while the Ten Commandments
continue to be watered
throughout the morning,
they stand tall
in their new home.
Take a look. This is exactly
where it sits right now.
It was installed
on the back side
of the Capitol Building
this morning.
And I want to say thank you
to everyone
who has contributed
to erect this monument.
This is absolutely
a declaration of faith,
and this monument will
almost certainly come down.
When our first Ten Commandments
came up, she had a short life.
She lasted about 24 hours
before a fervent believer
in the separation
of church and state
took her down with his car.
Freedom!
I wake up, and I'm like,
"Oh, my God."
Get this. Police say around 4:45
in the morning local time
a 32-year-old man
rammed his vehicle
straight into that monument.
This man drove his vehicle
into the statue,
streamed it all on Facebook.
He's now facing charges.
I felt a huge pressure
come over me,
and I heard inside,
"Destroy it tonight."
He says
he's a Christian
who supports
the Ten Commandments
but not when they're replicated
on State Capitol grounds.
This was not a good thing
in my eyes
or in the Satanic Temple's eyes
because we wanted this
to come down the correct way
and not this way,
and of course, this did nothing
but help Rapert's cause.
We have to take a stand
for civility in this country.
All of this radical talk
from the Satanic Temple
that would cause
unstable people to get out
and carry out these acts.
What culpability do they have?
Journalist:
I don't even know
how to quite respond
to that question.
You see, you got to understand
the kind of people
you're dealing with here.
The man that claims to be
the head of the Satanic Temple,
this guy runs around the country
using the name Lucien Greaves.
It's not even his real name.
Fake names, fake arguments,
coming into Arkansas
to take advantage
of gullible people.
The leader of the
Satanic Temple,
he's using a fake name.
His name
is actually Doug Mesner.
My name
isn't Douglas Mesner either.
I have
double-layered pseudonyms.
The Ten Commandments
monument will be back up.
The law will be fulfilled.
There are a lot of
Ten Commandments monuments
of the same exact sort
in many places
all over the United States
which were put up
around the same time
because they were distributed
by Paramount Pictures
in connection
with "The Ten Commandments"
movie.
Wait, what?
Paramount Pictures?
Yeah, the story
is that Cecil B. DeMille
was involved in making
these Ten Commandments
in connection with the film
and then donating them
to governments
around the country,
and that's the story.
To promote a movie?
It's connected to the promotion
of a movie.
That's crazy.
The Ten Commandments
monuments
are designed to look
like the stone tablets
that are carried down
by Heston in the movie.
The stars from the film,
they're spreading them
all across the country,
and it becomes
much more present
in the everyday life
of Americans
where it hadn't been before.
The Ten Commandments
need no interpretation.
Like all good law...
they are simple and basic
and immutable.
Donations are pouring in
to replace the
Ten Commandments monument,
including the maker of a film
made at the State Capitol.
The people behind
"God's Not Dead"
pledged to donate
25,000 dollars
to rebuild the monument.
Pure Flix is a Christian
film production company...
that made the flick
"God's Not Dead 2"
here at our State Capitol.
People seem to forget
that the most basic
human right of all
is the right to know Jesus.
Melissa Joan Hart was here.
I'm not gonna be afraid
to say the name Jesus.
This was a "real movie" here
in Little Rock, Arkansas...
...and so the conservative
Christian base in this town,
it was all about the fact
that they were helping
Senator Rapert
and his godly mission.
Most of our viewers
are born-again believers
or Christians,
and they applaud
the Ten Commandments monument
on the State Capitol.
It's a...
it's never happened before.
The... the church in America
has been silent for too long.
The Satanic Temple,
as much as they posture
and much as they holler
at the State of Arkansas,
they cannot force
a monument of Baphomet
on our Capitol grounds.
Nothing would make me happier
than to see Baphomet
on our Capitol grounds.
I would love to see Baphomet.
I would love to see
the Hindus, the Buddhists,
everyone have their fair piece
of the lawn out there,
their piece of the grass.
When I look at Baphomet,
I see the voice of the marginalized,
the voices of the hated,
the voice of the misunderstood,
the voice of the folks
who don't agree mindlessly
with what the majority
is telling them.
You know,
I'm an ordained minister
before I got
into politics as well,
and I want to say on this,
what this nation needs
is an overflowing
of the anointing of God.
We will not live
by your commandments.
We're free!
Those who will not live
by the law...
...shall die by the law!
I think
we can all come together
and have a reconciliation
and all coexist.
I would love
to see the Baphomet
standing next to a
Ten Commandments monument
to represent
religious pluralism,
one of the greatest features
of the American experiment.
It's... It's...
I... It's probably
never gonna happen.
I actually chose a couple spots
I thought would be nice for it,
and they said,
"Well, how about this spot?"
they...
they kind of wanted me to take.
- So is that something...
- Most easily run into
by a truck from the road.
We're trying to do this
within the system
because that's the best way
to challenge the system
is to kind of use their laws
and the system
they've created against them.
Satanists sue Missouri.
Abortion rights
were the focus today
in the Missouri Supreme Court.
Current Missouri law
requires a woman
be given an informational
booklet on abortion.
Paperwork that said,
"Life starts at conception."
Mary Doe is suing
Missouri Governor,
Eric Greitens.
I think that if we're being sued
by the Satanic Temple,
we got to be doing
something right.
We're doing something right
here in the State of Missouri.
Thank you. Thank you.
This lawsuit
by the Satanic Temple
on behalf of one of its members
is like the Hobby Lobby case.
The evangelical Christian owners
of Hobby Lobby
craft stores
challenged Obamacare
that requires
for-profit companies
to provide comprehensive
birth control coverage,
saying it violated
their religious beliefs.
Given the court's ruling
in favor of Hobby Lobby,
the Satanic Temple
has some sincerely-held
religious beliefs of its own.
The Satanists believe that, quote,
"The body is inviolable
subject to one's
own will alone."
And they say they strive
to make all decisions
regarding personal health based
on the best scientific
understanding of the world.
It's brilliant, right?
Because one of the things
the Supreme Court said
in its Hobby Lobby decision
is we can't question
people's religious beliefs.
If they say it violates
their religious beliefs,
so be it. She should be exempted
from that law.
We're ready to proceed
on the first case.
- Good morning.
- Morning.
May it please the court,
it's appalling that the state
of Missouri legislates into law
that a human life
comes into existence
at conception. And if you...
What creates the presumption
that the statute
that says
life begins at conception
is solely based
on a religious tenet?
There is no scientific basis
for it.
It's just a proposition.
It's like saying,
"Jesus rose from the dead."
You can believe that,
but you'd be appalled
if the Missouri legislature
legislated that into law.
The thing is I know we...
if we talk with our lawyer,
he's gonna say, like,
"No,
people just don't understand
what this really means."
Lawsuits move so slow.
I mean, nothing's been resolved,
you know?
Nothing's happened,
and it's... it's... And yet
it's a pi... It's a massive...
it's a massive legal bill...
and there's really nothing
so far to show for it.
We're paying for it through...
just the regular donations
we receive and proceeds
from merchandise sales.
It broke the
100,000 dollar mark
some time ago,
and I'm not sure how far
it's exceeded that by now.
I mean... it just hurts
my feelings to look at it.
There's no doubt that
this is my life's work...
and I don't want
the Satanic Temple
to be known for me,
but the success or failure
of the Satanic Temple
has always been,
uh, you know,
either my vindication
or failure.
As the
Satanic Temple developed,
we would hear less and less
from Jex.
And Detroit became
a bit of a mystery even to us,
um, in terms of what was
going on with the chapter...
which was under her control.
After centuries of biblical
patriarchal dominance,
the annihilation of native
and diverse cultures,
the propagation of racism
and homophobia,
we owe our oppressors!
We owe them hostility,
inextinguishable justice,
and uncompromising destruction.
We outnumber them.
We possess the fortitude
to bring down powerful men
and dismantle racist systems.
Their existence
is only made possible
by our own inaction.
They have given us just enough
to have something to lose.
They have built a system
that grinds us down,
and they tell us
to swallow our grief
and our rage in the name
of respectability,
that obedience is patriotism.
There is no model
for moving forward.
We are the model.
Who taught you how to protest?
Who taught you how to get mad?
Who taught you how to speak up?
'Cause we are going to disrupt,
distort, destroy,
and reclaim, resist,
and rebuild!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
- Hail Satan!
Hail Satan!
How do I put this?
Hmm. Let me think.
She called for, um,
Donald Trump to be killed.
Um, that's obviously problematic
because we are a completely
nonviolent organization,
and that's completely
against our ethics.
It was glaringly obvious
that Jex,
being the wild card
that she is,
wasn't really gonna fit
in the organization anymore,
so Jex Blackmore is no longer
part of the Temple
at this point.
Um, I called her,
ultimately, but that was, uh,
that was a National Council
discussion. Uh...
she said what she said,
and we just couldn't have
a double standard for anybody.
I don't want to go off
on camera right here.
- I understand.
- About the injustice of that
in many different ways,
but yeah, it's been a lot.
I have to say
it does feel a little bit
satisfying to be...
you know,
fired from the Satanic Temple
for being too extreme.
There's a great fear
that we are going to do
something that is so offensive
that it's going to somehow
discredit our work.
I mean,
we're a Satanic organization.
There's, like, this...
this fear of our legal system
that is part of what
I'm fighting against,
and part of what I think
is important for us
to be liberated from.
I love Jex.
I worked with her
from the beginning,
and it's really quite sad,
but... you know, as we cohere
this organizational structure,
we have to have a kind
of uniform set of rules.
We lose some things and we gain
some things from that, I guess.
One, two, three, four.
Like, the reality
is the Satanic Temple
has become formalized
in a way
that is a much more
traditional institution.
I fear that that special space
that was created for people... is gone.
Yeah, more or less.
I mean,
I assume they need to drill?
Yeah.
Hey, good morning, guys.
We are here
at the State Capitol.
In just a few hours
we are expected to see
the Ten Commandments
monument back up.
So Article Two, Section 24
of the Arkansas
State Constitution
says that there shall never be
any preference given by law
to an establishment
of religion, a denomination...
Your head's cut off.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
Anyways, the point is,
is when a senator tries
to take ownership
of your religion,
give it over to the government,
uh, that's a...
Any Christian
should be offended.
Yeah, yeah.
- Hello?
- Hey, it's Stu.
I did. I saw it.
Wake up, America.
Wake up, church.
Wake up, Christians.
It's about time
in the United States of America,
as a Christian nation,
we get back to upholding
what we believe in.
- Amen!
- Amen!
This is a Christian nation.
I can't see
how they could possibly
get around this stuff.
This is a violation,
and they just
completely ignored it.
You know, once the thing
is going, we'll file.
I...
I'm just really hard-pressed
to come up with a way in which
we could lose this case.
We want to put up monuments
in every state,
every county, every city
and every town
and every organization
that wants one,
we're gonna help you do that.
Why are there Ten
Commandments monuments bills
simultaneously
in multiple states?
Why are there abortion
restriction bills,
anti-LGBT bills simultaneously
across different states?
Clearly there
is a concerted effort,
and that
is not religious liberty.
That's Christian supremacy.
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
I can't stand
The things that you do
No, no, no
No, I ain't lyin'
No, I don't care
If you don't want me...
I mean,
we have to push this back
because what they're
looking for is, essentially,
some kind of Christian Sharia law,
their version of it...
where legislation
and their view of morals
is implemented by a church
that a lot of us
aren't a part of,
and we just
can't let that happen.
I love you, I love you
Yah yah gow
I put a spell on you
Lord, lord, lord
'Cause you're mine
Yeah
I can't stand the things
That you do
When you're foolin' around
I don't care
If you don't want me
'Cause I'm yours
Yours, yours
Anyhow, yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
One, two, three.
The Satanic Temple
will hold a rally
at the Arkansas
State Capitol
Thursday, August 16th.
The centerpiece of the rally
will be a Satanic statue
of Baphomet.
The Satanic Temple
says the organization
is being discriminated against
because the state
will not install
a Satanic monument
on the Capitol grounds.
I'm Shiva. I'm the Director
of National Events for TST,
and I thought we could start
by going around the room.
I'm from right here
in Little Rock,
and I am tickled pink
that all of you
are here in our fair city.
Tomorrow's gonna be fun.
I'm from El Paso, Texas.
I'm with Frontera Satanica.
I'm one of the cofounders
of Satanic Arkansas,
and we are super stoked
that you guys are here.
I'm Lanzifer Longinus.
I'm... I'm head
of the San Marcos chapter.
I was the head
of the San Antonio chapter,
and, um, the Devil's work
is never done.
I'm Jeremy, Skullcrusher
if we're using pseudonyms.
And I am the Monster
from Atlanta.
And, uh,
I'm just here
to support something
that's very important to me.
Glad to be here.
Fuckin' hail Satan.
Are you excited?
No.
They're gonna have, I guess
a nine-foot-tall statue
of Satan.
Well, we came here today
in order to negate that.
Honk the horn.
God bless you.
Their platform
is separation
of church and state,
which makes it sound
really nice, so yeah.
They just want to irritate,
if you want to know the truth.
We're a Christian country,
and so they don't have
the right to alter that.
They don't have a right
to put their monstrosity
on the State Capitol.
But do we
really wanna believe
there's no consequence
but God?
There is this individual
that has,
like, a previous conviction
for planning,
- you know, mass shootings...
- Hmm.
...and our anonymous sources
have said that he will
definitely be there,
and that is a concern.
And what happens
if you see somebody
that I don't see
pulling some shit?
So we've got
the outer team,
which I think at this point
is gonna be six people,
so they should see
something first.
Somebody's gonna have to really
get through two layers
of people to get to you.
That makes it very implausible.
Well, I don't think
anybody else around here
is really considered a target,
so I think that's really all
we're worried about.
This is the infancy
of the Satanic Temple.
In our own humble little way,
we are changing the world.
More and more as time goes on,
people are seeing that we are
a genuine movement.
This would be very difficult
to maintain
if somewhere
in any of our minds,
those of us who are actively
working on this,
we didn't truly believe
in every element
of what we're doing...
and to be doing this
as anything other
than an authentic expression
of who we are...
I just can't see doing that
without being psychotic,
which I guess...
is... is a theory.
It is out of not only Satanism
but patriotism
that I am motivated
to come to protest events,
to have the pilgrimage,
to visibly be a part
of a declaration
of those beliefs.
That's an ancient
human religious tradition.
I mean,
that's the pilgrimage.
I think it's a sense
of duty to do this.
I don't even feel like
it's optional at this point.
You know,
you see Christian theocracy
just, you know, creeping itself
into our government, you know,
and they're not gonna stop.
They're just gonna continue,
and it is our duty
as the adversary
to stand up to this.
I could just go along
and just be a quiet
little secular individual,
like a lot of people do.
I... I don't want to say
the phrase, like,
"this has given
my life purpose,"
but I would say
that this makes life fun.
Radical Satanism
has its claws...
...in the hearts of people
across America,
and I think that's... that's...
that's something
to pay attention to.
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah...
Good people of Arkansas
and supporters
of religious liberty,
I present to you Baphomet.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and in the hour
of our death, amen.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners.
Baphomet
on the same grounds
as the Ten Commandments
does not represent the conflict
but a resolution.
If Christianity
abandons liberal democracy,
it will have forfeited
the future to Satan.
- To which I say, hail Satan.
- Hail Satan!
Satan never sleeps
He walks behind you
Through the night
And through the day
Silently he creeps
He's always there
To put temptation
In your way
So
If you're
Burning with desire
He'll find
A way to fan the fire
Then in the embers
Of the flame
You'll have
Your foolish heart to blame
Oh, oh
Satan has a plan
He's out to capture you
In any way he can
Ever since the world began
He's tried to come between
A woman and a man
And so no matter
If you're great or small
He knows there's evil
In us all
And that is why
Satan never
Sleeps
And I do want to clarify,
we actually had just somebody
two seconds ago
drive past asking us where
this Satanic Temple statue is.
Just to clarify, that was here
just for the rally
and was taken away
when that rally was over.
Now, currently
there is a lawsuit pending
in federal court,
the Satanic Temple claiming
religious discrimination,
while the state responding,
calling the Satanic Temple
a satire group.