Satanism’s rapid growth
Many Christians are getting scared that in the United States the Satanic movement is growing rapidly. Ground zero is the Satanic Temple with headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, which has caused a storm in the American media after three dramatic developments: media interviews of founder Lucien Greaves; a US government official “recognition” of the Satanic Temple; and, the premier of a controversial documentary on Satanism.
The media storm has made the movement bolder, expecting greater acceptance from a society looking for itself, wracked by the pandemic, by polarized politics as election comes near, and by the growing strength of the gay and abortion movements.
The Satanic Temple is growing rapidly, with some 20 chapters across the US, and affiliates in Canada, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as of this writing, 16 October 2020.
The headquarters is an ancestral ex-funeral home in Salem. They perform the “Black Mass’ in the temple, their answer to the Holy Mass of Christians, using performing arts to creatively express their messages.
Greaves is shown in a Washington Post photo at the temple beside an eight-foot bronze statue of Baphomet, the goat-headed representation of Satan, which reminds Christians of the worship of the god Baal in the Old Testament, which triggered God’s wrath.
Ironically, the official US government “recognition” is not that significant. The Internal Revenue Service merely affirming that the temple has earned a “tax-exempt status as a church.” “The United States has no state church and no religious bureaucracy.” However, this “recognition” has fueled further attention to Satanism in America.
The feature-length documentary entitled Hail Satan?, directed by “Penny Lane,” is reportedly set to be premiered this month at Utah’s Sundance Film Festival. Lane initially perceived the documentary to treat the Satanic movement as a “joke,” with all its “pranks, social protests, and legal actions.” But a more serious treatment evolved later.
Greaves clarifies that they do not worship Satan per se, but regard “Satan as a symbol of rebellion against tyranny.” He says worship is an insult, because it implies “servility.”
“Satanism is about personal sovereignty and independence and freedom of will. We’re a non-theistic religion. We don’t subscribe to supernatural explanations,” Greaves said.
Christians regard this explanation as a maneuver around the real essence of Satanism. The reason they are attracting a lot of people is the magic word “Satan,” which to newcomers fulfills their anger against Christianity and their support for same-sex marriage and abortion. Christians argue that it is truly a worship of Satan, because these two issues are intertwined with Satan and his active campaigns against the Church. Satan is the nemesis of Christianity, the 2,000-yearold enmity between the Serpent and the Woman who will strike him down, in the Book of Genesis.
The Satanists are getting bolder and bolder every day as their numbers increase. They are demanding satanic education side by side with Christian teachings in schools, scaring parents. There have been eyeball-to-eyeball encounters between satanic and rosary groups in the streets. Greaves said, “It (Satanism) is meaningful to us who grew up in a JudeoChristian culture.”
How should Christians react? Some suggest, instead of being scared or angry, Christians need to strengthen their faith and achieve spiritual renewal as the first response. The second response is to ignore them, because the more attention they get, the more popular they become. Greaves laughingly said that, when their confrontation with Christians hit the media, they went viral. A massive counter-march by the diocese in the Harvard campus in Boston sent the Satanists moving to a nearby Chinese restaurant. This was hailed as a victory, but the publicity gave them more media attention. Direct confrontation, which they prefer, gives them the importance and attention they crave for.
Our Lady of Fatima foretold this crisis that will befall the Church. As the Church crisis grows in the Vatican, so, too, does Satanism grow. Now, more than ever, Christians must pray against the forces of Satan to the Virgin who will crush his head. The rosary is Satan’s greatest enemy.
“Now, more than ever, Christians must pray against the forces of Satan to the Virgin who will crush his head. The rosary is Satan’s greatest enemy.
“Greaves clarifies that they do not worship Satan per se, but regard ‘Satan as a symbol of rebellion against tyranny.’ He says worship is an insult, because it implies servility.