Statue Satanic Temple wants publicly acknowledged in Oklahoma City
Since they are protected by the First Amendment, a devil-worshipping group will proceed with its controversial ceremony on Sept. 21, despite fervent protests by residents of Oklahoma City and a lawsuit from the Catholic Church.
The cofounder of Dakhma of Angra Mainyu said that the religious and educational organization decided to hold the black mass in public, but it will be a “tamer” version than some traditional satanic ceremonies. For example, they will be substituting vinegar for acts involving urine to comply with state health laws.
The upcoming event has generated controversy because black masses mock Christianity and the rituals that make up their services but organizers see it as an integral part of their religion. The Oklahoma City Archdiocese filed a lawsuit against the satanic group after media reports that it was in possession of a consecrated host, a wafer that some Catholics believe is literally the body of Christ. The host in question has since been handed over to the archdiocese and the legal action has been stopped, but that has not put all of the archbishop’s concerns to rest.
“One of the dictates of the church is not only to educate the members but to educate the public,” Dakhma of Angra Mainyu’s Adam Daniels said, “and to debunk the Hollywood-projected image of our beliefs.”
The parks and recreation department, which rented the space to the group for $420, cited First Amendment protections in allowing the group to meet in a public facility.
The group is separate from The Satanic Temple, a national group with similar beliefs that has long fought with Oklahoma City officials about the right to have a statue of the devil placed prominently in the Oklahoma State Capitol. Lucien Greaves, the leader of The Satanic Temple, told ABC News that Dakhma of Angra Mainyu may be timing its black mass in order to coincide with the publicity drummed up by The Satanic Temple’s legal battle for the devil statue.
