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Let's talk about two things here. First, why are you surprised that people heard "Hail Satan" and then didn't pay attention to "the substance" of what else you said? That is the entire game you are playing here. That's the whole thing, and, crucially, that's why it's limited the way it is.

When you say, "I am a Satanist, which is like Christianity but on Opposite Day", you're doing something that *is* effective at getting attention, but the whole point is that the targets look at you and go, "Oh! that's bad." It is certainly NOT effective at getting anything to actually stop.

Without putting too much shade on the non-Satanic Temple groups that do this, you have to understand that what you're doing is a stunt. It's theater. It is not getting you from point A to point B as a matter of policy. You cannot *actually* levitate the Pentagon with your mind; same thing here.

This public Satanist thing is a game of chicken built on demanding a response to the *spectacle* of a Satanist showing up publicly identifying as such. You can't do that and also be surprised that that's where the response is focused. (Or you can, but it just reveals you're not paying attention.)

That second thing is also really important: this *isn't* a win for progressive, secular values — except in the way "The Daily Show" totally EVISCERATING rightwing politicians for years was a win "The Daily Show" came out good and people felt good, but nothing was impeded. "Haw haw" is not victory.

As a practical matter, saying, "I'm a Satanist. Hail Satan!" just confirms to Christian Nationalists that Satanists *are* a real, malevolent force in society, and they're on the right track. Maybe they should stop their own infighting or get MORE militant, even. See: evangelical clubs in schools

Being clever is not power; power is power. The Christians *like* having their arch-enemies be paper tigers who wield irony or smugness but not solidarity or mass appeal. "Either everyone can give a prayer, or no one can!" Or they can restrict prayers to [Christian] police and fire chaplains.

There may be some update after that EWTN News is less pleased with, but if so, it almost certainly comes from the hard work of politics: talking to people, building a coalition, coming up with meaningful responses to "Or else what?" including plausible threats not from being cheeky

TST has nearly 15 years of these stunts, which, again, began as a prank documentary to undermine public schools queersatanic.com/what-the-hel... queersatanic.com/why-you-have... Setting aside the track record *in the court room*, we can see the track record of failures from the strategy, too.

Hemant Mehta is not a stupid person, but it's pretty clear he either has a huge blindspot here. Or less generously, Mehta just knows where is bread is buttered and what his audience wants. The Satanic Temple pursued us in court for years, and he never wrote about that as a religious freedom issue.

Mehta has explicitly said he didn't think The Satanic Temple targeting Newsweek and its reporter with frivolous lawsuits in retaliation for a negative story (TST pursuing four former members with a frivolous SLAPP) was of public interest. A church! Trying to punish free speech and criticism!