The Satanic Temple: What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander


The Satanic Temple seems settled in for the long haul against religious objections to abortion. They are now challenging such ridiculous requirements of women like watching an ultrasound. Like not baking a cake for a gay wedding, women in an abortion clinic under the direction of The Satanic Temple may merely testify watching the ultrasound is a violation of their religious freedom. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

It has always been my feeling separation of church and state would accelerate if other religions complained. There is a little of that, but not in-your-face regular challenges. 

When Red River Freethinkers were trying to remove the Ten Commandments monument from public property next to City Hall, I asked a good friend in Fargo who is Jewish if Jewish people might want to join in the fracas. He said he was really opposed to the monument on public property but the risk of retaliation was too great for him to become involved. I think its that way with all of the many non Christian religions in Fargo.

There was a tough-in-cheek "religious group," the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who made a splash for several years. The founder, a young man in Kansas, had to move a secret apartment because he was threatened so often.

Into this vacuum moved The Satanic Temple. It has more carefully moved into the space for a religion. It has an address, a book of doctrine and a avowed set of beliefs. On the other hand, it does not deny it's goal is to use the religion to challenge the presence of Christianity in the public sphere. It is different because it focuses on abortion rights.

I've been deeply involved in politics for some 50 years. All during that time, religious people have told me their grievances about various things around them. I've always said new religions might come along and have grievances against Christianity. It may be best, my thinking has been, to practice your religion quietly rather than risk the ire of other current or future religions. They always scoffed at this possibility.

Now The Satanic Temple is inventing itself as a religion with the express purpose of pulling the same stunts themselves that Christians have always pulled.  Announcing that abortion is a religious experience puts The Satanic Temple in the driver's seat instead of just going along with the Christianity ride. 

I have sent the organization some money to maintain its effort to challenge Christianity restrictions on abortions. 


[P.S. Thank you to all readers here at Jon's Blog. Stats show that today marked the 100,000th visitor to the site since I started on blogspot.com]

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