Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

NeoGreen

(4,030 posts)
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 09:48 AM Jan 2018

A Bunch of Satanists Have Adopted a Two-Mile Stretch of Road in Arizona

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/01/29/a-bunch-of-satanists-have-adopted-a-two-mile-stretch-of-road-in-arizona/




A Bunch of Satanists Have Adopted a Two-Mile Stretch of Road in Arizona
January 29, 2018 by Sarahbeth Caplin

The Satanic Temple of Arizona just adopted a stretch of road that they plan to clean and maintain for the next year.

Which, I guess, means there really is a Highway to Hell.

“I just want to clean up a highway, please give me a highway to cleanup, and they said fine,” said America Curl, a member of the Satanic Temple. She reached out to the Department of Transportation last summer, and said the process of adopting the road was easy.

Curl filled out an online form, and paid a small fee.

Curl understands there is a stigma surrounding the Temple, especially after their attempts to read the invocation at Phoenix City Council meetings were denied.

“I was a little hesitant, because I understand people know our name, and worry that we’re going to do something crazy, and we’re going to try and turn this into something political,” said Curl.


This isn’t just good publicity. It’s actually an outgrowth of one of the Seven Fundamental Tenets of The Satanic Temple: “One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.” (It’s amazing what good things you can do when your holy list of rules doesn’t waste time with bans on worshiping false idols, working on the Sabbath, or saying bad words.)

It’s telling that many evangelicals, despite the Bible calling on them to be “good stewards” of their God-given planet, still dismiss environmentalism as a “liberal issue.”

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: More Christians ought to be like these Satanists.


So, today's lesson, Evangelicals are Evil and Satanists are Good, and the Theology of the Mulligan is the new doctrine.
14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
2. Funny thing is: They call themselves Satanists just to spite Christians.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 10:06 AM
Jan 2018

The Old Testament devil, Satan, is not evil. He's more of a neutral trickster persona.

The New Testament devil, Lucifer, is kinda evil, but not that much. His crime was refusing to obey God. He tried to convince Jesus to leave God, but Jesus refused to even engage Lucifer's arguments.



The only connection I see between Satan/Lucifer and modern-day Satanists is the theme of reasoning and doubting.

Cuthbert Allgood

(4,865 posts)
3. No. They call themselves Satanists for the same reasons Christians call themselves Christian.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 10:41 AM
Jan 2018

Satan is the one they "worship."

And, really, reason and doubt are pretty much what Lucifer is all about. The victors write history and all that. I have always thought Lucifer was the most compelling and identifiable character in Paradise Lost.

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
5. Victors write history????????
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 11:05 AM
Jan 2018

Lucifer is a fictional character in a story. This is not victors writing history. This is an author writing a story.

And we shouldn't mix Bible with Bible fan-fiction or else I will bring in "Ben Hur", "Life of Brian", "Constantine" and "Dogma".

Cuthbert Allgood

(4,865 posts)
6. So a couple things.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 11:30 AM
Jan 2018

Yeah, I'm an atheist. Fully aware Lucifer is fictional. But the people writing that story were writing to support their guy. They wrote Satan to be the antagonist in a time when that completely meant the bad guy. And they did a pretty poor job when you look at it.

And I don't even know what to do with the concept that Paradise Lost is fan fiction and put in the same category with the films you list (which, with the exception of Ben Hur, are all awesome, btw). I just don't even know how to respond.

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
7. Paradise Lost.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 11:50 AM
Jan 2018

1. "Victors write history" doesn't fit because there are no losers who could have written a history where Satan is the good guy. The author always wanted Satan to be the villain and there is no competing author who thought otherwise.

2. My point was that only religious texts should be taken into account when debating the religious meaning of a character.

Mariana

(14,849 posts)
8. The Satanic Temple don't believe supernatural entities exist.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 11:56 AM
Jan 2018

That includes Satan. They like the ideas that Satan represents, that's why they use the name.

Cuthbert Allgood

(4,865 posts)
9. Fully understand. That's why I put "worship" in quotation marks.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 12:01 PM
Jan 2018

Sorry that wasn't clear. In my head it was.

Voltaire2

(12,624 posts)
11. No my understanding is that they call themselves satanists because they think
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 12:16 PM
Jan 2018

that christianity presents a vile world view that ought to be rejected in favor of a humanistic world view.

Pope George Ringo II

(1,896 posts)
12. I'm torn.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 12:36 PM
Jan 2018

Am I standing up for them if I point out that they'd do the same to a school crossing sign? I don't think I am, but I'm not sure.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
13. In Arizona, all signs are mistaken for game animals.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 12:45 PM
Jan 2018

Young lads feeling their testosterone and old men feeling its loss alike find sport in punching holes in signs with whatever tools they have available. It's an odd thing.

The same is true in some other states. Of course, in some cases, it's easy to understand the mistake:

Iggo

(47,487 posts)
14. Let's see how long that famous xian religious tolerance lasts before they shoot up the sign.
Tue Jan 30, 2018, 01:20 PM
Jan 2018

EDIT: Although as one of the posters above states, they do it to school crossing signs, too.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Religion»A Bunch of Satanists Have...