The leader of a small group of self-described satanists and three other people were arrested Friday following a scuffle inside the Kansas Statehouse arising from an effort by the group’s leader to start a Black Mass in the rotunda.
About 30 members of the Kansas City-area Satanic Grotto, led by its president, Michael Stewart, rallied outside the Statehouse for the separation of church and state. The group also protested what members called the state’s favoritism toward Christians in allowing events inside. Gov. Laura Kelly temporarily banned protests inside, just for Friday, weeks after Stewart’s group scheduled its indoor ceremony.
The Satanic Grotto’s rally outside drew hundreds of Christian counterprotesters because of the Grotto’s satanic imagery, and its indoor ceremony included denouncing Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. About 100 Christians stood against yellow police tape marking the Satanic Grotto’s area. The two groups yelled at each other while the Christians also sang and called on Grotto members to accept Jesus. Several hundred more Christians rallied on the other side of the Grotto’s area, but further away.
Kelly issued her order earlier this month after Roman Catholic groups pushed her to ban any Satanic Grotto event. The state’s Catholic Bishops called what the group planned “a despicable act of anti-Catholic bigotry” mocking the Catholic Mass. Both chambers of the Legislature also approved resolutions condemning it.
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Satanic Grotto members, who number several dozen, said they hold a variety of beliefs. Some are atheists, some use the group to protest harm they suffered as church members, and others see Satan as a symbol of independence.
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Video shot by KSNT-TV showed that when Stewart tried to conduct his group’s ceremony in the first-floor rotunda, a young man tried to snatch Stewart’s script from his hands, and Stewart punched him. Several Kansas Highway Patrol troopers wrestled Stewart to the ground and handcuffed him. They led him through hallways on the ground floor below and into a room as he yelled, “Hail, Satan!”
this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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The problem with Satanism is that it just encourages the Christians. You want to take their fan-fic as seriously as it deserves, which is not at all.
Maybe. Unfortunately US law doesn't have a concept of "freedom to not worship", so it's tricky for atheists to push back against religious overreach because it's hard to prove the exclusive religious favoritism for Christians in this country as an atheist since atheists are by definition impossible to prevent from worshiping.
It's a lot easier to just say hail Satan and then crush the snowflakes in court since now you are religious, just for a bullshit religion which they can't legally call bullshit on. Because that's the other thing. There is absolutely no legal test of faith. The court must take satanists specifically at their word and push no further. Christianity is a major established religion in the US which means Satan is widely recognized, so it isn't a random cult they can spin shutting down, and it is a religion so they can't pretend the satanist isn't covered by the first amendment protection.
Basically US law is stupid and that makes claiming to be a satanist extremely legally expedient