National Satanic Temple Rep Jex Blackmore Says Satan Is Not Real; Tells Christians 'Don't Waste Your Prayers on Us'
Jex Blackmore, the national spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, which claims to have made up to 700 people sign over their souls to Satan at an event in Detroit, Michigan — billed the "largest public satanic ceremony in history" where a one-ton bronze statue of a goat-headed Baphomet was unveiled last Saturday — said Tuesday that the devil isn't real and advised Christians, "Don't waste your prayers on us."
Blackmore made the declaration during a Reddit AMA session Tuesday night during which she fielded a number of questions about the organization and its work.
When asked why attendees at the Saturday event were asked to sign a contract stipulating that they were selling their souls to the devil and if anyone rejected the idea, Blackmore said it was part of security protocol.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"The contract was my idea. As far as I know, nobody left. We had a decoy location that ticket holders had to first visit before receiving the secondary location, which was one of four intersections surrounding the venue.
"Attendees then had to find a 'psychopomp' wearing a red scarf and recite the passphrase 'as above,' and wait for the response 'so below.' They were then led by foot to the actual venue," explained Blackmore, who revealed she became a satanist after spending time in the Christian church.
"I became a satanist after my experience within the church, learning that what's natural was often condoned as 'sinful' or 'satanic.' I got involved with the temple after interviewing Lucien (Greaves) about the temple right after they announced the formation of the organization," said Blackmore who added that "approximately 666-700 souls were sold to the devil" at Saturday's event.
Blackmore warned, however, that Christians should stop praying for her and her group because she is not in league with the devil, as the biblical Satan does not exist.
"To those Christians whose minds are enslaved by biblical mythology we say: Don't waste your prayers on us," she noted.
For her, satanism is a celebration of individual freedom and knowledge, and does not refer to any kind of superstitious beliefs.
"I cannot speak for all satanists. There are many different understandings of satanism and satanic philosophy. That being said, satanism stands for individual sovereignty in the face of tyranny, and the pursuit of knowledge even when that knowledge is dangerous. We believe in the power of individual will, not the collective consciousness of the mindless masses," she said.
When asked if her organization would ever change the name of the group to avoid preconceived notions about what the organization is about, she declined.
"We have no interest in changing who we are to comfort the superstitious. We are satanists, therefore we belong to a satanic organization," asserted Blackmore.
"The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religious organization dedicated to satanic practice and the promotion of satanic rights. We understand the satanic figure as a symbol of man's inherent nature, representative of the eternal rebel, enlightened inquiry and personal freedom rather than a supernatural deity or being," she added.
