Why the satanic Christmas displays are awesome
First things first: no, I’m not a fan of anything that glorifies the devil and never will be. I know that doesn’t seem to jive with the title of this article, but hopefully you’ll understand my point by the end.
I’m sure you’ve already seen that, as in years past, the Satanic Temple (TST) and other groups have put up their own “Christmas” displays this season to rival Christian Nativity scenes, with the most recent one being in Minnesota. All of this is done under the supposition of religious pluralism and separation of church and state.
New Hampshire Democrat representative Ellen Read said as much in a statement defending TST’s display in her state: “My constituents and I felt that it was very important, in order to keep with the constitutional principle that government should not give preference to one religion, to see equal representation among faiths in front of the State House.” She’s also a fan of the group’s seven tenets (more on these in a moment) that represent their beliefs saying: “It is hard for anyone to find fault with the TST seven tenets, and they are completely in keeping with the holiday spirit of all faiths.”
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I’d wager your claws come out when you see these things and read the rationale of those who support them. Still, we have to remember: 1. the world and its ruler (John 12:31) are always going to hate and fight against Christ so we shouldn’t be surprised, and 2. In an increasingly secularized culture, Christian values and beliefs aren’t going to be the default anymore.
Welcome to Mars Hill my friends.
That being the case, what will be yours and my response? I recommend we do exactly what the apostle Paul did at the Areopagus and use them as gospel and truth-sharing opportunities, plus expose the exhibits for what they really are when given the chance.
Let me explain with a few examples.
Go back about 20 years to the release of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. Brown’s book (and its subsequent movie) cast doubt on the truth of the New Testament and rocked the faith of many as it asserted the existence of secret societies that suppressed the “real” story about Christ as told in the gnostic gospels.
“Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child? I didn’t know that!” “The Catholic Church invented the idea of Jesus’ divinity?” “Jesus really died and didn’t come back from the dead?”
All these claims and more were made by Brown and others who supported the writings of the gnostic authors, and their assertions rattled a lot of people when they were first published. But guess what happened next?
While one of the book’s aims was to instigate suspicion about God’s Word — definitely a bad thing — The Da Vinci Code ended up causing good and initiated many faith-based conversations that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred. Moreover, it resulted in the publication of quite a few apologetic works that refuted the claims of Brown and his supporters, educating and arming the Church with solid facts to help in those discussions.
Or go back even further from Brown’s book to the release of the movie, “The Exorcist.” Many in the Christian community decried the movie at the time, saying it glorified the occult and the devil.
But what most don’t know is that the book’s author — William Peter Blatty — was motivated to write his famous work for Christian apologetics reasons. Blatty wrote an article about this in October 2011 to mark the 40th anniversary of “The Exorcist” where he said, “If an investigation were to prove that possession is real, what a help it would be to the struggling faith of possibly millions, for if there were demons, I reasoned, then why not angels? Why not God?”
Indeed.
So, while I’d rather not have a Satanist group try and hijack one of my holidays, at least I can use their effort to have meaningful discussions with people about it if the opportunity comes up. And that chat can be important, especially if you understand the primary motivation TST and others like them have for saddling up next to Nativity scenes.
What they’re not so subtly telegraphing with their intrusion into Christmas is this: Here is a better alternative to Christ.
Now TST members maintain that alternative is NOT the devil; they’ll tell you they are atheists and aren’t true Satan worshipers, saying: “Satanism provides all that a religion should be without a compulsory attachment to untenable items of faith-based belief … It provides a narrative structure by which we contextualize our lives and works. It also provides a body of symbolism and religious practice — a sense of identity, culture, community, and shared values.” In fact, TST members say they’re atheists and value humankind as the highest expression of value and “worship.”
Yeah, not buying it.
Here’s what I’d ask the TST folks if I got the chance: you say you don’t believe in a real Satan, right? You just use his name to describe your faith, your displays consistently use a statue of Baphomet which is the official insignia of the Church of Satan, and you include other satanically-recognizable symbols such as upside-down crosses in your exhibits.
But you’re not promoting the actual devil. Perish the thought.
If not, then why not just call yourselves atheists or humanists and urge adherence to humanism vs. Satanism? Your seven tenets of faith that include compassion, empathy, science, justice, freedom, and nobility dovetail with authentic humanist doctrines. So, what gives?
Can I take a stab at it?
My bet is TST and others like them label themselves Satanists because of who he ultimately is in Scripture: a rebel. I’d wager that’s why they conduct occasional marathon readings of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which cast the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2) as the ultimate symbol of rebellion against authority.
But the problem is if you’re just an atheist or humanist, who are you really rebelling against? Yourselves? Supposedly “bad” people, however you define “bad”?
No. Their “atheism” and statement of faith fall in line with what Pastor Doug Wilson (who has debated atheists like the late Christopher Hitchens on multiple occasions) has described as: “There is no God. And I hate Him.”
In the end, the spirit that provokes these groups to intrude into the Christmas season has as its rebellion target the Ultimate Authority — that baby in the Nativity scene. And it hates Him.
But hey, go ahead and bring your hideous goat monstrosity out in public, and let’s compare it to the innocence and beauty of the Christ Child and His perfectly lived life. What a no-brainer of a choice that is.
You got to love it when opponents do your work for you.
Merry Christmas!
Robin Schumacher is an accomplished software executive and Christian apologist who has written many articles, authored and contributed to several Christian books, appeared on nationally syndicated radio programs, and presented at apologetic events. He holds a BS in Business, Master's in Christian apologetics and a Ph.D. in New Testament. His latest book is, A Confident Faith: Winning people to Christ with the apologetics of the Apostle Paul.
