A number of Christian groups, which includes the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, have been organizing some secretive counter-events to the Satanic Temple's 10-year anniversary celebration, which includes the group's second annual SatanCon convention at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.
Unlike the Church of Satan, the Satanic Temple does not worship biblical Satan but aims to "reject tyrannical authority." The convention dubbed the "largest Satanic gathering in history," has drawn the attention of Christian groups who have planned various opposing events and prayer initiatives.
Revive Boston Organizes "Counter-Response" to The Satanic Temple's SatanCon
According to an article in MSN, the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has called for "intense prayer" in response to SatanCon. Meanwhile, a separate Christian activist group, Revive Boston, is organizing a weekend of worship, prayer services, and city-wide outreach to "preach the gospel in key locations" in Boston, coinciding with the dates of SatanCon.
Revive Boston leader Dr. Jaymz Sideras has organized a "counter-response" to The Satanic Temple's SatanCon, describing the latter as a "weekend of blasphemy." In a YouTube video, Sideras stated that while The Satanic Temple believes they are coming to ambush Boston, God has planned to ambush them instead.
The Satanic Temple, although its name suggests, they do not promote belief in Satan but encourages empathy, compassion, justice, and the separation of church and state. The group has recently used its status as a religious organization to challenge abortion bans in Idaho, Indiana, and Texas, arguing that these restrictions infringe on its members' religious freedoms. Attorney James Mac Naughton explained that The Satanic Temple views a fetus as part of a woman's body, over which she has absolute control.
Also Read: Christianity Ranks Most Favorable Religion While Scientology, Satanism Get the Lowest Ratings
Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Responds to Satanic Temple's Actions with Prayer and Adoration
According to another source, Catholic News Agency said that the Archdiocese of Boston had started a prayerful response in response to the actions of the Satanic Temple and the SatanCon gathering. They plan adoration and prayer groups at shrines, monasteries, and parishes around the archdiocese. Over the weekend, men and women religious will be encouraged to pray more fervently, and numerous parishes will be open for adoration and Masses with this intention.
As part of their response to the Satanic Temple's actions, the archdiocese is distributing prayer cards to churches and urging the recitation of the St. Michael the Archangel prayer.
The Democratic Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, was a member of the Boston City Council who voted against the group's request for an invocation in 2016. As a result, the Satanic Temple has dedicated SatanCon to her. Wu has come under fire from the group for her "unconstitutional efforts to keep TST out of Boston's public spaces."
The Satanic Temple established an accessible abortion facility in New Mexico in February and began sending pharmaceutical abortion tablets to anybody who wanted to carry out the Satanic Temple's ritual abortion.
The group has also opposed Christian-themed decorations in public places and organized "black mass" events, parodies of the Catholic Mass. In response to a black mass held at Harvard University in 2014, the Archdiocese of Boston requested prayer and asked Harvard to distance itself from the event.
The Satanic Temple of Houston held a black mass in 2019, but the group said it does not have a eucharistic host and does not have plans to do so for SatanCon.
Related Article:'SatanCon' Debuts in Boston, Marking a Decade of The Satanic Temple's Defiance Against Religious and Political Norms
