Arizona Democrat PRAISES SATANISTS after his GOP colleague introduces bill to ban demonic displays in public

04/16/2024 / By Ava Grace

A Democratic state lawmaker openly praised Satanists during a February hearing at the Arizona Senate about a bill banning demonic displays in public.

According to InfoWars, Democratic State Sen. Juan Mendez reportedly welcomed representatives of The Satanic Temple (TST) in the halls of the upper chamber. He told everyone present that the state senate was “graced” by the presence of TST’s minister and members. The Satanist group was there to testify against the Reject Escalating Satanism by Preserving Essential Core Traditions (RESPECT) Act introduced by State Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican.

Mendez bragged that TST “practices non-theistic satanism divorced from superstition without any belief in gods or devils. They practice the religious values of compassion, justice, bodily autonomy, free speech, science, humility and noble action. As an organized religion, they actively do outreach and community service and participate in public affairs where their issues might benefit from their rational, satanic insights.”

“The mission of [TST] is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people. They embrace practical common sense and justice, [and] they are guided by their conscience to undertake noble pursuits that fulfill their religious values.”

The RESPECT Act would have banned “Satanic memorials, statues, altars or displays or any other method of representing or honoring Satan” from being erected on public property. All members of the Arizona Senate’s Committee on Government present during the hearing, save for Mendez, voted in favor of the bill. However, the RESPECT Act ultimately failed when two Republicans broke ranks with the party and joined Democrats in voting against it.

“You know, I find it ironic that in Iowa, you can knock over a satanic display and you go to jail for that. But yet at the U.S. Capitol, you can have a gay sex orgy in a government building and there is zero consequence. That is abhorrent and disgusting,” Hoffman remarked in defense of the RESPECT Act. (Related: Christian veteran who destroyed SATANIC display in Iowa Capitol charged with “hate crime.”)

“In Arizona, I am going to fight to make sure that we do not have satanic memorials and altars, and displays honoring Satan on public property. You right to speak is very different from your ability to [erect] an altar to Satan on public property.”

TST minister laments that the law limits their “religion”

TST minister Oliver Spires expressed worry that the bill’s prohibitions would prevent satanists like him from performing wedding rituals on public property. According to him, such ceremonies are often performed in state parks and would require a satanic altar.

“This bill would directly limit our religion. We do and already have performed satanic rituals on public property. These buildings are democratically sacred, not religiously sacred, and the Constitution makes that clear,” he told lawmakers.

“For one, my wedding happened in [the] Santa Catalina National Forest. We’ve been participating in Tucson in the All Souls’ [Day] procession, and we have and do use an altar during that procession.”

But Hoffman remained adamant in his defense of the RESPECT Act, arguing that his proposal is far from unconstitutional. “It is a desecration of our public property in the U.S. and in the state of Arizona for a satanic display, memorial, statue [or] altar to be on public property,” the GOP state senator said.

“It is legally and constitutionally suspect to argue that Satan, someone who is universally known to be an explicit enemy of God, is somehow a religion. That is just an absolutely ludicrous statement to make.”

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Watch this video of The Satanic Temple performing an “unbaptism” – a mockery of the Christian sacrament.

This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.