A.G. Gancarski
Satanism and displays promoting it are in the unexpected spotlight in the Republican presidential race, with Ron DeSantis blaming the Donald Trump administration’s Internal Revenue Service for giving the Satanic Temple a leg up.
Currently, the Satanic Temple has a display in the Iowa State Capitol, which the Iowa Department of Administrative Services approved over the objections of Republicans, including Gov. Kim Reynolds.
During a Tuesday CNN town hall, DeSantis laid the blame for the Baphomet blowout on the former Republican President.
“So it’s interesting, I heard this and then I was like, well, how did it get there? Is that even a religion? And lo and behold, the Trump administration gave them approval to be under the IRS as a religion. So that gave them the legal ability to potentially do it,” DeSantis said, adding that “it very well may be because of that ruling under Donald Trump that they may have had a legal leg to stand up.”
Indeed, the Associated Press reports that in 2019, the IRS granted the Satanic Temple tax-exempt status. Prior to that, then-President Trump issued an executive order offering “robust protections for religious freedom” that provided the basis for that change of tax status.
“My view would be that’s not a religion that the Founding Fathers were trying to create,” DeSantis added. “But I do think that IRS ruling, I was really surprised to see that they did that.”
DeSantis believes Trump “recognized it as a religion because otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to do it” and he doesn’t “think that was the right decision.” He also noted that “in Florida, I don’t think we probably would have had it up.”
The Trump campaign offered its own withering response.
“Ron DeSanctus has a lot of opinions on religion for a man who doesn’t even own his own Bible. This is a sad attempt by a dying candidate in the last throes of his failed campaign, so he’s resorting to blatant lies and outright falsehoods that will finally put an end to his disastrous run,” said spokesperson Steven Cheung.
Interestingly, the Satanic Temple did mount an effort to get displays in the Florida Capitol in past years, such as in 2013, when it sought to place a cardboard diorama of an angel falling into hell. The state rejected the diorama, saying it was “grossly offensive,” which nearly sparked a First Amendment lawsuit.
After being placed in the rotunda the following year, a Tallahassee woman who described herself as a “devout Catholic” later was arrested by Capitol Police after she tried to remove the diorama. Charges were dropped.
19 comments
Hail Satan 😊
December 12, 2023 at 11:49 pm
God Bless the Satanic Temple.
Wonderful organization.
sherry martin
December 13, 2023 at 12:05 am
BWHAHAHAHAHAHA
taking a breath
BWHAHAHAHAHAHA
Gotta love the short sightedness of the religious fanatics biting off more than they can chew
rick whitaker
December 13, 2023 at 8:49 am
sherry, religious fanatics are known for NOT being critical thinkers. they make it very difficult for the rest of us.
Ron DiSaster
December 13, 2023 at 12:48 am
“My view would be that’s not a religion that the Founding Fathers were trying to create”
What a god damned moron. The Founding Fathers didn’t “create” any religion, and what they would have thought about any of this is totally irrelevant.
They didn’t base the founding of this country in any religion whatsoever. Most of them were slave owners too. So to try and figure out what they would have though through the lens of the year 2023 is completely ridiculous.
PeterH
December 13, 2023 at 1:07 am
Ron DeSantis in his CNN town hall:
“Donald Trump’s economic policies gave rise to inflation”
OK …… so now we have two Republican Primary Candidates who are telling the truth about how trade tariffs cause inflation!
Michael K
December 13, 2023 at 1:54 am
Ron is becoming ever more pathetic as he grasps and gasps at tiny little straws to feign relevance. They have become a cringey embarrassment. That anti-woke nonsense was a flimsy foundation for the floundering fool who will slither back to Florida to fade into obscurity. It will take years to repair the damage he’s inflicted on this state.
Tom
December 13, 2023 at 7:51 am
Definitely a case of his ego writing checks that his intellect couldn’t cash but much and all as it’s fun to lampoon him, unfortunately we have to take him back when he inevitably fails.
MH/Duuuval
December 13, 2023 at 11:17 am
True dat — reminds me of the old saw that a wounded animal is more dangerous than a healthy one.
My Take
December 13, 2023 at 2:59 am
If you deny the Chuŕch, or Tempĺe, of Satan, the rationale and precedent could be applied to MAGA, the Church of Trump.
Can’t have that !
Joe
December 13, 2023 at 11:27 am
The problem with religious freedom and free speech is that sometimes the religions and speech aren’t the ones you prefer.
But Li’l Mr Harvard Law already knows that: he’s just pandering to his base of rubes and bigots as usual.
Dont Say FLA
December 13, 2023 at 1:52 pm
Self proclaimed, so-called Satanic Temple exists only to show right wingers how the US Constitution works. Right wingers get to do their Jesus and Mohammed shit. Satanic Temple people get to do their secular shit. Grow up, ya bunch of Jesus and Mohammed freaks.
Ms. Bite Me
December 13, 2023 at 10:59 pm
Both sides of the religion are all idiots! And not mention both sides hates Jewish people as well! I hope both him and Old Fart Fatso Trump AKA Eric Cartman screw themselves up for it! Dwayne The Rock Johnson is way better president than these morons running for president, because both Moderates and Independents hates them so much! That or the No Labels Party candidate.
MH/Duuuval
December 14, 2023 at 9:58 am
No Labels = flushing your ballot down the toilet
Ms. Bite Me
December 14, 2023 at 10:59 am
Screw you MAGA terrorist Neo Nazi scumbag! Go kiss dictator Cartman’s butt loser!
Dont Say FLA
December 14, 2023 at 4:08 pm
If “No Labels” is flushing your vote down the toilet, what then are votes for Biden and Trump?
Voting Dem and GOP is what got us here. Only thing will ever change it is voting for “Other.”
Yes, we will suffer some further fools until an “Other” finally, someday, wins, but that beats suffering forever under the two party stranglehold.
So how long do you want to continue suffering? Until a third party candidate wins, or forever?
Rick Whitaker
December 16, 2023 at 2:47 pm
don’t say fla, what’s wrong with choosing the party that best fits you, and then work to make it better? flushing your ballot down the toilet helps only plumbers.
Dont Say FLA
December 22, 2023 at 4:50 pm
It’s that “choosing the party that best fits you” is how we got here. Neither party fits anyone but itself anymore. Working together, the Dems and G0Ps have enacted electoral strangleholds preventing other competition. We would be much better off having 4 or 5 parties and then they have to strike deals with each other. That’s how to get stuff done. “us vs them” isn’t getting it done because both sides can just dig in and sit on their hands and the other party can’t do anything about it. We should have an odd number of parties, same as SCOTUS has an odd number of justices. That way there’s never an impasse except perhaps for SCOTUS recusals that leave an even number of justices and they split in half but maybe there’s something akin to overtime sudden death i dunno.
As far as making “your” party better, if you’re not a hundreds-millionaire, nobody in either party gives AF what you think.
Ron Forrest Ron
December 14, 2023 at 4:20 pm
The people who insist on Christian stuff everywhere including public schools and public court houses, those are the folks who approved Satanic Temple being in the same public places.
Don’t want to see Satanic Temple stuff? Fine. Keep your Christianity where it belongs, at home and at a church of your choosing.
My Take
December 19, 2023 at 6:55 am
Of course. Trump serves Satan.
(“I’m more a full partner” — Trump)
Comments are closed.