Photo Credit: Fox 10 News
In the past we have already spoken about “Satancon”, the conference put on by the Satanic Order of Salem that came to Scottsdale this past weekend. Whether it is a legitimate push for religious freedom or simply absurdity, it’s difficult to tell, but one thing that it very likely is is harmless.
Don’t tell that to the throngs of demonstrators that assembled outside of the conference however. According to one demonstrator when asked why they are there, “We’re out here to let the Satanists know that there’s no place for evil in Arizona. And we’re here to combat that. And we’re here to say that Jesus is Lord”.
Mind you, this is after the Phoenix Catholic Bishop told them to stay home and pray instead. And he’s right. We can’t speak to the efficacy of prayer, but we can speak to the power of staying home.
We harken back to the reason why Satancon chose the decidedly-unSatanic city of Scottsdale for their conference in the first place: they were denied the ability to give a Satanic invocation during a city council meeting. They wanted attention. They wanted to rally their troops and stick it in the city’s eye. And what do you do when you have a bratty child who is acting out to get your attention? You don’t reward them with your attention.
Devout religious folks could have simply ignored this, and it likely would have gone on with little fanfare or attention. Instead they fell into the trap and gave the satanists exactly what they wanted: attention. A foil. Press coverage.
Sometimes the most effective protest is silence, a lesson that we would be well served by following more often.