[NYer]

But we’re not responding to the black mass performance in terms of religious liberty. They will be doing their satanic rituals in the future as they have in the past—and I suppose they have a right to do that—but the nature of this black mass, in my view, is that it is not authentic religion; it’s really more akin to hate speech. It’s a direct attack upon the Christian faith and the Catholic Mass and the Eucharist. It’s deliberately intended to inflame and incite, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a form of speech that is appropriate for a public venue. Not all speech is protected speech. If, for example, a group had desired to come and rent this same facility for the purpose of burning the Quran or lighting a cross in a racist, Ku Klux Klan sort of demonstration, or somehow committing anti-Semitic acts, I think the city likely would have found a reason to prevent that. Not all speech is protected speech.

Bingo! Ping!

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Ever since he first learned of a local satanic group’s plans to use a public theater to perform a “black mass,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City has been urging public officials to cancel the event and asking Catholics to pray for that intention.”

Waste of effort and time that only leads to controversy and publicity.

It means nothing.

You should be more concerned about all the false religious stuff in that picture that is a total add-on to Christianity.

[Jacquerie]

It has taken decades of fraudulent Scotus decisions to confuse Americans into thinking that license = liberty.

[Talisker]

Satanism is not a 1st Amendment religion - that’s your legal argument. Take it all the way to SCOTUS. Get ‘er done.

[Hugin]

“whereas there’s nothing fitting or appropriate between a statue of Satan and what takes place within the capitol.”

That’s certainly debatable.

[Nordic Breed]

Thanks for this post and kudos to Archbishop Coakley. Now is a good time, with all the Catholic hate out there and a large growth in Satanism (yes, locals in my area have bragged about their growth), to return to receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. It is much harder to drop the Sacred Host and a lot easier to control its consumption rather than having it pocketed to be used in sacrilege.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Who are we to judge?
Need to start judging.

[Jeff Chandler]

I suppose the Satanists will eventually have a float in NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Bravo, yada yada.