The Satanists and a Push for True Religious Freedom

Get past the name. ItÔÇÖs a bit of a red herring, and if it offends you, well, the Satanic Temple of Detroit doesnÔÇÖt mind.

On Saturday night, the group unveiled a 9-foot statue of Baphomet ÔÇö the idol the Knights Templar were accused of secretly worshiping, before the order was disbanded in 1312 ÔÇö at a warehouse in Detroit. The bronze statue is destined for Arkansas, if officials there make good on plans to display the Ten Commandments on public land outside a government building.

ItÔÇÖs the inevitable consequence of so-called religous freedom laws intended to blur the line between church and state. The TempleÔÇÖs adherents would prefer that line remain firm. But if itÔÇÖs not?

One writer dubbed the templeÔÇÖs members ÔÇ£First Amendment performance artists,ÔÇØ but itÔÇÖs deeper than that. The notion of religious freedom has to apply to everyone, or weÔÇÖre nothing more than a theocracy.