Christians are raising the alarm over the growing presence of satanic activity in America. Speaking with Fox News Digital, Dave Kubal, CEO of Intercessors for America, warned against Boston’s upcoming SatanCon 2023, scheduled to take place from April 28-30. Marking the Satanic Temple’s 10th anniversary, the event is being boasted as the “largest satanic gathering in history.” Kubal warned that the group is bringing demonic forces into America. This year’s theme will be “Hexennacht in Boston” or “Witches’ Night.” The Satanic Temple has dismissed accusations of witchcraft, maintaining it is a non-spiritual organization. “It is hard to respond to accusations of ‘tapping into demonic power’ in the same way that it is hard to respond to accusations of having ‘cooties’ without implicitly validating the mindset of a 3-year-old,” the group said in response to criticisms. 

The group had previously received criticism from outraged parents in Virginia when it proposed starting an “After School Satan Club” at B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, VA. Speaking with Jesse Waters on Fox News, Lucian Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, defended the club, saying, “Obviously, we don’t view Satan as evil, and it really doesn’t matter to us what your mythology is surrounding Satan.” He also stated that the group’s aim was not conversion but to teach children to think for themselves. When pressed by Waters to describe a tenet of satanism, Greaves said, “One should strive to act with compassion and empathy to all creatures within reason.”

 Penny Lane’s 2019 documentary, Hail Satan?, documented the origins of the Satanic Temple. The film noted the Satanic Temple’s “performative” nature in repurposing Christian symbols against the religious right. One particularly jarring “performance” from the group was when the group faced off against pro-life protesters protesting at Michigan Planned Parenthoods. Dressed as babies in grotesque masks and leather bondage-style outfits, protesters from the Satanic Temple taunted pro-life protesters as a mock priest blessed the “BDSM babies’” performance. 

The Satanic Temple and the issue of abortion have often gone hand in hand, with the Temple protesting the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Temple recently announced the launching of the Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Abortion Clinic. Satanic Temple co-founder Malcom Jarry said along with the announcement, “In 1950, Samuel Alito’s mother did not have options, and look what happened.” Alito is a Catholic judge on the Supreme Court who voted along with four other judges to overturn Roe v. Wade. Alito wrote the majority opinion on the judges’ decision.

At the end of January, a New York City courthouse unveiled a monument in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which some are labeling an “idol.” The statue has been compared to a Baphomet, a goat-man hybrid typically associated with the esoteric and demonic. “This is the same city that just tore down a statue of Teddy Roosevelt because it was too ‘controversial,’ but a satanic symbol to glorify the murder of a child in the womb is not?” decried Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America. “No wonder New Yorkers are leaving in droves. No one should be forced to look at this disgusting graven image of evil. Tear down this statue.”