On Friday, Boston witnessed an unprecedented event as hundreds of attendees gathered for SatanCon, marking the Satanic Temple's 10th anniversary.
The occasion, dubbed by the Daily Mail as the "largest Satanic gathering in history," sparked a significant backlash from religious organizations, which organized counter events throughout the city.
Revive Boston, led by Dr. James Sideras, staged a weekend of "revival" to counter the SatanCon festival. Sideras remarked, "while they think they are going to ambush Boston, little do they know that God has planned to ambush them."
His organization arranged a conference at a hotel less than a mile from the Satanic convention. There, participants received prayer lessons before taking to the streets to spread worship and God's word.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston also responded to the event through "intense prayer." Terrence Donilon, the spokesman for the archdiocese, said, "At the direction of the cardinal [Sean O'Malley], we are approaching it through a response balanced and focused on prayer."
He added that they were finalizing a list of locations throughout the archdiocese for gathering in adoration and prayer, with all shrines and most monasteries participating. Moreover, men and women religious were invited to engage in more fervent prayer during the weekend. Many parishes opened their doors for adoration and Masses with the specific intention of countering the Satanic event.
Other groups, such as the Patriot Front, protested outside the venue more aggressively. Numerous demonstrators held signs and displayed crucifixes as attendees entered the building.
The Satanic Temple's website promotes "Benevolence And Empathy, Reject Tyrannical Authority, Advocate Practical Common Sense, Oppose Injustice, And Undertake Noble Pursuits." An attendee at the event argued, "We're just like everybody else. We pay our taxes, we want our communities to improve and do better. We love our kids just like everybody else. We're just normal people, we just believe a little differently."
The SatanCon festival commenced with one speaker shouting "hail Satan," followed by the tearing up a bible. Other speakers performed "un-baptisms" as part of the event's agenda. The occasion and its repercussions demonstrate the ongoing tension between different belief systems and the diverse responses such gatherings can evoke in communities.
Login