The hotly anticipated ‘SatanCon’ got underway in Boston as hundreds of members of The Satanic Temple came together for ‘the largest satanic gathering in history’.
Fiery protestors failed to bring the meeting down, while a sold-out auditorium filled with Devil worshippers saw attendees tear apart bibles and perform ‘un-baptisms’.
The hellish event was dedicated to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, after she refused to allow the organization to deliver a satanic invocation at Boston City Hall.
When the three-day festival kicked off Friday, attendees were faced with religious protestors who opposed the event’s devotion to the devil.
The Satanic Temple members claim their group advocates for separation of church and state, while, unlike other similar groups, not necessarily believing in the devil.
A woman rips apart a bible during the opening ceremony of SatanCon
Protestors congregated outside to oppose the satanic event being held over the weekend in Boston
A torn bible, torn Blue Lives Matter flag and fake American money lies on the floor during the opening ceremony
The event came under fire in recent weeks after it advertised itself as ‘a weekend of blasphemy’ to celebrate the ‘largest satanic gathering in history’.
Marking its 10-year anniversary in Boston’s Marriott Copley Place, over 800 mask-wearing attendees reveled in stories of the fiery depths while enjoying sermons from speakers.
‘Hail Satan!’ screamed one of the speakers, Chalice Blythe, who repeated the chant as she tore up a bible and a ‘thin blue line’ police-advocacy flag during the opening ceremony.
In one of the more bizarre moments, another speaker dressed in a large red smock smashed a computer keyboard as he declared: ‘For those of us who can, we must stand up for those who cannot’.
A speaker smashed a keyboard during the opening ceremony
A satanic market was also on display at the event, where people could buy a variety of Lucifer-inspired souvenirs.
Satirical ‘Live Laugh Love’ pillows and demonic goats head dolls were on display at the market, alongside t-shirts, candles, jewelry and Satanic literature.
The group captured headlines in recent years after campaigning to introduce its one-ton goat-head idol statue next to any monument commemorating the 10 Commandments on public grounds.
Its members claim not to view Satan as evil, but rather see the character as a symbol for questioning authority.
A ‘Satanic Market’ sold a variety of Lucifer-inspired souvenirs
A satirical ‘Live Laugh Love’ pillow was sold at the event that is dubbed the largest ‘Satancon’
Demonic goats head dolls were also on display at the gathering in Boston
A large police presence was introduced outside the event in anticipation of protestors
The conference also saw numerous protestors gather outside, including members of The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, who held signs reading ‘Satan Has No Rights’.
‘We’ve had threats’, one attendee told Freedom News. ‘There are protestors, quite a few of them are outside. We have no problem with them protesting, that’s their right to do.’
After opening its first official headquarters in Salem, Oregon, in 2016, the activists have attempted to lead the way in advocating for a separation of church and state.
While Mayor Wu has found herself as the subject of this year’s conference, The Satanic Temple previously dedicated other events to public figures who opposed them.
Before an event in Scottsdale, Arizona, former Republican Mayor Jim Lane and former Republican Councilor Suzanne Klapp also had the gathering dedicated to them after also denying a request for a satanic invocation at a City Council meeting.
The group’s advocacy of Satanism sparked outrage last month after a California elementary school began hosting an ‘After School Satan Club’.
An ‘Education with Satan’ stand was found at the conference
The stand included a placard comparing its Satanic after-school club with the religious Good News Club
Attendee’s wearing horns and masks flocked to the conference
Chalice Blythe, the SatanCon programming director, tore up a bible during the first day of the festival
One parent, speaking to KBAK, slammed the decision to allow the club as ‘disgusting’, while another said it was ‘a mistake’.
SatanCon didn’t shy away from the controversy, however, with a placard seen on an ‘Education with Satan’ stand at the conference comparing it to the ‘Good News Club’, a religious group that is allowed at schools.
The group claims its after-school class, unlike the Good News Club, ‘promotes a rational, science-based, non-superstitious world view’.
Furious religious protestors gathered outside the Marriott Copley Place to oppose the event
Members of The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, protest outside
Demonstrators opposed to the Satanic event’s presence in Boston
The group attempted to distance itself from other Satanic groups and insisted its main objective it the separation of church and state, and teaching empathy.
‘It’s about supporting human rights. It’s about supporting women’s bodily autonomy. It’s about freedom of religion, freedom from religion, SatanCon attendee Richard-Lael Lillard told WBZ-TV.
‘Most don’t believe in Satan, not a literal Satan. It’s not some 1980s horror film.’
Another attendee, Suzanna Plum, added: ‘I understand the confusion, the fear. I really do, but at the same time, we’re a very misunderstood group.’
‘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.’
