Hail Satan?
2019 1h 35min
Available on Hulu
Hail Satan? is an exciting documentary that focuses on non-theistic satanism as a means to maintain a secular democracy. The film presents The Satanic Temple as a religious and political organization where satanism functions as a socio-political counter myth. They don’t see themselves as anti-Christianity but rather post-Christianity, and they advocate for religious pluralism. It is very intersectional too! Satanism seems to appeal to those who face marginalizations from our society steeped in Christian privilege, including gender and sexual minorities. To paraphrase Lucian Graeves, “Blasphemy is very much a declaration of personal independence” from oppressive social structures.
I think the film does a fantastic job of presenting The Satanic Temple as a social movement fighting against the codification of Christianity in American society. We learn that the Constitution does not establish the United States as a Christian nation, and that efforts to formalize Christianity in government largely began with the evangelical lobby of the 1950s. This was the time where “under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance and “In God We Trust” was added to money. Interestingly, part of the success of the evangelical lobby was its ability to connect capitalism with Christianity based on the godless communist threat of era. Ever since this time, politicians and advocates have been trying to impose more Christian elements in our government, such as prayer services before public hearings and Ten Commandments monuments in capital buildings. The Satanic Temple arose to counter these encroachments through creative activism.
In addition to learning about the history of satanism over the centuries, the film also investigates the “Satanic Panic” of the 1990s. This was a moral panic similar to the Salem Witch Trials where the boisterous accusers were the ones responsible for creating hysteria and the resulting “witch hunt”. The Satanic Temple seeks to destigmatize satanism while engaging in public activism. They turn protest into ritual and engage in the “culture wars” through art, theatrics, acts of public good, and media appearances. Whenever someone tries to force Christianity into our secular government, the Satanic Temple is there to ensure Christianity is not privileged above other religions. They do this by demanding satantic statues be included alongside the ten commandments statues, by insisting Satanists get to perform the invocation ahead of government meetings, and by trolling Christian groups who want to restrict freedoms for women and same-sex couples. Hail Satan? Is also a fun documentary to watch and should inspire the activist in all of us.