Satanic Temple May File Lawsuit if Mississippi Puts 'In God We Trust' on New Flag
The Satanic Temple recently announced that it would file a complaint against Mississippi's state if it adds the phrase "In God We Trust" on its new flag.
According to a Fox News report, the group's attorney addressed a letter to State Attorney General Lynn Fitch claiming Mississippi should include a reference to Satan if they go forward with adding a religious phrase on the flag.
The letter comes after Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill late last month to retire the state flag and remove the Confederate battle emblem.
While the Temple's attorney commended the state for "taking a positive step" of removing the Confederate flag, he called out the state for excluding their group.
The letter suggested that the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple may be more consistent with Mississippi's values than the Ten Commandments, The Hill reported.
Reeves moved to remove the symbols following widespread protests against racial inequity and police brutality. The Confederate symbols were often used before slavery was abolished.
A committee will create a new design for the flag. Residents will be allowed to decide on the latest state flag design during the November elections. The original plan would not include the Confederate flag and feature the words, "In God We Trust."
Other Lawsuits
In April 2019, the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple filed a lawsuit against Minnesota's city after it withdrew permissions for a satanic monument over two years ago. The move came after local officials got caught in a debate over allowing religious symbols in public places.
The monument proposed by the Satanic Temple included a 23-inch black cube with inscriptions of inverted pentagrams. On top of the memorial would be an upturned helmet.
In February 2019, the satanist group filed a complaint against the Boston City Council after it reportedly denied the group from saying the invocation at a City Council meeting.
Traditionally, a clergy member is invited to open the meetings with a prayer. When it asked to deliver the invocation, the Satanic Temple claimed the council denied the request, saying the council members choose and invite whomever they see fit, the Boston Herald reported.
Lucien Greaves, the Temple's spokesman, said the invitation-only policy was discriminatory.
In 2018, the group filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Warner Bros. over the use of Baphomet's statue in the hit-series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."
According to court documents, the Temple claimed copyright infringement, trademark violation, and injury to business. The group sought damages of $150 million for the three claims. They also claimed that the studios "misappropriated" the goat deity design in the series, the MarketWatch reported.
The Temple's version of the Baphomet statue features a being with a goat's head and a man's chest. They alleged that "Sabrina" unquestionably copied this version. The suit also claimed that the show made the group's icon a symbol of evil, which caused the Temple injuries.