With unprecedented access, “Hail Satan?” traces the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple and its enigmatic leader, Lucien Greaves, are calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?”
I had such a great time watching this documentary that I didn’t want to leave the theater. I thought it was smart, informative, and funny. And because this is not one of those anti-religious films, if you are super into God, you are not likely to be offended by any of the content.
“Hail Satan?” recounts the establishing of the non-theist religious and political group called The Satanic Temple which was founded in 2013. Surprisingly, the name has absolutely nothing to do with practicing so-called “evil” or denouncing God but everything to do with promoting egalitarianism and fighting for the separation of church and state.
The documentary reveals that the whole concept of The Satanic Temple began with just a few people and expanded to 13 chapters when people started to catch on to the message they were promoting. Satan, who is also known as the Devil in many religious groups, represents a deity who is hostile, destructive and possesses great powers to seduce humans into sin. The followers of the Satanic Temple do not appear to be hostile, destructive or seducing anyone to commit any violent or inappropriate acts. In fact, it was refreshing to find out that they are completely non-violent. They follow seven tenets that have to do with behaving with compassion towards all creatures, pursuit of justice, one having will over their own body, respecting freedom of others, conforming beliefs based on science, being accountable and rectifying mistakes. The Co-Founder and spokesman who goes by the name Lucien Greaves, explains that every religion should be created equally and not be elevated over any other.
One of the main arguments in the documentary questions why every religion is not allowed the same rights. The Satanic Temple protests by trying to get the Baphomet statue on capitol grounds exactly where the Ten Commandments statue is placed but is met with outrage from the community claiming that they are promoting evil. They also tried to establish a “Satan After School” program for children that did not go well with the local parents. Hilarious scene by the way!
I really enjoyed this film because I believe it is an eye opener for conversation about acceptance and equal rights. I also think it will change your whole perspective on what you thought you knew about modern Satanism and The Satanic Temple. What I love the most is that this is not an anti-religion film. There is no outrage against Christianity or any other religion, there are no violent acts only conversation backed with facts from the Bible to the constitution. Great documentary, definitely one you want to see.
In theaters April 19th
