Devil May Care

So last night, before more tequila, we went to go see Hail Satan.

I know - I never heard of it either, but 710 said it had a 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating - which is a total lie. It was 96%.

Hail Satan is a documentary.

The movie has its pros and cons. While yes, it does deal with the Satanic Temple, it turns out modern day Satan worship is not really about well......worshipping the devil.

Their views on government, theocracy (or lack thereof), equality, etc are very enlightened. They use their beliefs to counter the entire construct that the U.S. was not built as a Christian Nation.

They fall through on this endeavour by their name itself: Satanic Temple. And following up most things with chanting "Hail Satan".

No one interviewed seems to really think they're worshipping the devil or evil. None of them seem to be. At least in this slice of their lives, they're challenging state governments about their lack of separating of church and state by pointing out the only prayers they say are christian ones and the presence of 10 Commandments on state property - but only the 10 Commandments.

Most of the people are exactly what you think:  black wearing, metal heads with lots of piercings and ink. Save one Alabama, bow-tie wearing guy who reminded me of Kenneth on 30 Rock.  That all kind of takes away from their goals. Let's face it - people have a hard time looking past the black leather and chanting like you're worshipping the devil.

While I'm not moving to the Satanic Temple anytime soon, they operate by Seven Tenets.  They'd be hard for anyone - even a Christian (save #3 these days) - to find fault with them.

• One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason. 
• The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions. 
• One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone. 
• The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own. 
• Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs. 
• People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused. 
• Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

Again, their message is lost in the wrapping.

It was an interesting movie, though it made me cringe here and there.



2019 Movie Count / Goal: 06 of 15


Song by: Dianna Krall