WNPA News Service
OLYMPIA — Congregants from the Seattle-based Satanic Temple of Washington drew a crowd of prayerful onlookers Friday as they hoisted their pentagram and conducted a satanic ritual at the state Capitol.
Christian groups showed up to sing and pray in the name of Jesus. Some held a sign that read “Satan has no rights.”
Satanic Temple affiliates, such as Justin Harvey-John Ashby, said their event was about promoting religious plurality. He said he believes satanic beliefs have been misunderstood and viewed as “grossly perverse,” and that their primary values are empathy, reason, bodily autonomy and justice.
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This story is part of a series of news reports from the Washington State Legislature provided through a reporting internship sponsored by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation.
