Dear Sir,
While my fellow congregants and I are delighted by the Government’s plan to introduce a law dealing with incitements to religious hatred and outlawing discrimination on religious grounds, we do feel that a prima facie instance of such discrimination is to be found in its own policy documents.
Take for example, Tackling religious discrimination: practical implications for policy-makers and legislators. Not only is Satanism not explicitly mentioned, but there seems to be no attempt to redress the insults that Devil worshippers experience every day in this country. These range from Christian television and radio programs where one can actually hear such phrases as “abjuring Satan and all his works” to such vile works of anti-Satanist propaganda as The Exorcist.
Although the document does cite Article 9 of the Human Rights act (“the freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or in private, to manifest one’s religion or belief”), no mention is made of changing the laws of this country to accommodate our practices. It would not, I suggest, be all that difficult to modify the homicide laws to allow for the occasional human sacrifice providing this be performed in a civilized, life-affirming manner at an official Satanist ceremony.
Doubtless Mr. Blunkett will take active steps to redress these failings. Doubtless too he will look at the institutional anti-Satanism that permeates so much of British life and that gives so much offence to our members. A good start would be with modifying the Union Jack itself. While we are prepared to show magnanimity by tolerating the continued existence of the Christian crosses, we feel that a balance should be struck by including a prominent image of Lucifer at, say, the top-left corner.
Yours faithfully,
Mark C. Squire
