Satanists are not merely mystical eccentrics wearing black Gothic garb, sacrificing animals and operating in shady and secret societies. They are now ordinary people who call themselves 'secular' and praise reason and the individual freedom of thought. In the US, explicitly satanic groups have begun drawing attention to themselves in the context of public governmental ceremonies. Just this month, a member of the so-called Satanic Temple was allowed to make an opening prayer to Lucifer at a local council meeting in Alaska. Assembly members stood around in a circle while the Satanist asked them to "embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the tree of knowledge." She then ended the surreal prayer with the words, "Hail Satan." Thoughtfully, meeting attendees were reminded that they did not have to participate in the opening ritual. The Satanic Temple (TST) is a fairly new organization. Founded in 2013, it fights for political change by pointing out the ostensibly preferential treatment