In a move that should surprise no one paying attention to the radical left's relentless assault on traditional American values, the left-wing American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa has officially joined forces with the Satanic Temple in a federal lawsuit. Their joint objective? To compel the state of Iowa to host a so-called "family-friendly" holiday event featuring the demonic figure Krampus within the state’s sacred Capitol rotunda.
The organizations are accusing Iowa’s Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Director Mark Campbell and forum Director Adam Steen of violating the temple’s rights by denying their request. Because, apparently, common sense needed a permission slip.
The ACLU of Iowa, acting on behalf of The Satanic Temple (TST), filed a federal lawsuit "asking the court to block state officials from unconstitutionally violating TST’s rights to free speech, religious exercise, and nondiscrimination." They claim the state repeatedly denied the group permission to have a "family-friendly winter holiday event" on the same basis as other religious and civic groups.
What does a "family-friendly" Satanic event entail? Attendees of the proposed gathering would reportedly participate in singing carols, crafts, and a Krampus costume contest. For those unfamiliar with the leftist-approved version of holiday cheer, Krampus is described by Britannica as a "half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime," serving as the "devilish companion of St. Nicholas." And somehow, they still expect Americans not to notice the agenda.
Matt Kezhaya, general counsel for The Satanic Temple, revealed that officials were primarily concerned about the costume aspect of the proposed event. Kezhaya stated, "The state said that we were going to beat children with sticks because we were going to have a costume contest which involved people holding sticks. The local congregation of TST Iowa was very emphatic that wasn’t going to happen. For reasons not subject of judicial admissions, they just would not budge from that position." It seems Iowa officials are still clinging to the idea that state capitols should not be venues for events that even remotely suggest violence against children, regardless of how "emphatic" a group claiming to worship Satan may be about their intentions.
This isn't the first time the Satanic Temple has sought to desecrate public spaces in Iowa. In December 2023, Christians were justifiably concerned when the Satanic Temple erected a holiday homage to the occult "deity" Baphomet inside the Iowa Statehouse.
However, that display was met with a powerful act of defiance. A Christian U.S. Navy veteran, Michael Cassidy, was charged with a hate crime after admitting to beheading the temple’s statue at the Iowa State Capitol. Cassidy, who turned himself in, courageously explained his actions were meant "to awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government."
Cassidy further articulated, "The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment. Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water." His words echo a growing sentiment among patriotic Americans who refuse to stand idly by as their faith and values are openly mocked and attacked.
The ACLU’s alliance with the Satanic Temple is hardly an isolated incident. This same organization was recently involved in a legal fight to block statues of Catholic saints on public property in Massachusetts. Their pattern is clear: aggressively attack Christian symbols and traditions while simultaneously defending or promoting anti-Christian and even openly satanic displays under the guise of "free speech" and "religious exercise."
Meanwhile, The Satanic Temple has made its anti-life, pro-abortion stance abundantly clear, having been involved in opening abortion clinics and even offering what they term "abortion rituals."
This ongoing battle in Iowa is more than just a legal dispute; it is a critical front in the culture war for the soul of America. The America First movement stands firm with those who defend faith, law and order, and the foundational values that truly make this nation great, rejecting the radical left's relentless push to normalize the absurd and the demonic in our public squares. True freedom means protecting the religious liberty of all, not empowering those who actively seek to undermine the very principles upon which that liberty rests.
