Florida activist Chaz Stevens decided to challenge a recent United States Supreme Court ruling by putting it to the test.
With the help of Satan.
Recently, the SCOTUS ruled in favor of a teacher who led a prayer at the 50 yard line of the football field.
The ruling stated:
"Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic—whether those expressions take place in a sanctuary or on a field, and whether they manifest through the spoken word or a bowed head."
Stevens has an interesting brand of activism. He likes to "flip bureaucracy back on itself" by making requests that point out inherent hypocrisy and bias.
This time, he is challenging the recent Supreme Court ruling by asking to express his own sincerely held religious beliefs at his old high school, Deerfield Beach High in South Florida.
Stevens is the founder of the Mount Jab Church of Mars and has asked to lead a Satanic prayer at the 50 yard line, the same way coach Kennedy was allowed to lead an Evangelical Christian prayer as backed by the Supreme Court.
Stevens asked to pray after the game, when people are free to leave, check phones, etc... unlike Coach Kennedy's deliberate spectacle to make certain everyone was part of a captive audience.
Despite not planning to deliberately force his religion on others at a secular school like Coach Kennedy did, Stevens fully expects to be told no.
That's kind of the point.
He explained in a press release:
"I'm old enough to remember when the separation of Church and State was a cherished constitutional concept here."
"Now it seems, 'the hell with facts,' they say—tossing aside our established laws like some dirty laundry in their lustful eagerness for religious expression."
Chaz Stevens says the church and state issue comes up a lot in Florida.
For example, during a 2015 Dania Beach City Commission meeting, a prayer was held that mentioned Jesus 23 times in under two minutes—completely marginalizing any Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, non-religious, etc... attendees and commission members.
In response to that, Stevens began petitioning cities to allow him to lead a prayer in his faith before city meetings. Only one said yes, a small town called Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. The others, rather than let a non-Christian pray, stopped doing prayers altogether.
Then there's the fact his request to have the Bible removed from classrooms, school libraries and public school teaching materials was completely ignored even though it lines up with state law and the book features far more violence, sex, death and questionable acts than any of the books the state banned.
Not responding is common for Chaz. Places seem to be aware they can't outright deny him without their hypocrisy being obvious, so they pretend the requests never came in or just don't reply.
It's how Bremerton school district, the district at the center of the SCOTUS ruling, has handled Stevens request to pray at their 50 yard line.
Stevens doesn't expect to be allowed to pray and is well aware of the response he would get if he name-dropped Satan 23 times in under two minutes, but that's the entire point of his movement.
Freedom of religious expression at state events, at government meetings, and at state funded schools isn't "free" if the only religion allowed to be expressed or supported by law is Christianity.
Separation of Church and State existed for a reason.
If Coach Kennedy can lead an Evangelical Christian prayer at the 50 yard line of the school football field right after a game, with people still in the stands and students all around—and the Supreme Court says he can because respect for religious expression is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic—then anyone of any of our many diverse religions should be free to express themselves by leading a prayer at the 50 yard line of the school football field right after a game, with people still in the stands and students all around.
We've established what he doesn't expect, but when asked what he does expect from his former high school in response to his request to pray this way, Stevens was pretty clear.
"I assume they're going to tell me to kiss off."
Regardless of their response, Stevens seems poised to continue his work exposing bias, flipping bureaucracy on itself and fighting to make space for all people.
