On Tuesday, The Satanic Temple sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in Georgia regarding Senate Bill 36, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Originally conceived as a legal recourse for minority religions to claim exemption from laws that conflict with their deeply held beliefs, RFRA laws are now endorsed by Christian Nationalists who seek to utilize the act—as warned by the ACLU in regards to SB36—to “deny housing, health care, or equal pay to minority groups.”
Despite its contorted use, however, the original intent of RFRA is still very much inherent in the text and theory of RFRA, meaning that it is impossible to ignore that the passage of RFRA provides The Satanic Temple, as a religious group, with undeniably stronger legal grounds on which to argue on behalf of our members’ bodily autonomy and other rights derived from a reasonable interpretation of our deeply-held beliefs. Abortions performed in the context of our Religious Reproductive Rights campaign, ritualizing self-affirmation as a means of mitigating potential emotional distress, is unambiguously a classic example of exactly that which RFRA claims to protect.
The bill passed without any amendments and will become law in six days except if vetoed by the governor before then.
March 25, 2025
House Judiciary Committee
132 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Dear Members of the House Judiciary Committee,
On behalf of The Satanic Temple (TST) and our 13,000 members in Georgia, we sincerely appreciate your commitment to religious freedom through your consideration of Senate Bill 36, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We are encouraged by the protections this legislation would provide for the religious practices of all Georgians, including our community. We have heard of Georgia’s legendary hospitality, and we are pleased by your decision to legislate the embrace of religious practices, including those of The Satanic Temple, within your state.
The passage of SB 36 would explicitly protect the rights of members of The Satanic Temple in Georgia to openly perform religious rituals, including Satanic Black Masses. It would also affirm the state's commitment to allowing public celebrations of Satanic holidays, such as Lupercalia and Hexennacht, on state property—practices that have previously faced opposition from state officials. Furthermore, the broad protections provided by SB 36 align closely with our core religious tenet of bodily autonomy, ensuring that Georgia is legally obligated to protect TST members from government intrusion into personal religious decisions regarding their bodies. We welcome Georgia’s proactive efforts to safeguard our members’ sincere religious expressions.
We also appreciate the bill's inclusive definition of "exercise of religion," which clearly states that it does not have to be "compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief" in order to receive protection. This forward-thinking provision reflects the Georgia legislature's intention to safeguard not only traditional religious practices but also new, emerging, or evolving practices sincerely held by religious groups like The Satanic Temple.
Additionally, SB 36 includes a provision for attorney fee reimbursement, ensuring that state funds will support any necessary legal defenses of The Satanic Temple's religious rights. Legislators who advocate for this bill will be recognized for providing substantial, state-funded protections for Satanic religious expression throughout Georgia.
We sincerely thank Georgia lawmakers for considering SB 36. The passage of this legislation would explicitly protect the rights of The Satanic Temple’s members to freely practice our religious rituals, ensuring that Satanism is permanently safeguarded under Georgia state law. While Georgia is known as the Peach State, we eagerly anticipate the day when it is celebrated for its legislative commitment to embracing diverse beliefs as well.
Sincerely,
Rachel Chambliss
Executive Director of Operations
The Satanic Temple
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