Just based on the organization's name, it's easy for people to draw conclusions about the Satanic Temple. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that members worship Satan and participate in unsavory rituals. But this isn't the case.

The Satanic Temple is actually an atheistic religion that uses the term "Satanic" as an example of any individual's right as an American citizen to worship however he or she wishes. It's more an exercise in free speech than an actual religion in any conventional meaning of the word. That's why members have no problem being associated the fallen angel, the ruler of the demons and bringer of evil. In fact, they will politely debate it with you.

Please, though, do not associate the Satanists with Ted Cruz.

This week, during a talk at Stanford University, former Speaker of the House John Boehner told students that Ted Cruz is "Lucifer in the flesh." And yesterday, a blogger for Patheos reached out to Satanic Temple founder Lucien Greaves (a.k.a. Doug Mesner) for his thoughts on the comparison:

Boehner's comment is illustrative of how well past time it is to adjust our mythologies to reflect our realities. Cruz's failures of reason, compassion, decency, and humanity are products of his Christian pandering, if not an actual Christian faith. It grows tedious when pedophile priests and loathsome politicians are conveniently dismissed as Satanic, even as they spew biblical verse and prostrate themselves before the cross, recruiting the Christian faithful. Satanists will have nothing to do with any of them.

A wildly rational organization, the Satanic Temple has always been good about handling its often-negative media attention admirably. Mesner regularly mounts articulate and level-headed defenses against antagonistic Fox News anchors. And in the wake of the Paris attacks, the organization made national news when it sincerely offered to protect any Muslims who felt unsafe during a period of despicable Islamophobia. In many ways, the Satanic Temple actually makes far more sense than Ted Cruz, so you can imagine why they wouldn't want to be associated with him.

But if Cruz's own political party, his own family, his college classmates, and now the Satanic Temple would rather have nothing to do with him, where will he go? The Illuminati? The Juggalos?

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Matt Miller Culture Editor Matt is the Culture Editor at Esquire where he covers music, movies, books, and TV—with an emphasis on all things Star Wars, Marvel, and Game of Thrones.

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