Back in December and early January, there was a huge controversy in Boca Raton, Florida’s Sanborn Square park because atheists and Satanists had put up their own displays in response to a Nativity scene on the property. They had every right to do it and they were making a point about free speech and the First Amendment.

Those displays were repeatedly vandalized over the course of several weeks. But Preston Smith, the Satanist in question, kept putting his display back up.

But it now looks like all that frustration has amounted to a positive policy change: The City Council has proposed banning all religious displays in the future. (Don’t click on that link or your browser will explode.)

Boca Raton plans to discontinue a policy that allowed religious displays at Sanborn Square Park each December, including the 10-foot, 300-pound pentagram (a satanic symbol) that made waves in the community last year. … On Tuesday night, Boca Raton introduced a proposal to discontinue allowing the holiday displays, and the City Council will vote on the measure at a future date.

The city really had two choices: Allow all displays like last year or none of them at all. And if they can’t stop the vandalism, it makes perfect sense to go with the latter option in the future.

Think about the irony, though, if the council goes through with this. Even though we never found out who was vandalizing the displays, I always assumed it was a Christian unhappy with the non-Christian displays. Even if I’m wrong, though, that person’s actions may now lead to a complete removal of the Nativity scene from the park.

The anti-Satanist vandalism is effectively forcing the Christian display out of the park for good.

I guess that vandal’s plan backfired.

I asked Smith for his reaction to the city’s proposal, and he felt it suggested something sinister about the motives of the elected officials. At the same time, he offered a positive message to fellow advocates of church/state separation:

Boca Raton’s upcoming debate to reject all unattended religious displays in a free-speech park suggests they only desire a Judeo-Christian presence in the city, and all other faiths are considered suspect. It seems Lucien’s Law is in full effect — the quickest way to shut down a tax-payer funded forum with religious elements is to introduce Satan into the mix (used as a metaphor, of course, for everything organized religion opposes). For all the love and forgiveness they purport, intense hatred and nonstop discrimination toward opposing viewpoints outweighs the good in their hearts. I’d encourage other atheist activists to take a stand in your local community against the continued assault on our First Amendment rights. Be brave, be bold, and know that Satan loves you. May Satan save America from the threat of theocracy!

Hail Satan, everyone.

