By Guy Page
As Christians in Vermont celebrate Holy Week, Vermonters sympathetic to other religious figures are actively proclaiming their support for causes opposed by most Christians: abortion and prostitution.
The names of Satan and Ishtar, which appear in the Bible as supernatural beings in opposition to the God of the Jews and Christians, recently have been seen and heard in Vermont in support of legalized abortion and prostitution.
Tom Kelly, prayer coordinator for the Barre 40 Days for Life campaign, reports a Satanic Temple car sticker on a Planned Parenthood supporter car was in plain sight.
“A person apparently affiliated with Planned Parenthood (based upon what she has said, I think she may be in a supervisory position at the clinic) parked her car adjacent to the telephone pole near where some of us stand to pray. The vehicle has [Vermont license plates and] several stickers displayed in full view and near any person who might be engaged in prayer on Highland Avenue.
“Here are some photographs of the stickers which I would describe as (1) an obscene cartoon depicting a female body part including a cartoon figure display of the ‘middle-finger’ salute; (2) two ‘The Satanic Temple’ stickers; (3) a sticker depicting a fish (like the Christian fish) with the initials CTHULHU written on the fish; and (4) an ‘I Stand with Planned Parenthood’ sticker.”
“A quick internet search provides information about The Satanic Temple (TST) at their website. The TST website claims TST does not espouse worship or believe in Satan or the supernatural. However TST provides instructions on how to start a TST “congregation.” They offer “ordination”, officiate “weddings”, and members have been known to participate in the Black Mass, Unbaptism ritual, and Destruction and Defiance rituals. They promote blasphemy. They promote abortion.”
“I hasten to add that, of course, we cannot know or judge the mind or heart of the individual displaying the stickers,” Kelly added.
Cthulhu is the name of a deity in a 1930’s book of fiction in a book by H.P. Lovecraft.
Also, The Ishtar Collective, an advocacy organization of sex workers and members of the LGBTQ community, was a prominent, paid supporter of legalized prostitution last year in Burlington. It received funding from Decriminalize Sex Work, a national group led by two founders of the Marijuana Policy Project, which successfully advocated for marijuana legalization in Vermont.
Members of the Ishtar Collective also have appeared at State House press conferences this year in support of a bill to decriminalize prostitution statewide.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Ishtar was the protectress of prostitutes and the patroness of the alehouse. Part of her cult worship probably included temple prostitution. Her popularity was universal in the ancient Middle East.”