The Satanic Temple had spoken on Twitter about taking legal action against Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina earlier in the month. They cited issues regarding using their Baphomet statue in their show without legal permission.
Co founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves wrote on Twitter saying that "I'm amazed that anybody is confused as to why we would seek legal remedy over Sabrina using our monument. Would they be as understanding of a fictional show that used a real mosque as the HQ of a terrorist cell? A fictional Blood Libel tale implicating real world Jews?"
Now in a report from MSNBC, The Satanic Temple is suing Netflix and Warner Bros for $150 million over the series. They are claiming that the "companies infringed on its copyrights, violated its trademark, and caused injury to its business reputation," according to a suit filed in a New York district court.
The main issue in the case is that series showcases their copyrighted Baphomet statue, and that the statue has become "a central icon that has come to represent us as a people," according to Greaves. He went on to explain that "to have that all at once entirely eclipsed by some Netflix show by a production department who did a Google Image Search... A lot of people who haven't heard of us first stand to just recognize that monument as the 'Sabrina' monument, which dilutes and denigrates the entire project."
The Satanic Temple is taking a stance saying that the show portrays Satanists in an evil light, and that the characters on the show participate in cannibalism, murder, torture, amongst other nefarious activities.
The temple is upset as to how their religion is being portrayed on the show, because they do "not promote evil and instead holds to the basic principle that undue suffering is bad, and that which reduces suffering is good." The temple worships Satan as someone who rebelled against God's authority, they are not worshipping Satan as an evil being.
According to FAQ Page on The Satanic Temples website, when asked about what they believe, they state that they are in the pursuit of knowledge and free will.
"We believe in the pursuit of knowledge and freedom of Will. We believe in our Seven Tenets:
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend.
To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world.
One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
People are fallible.
If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word."
Netflix and Warner Bros have not commented on the case.
This article is not meant to promote any religion or religious views. It is meant to report on a court case against the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the reasoning behind that case.
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