Satanists are trying to assert themselves in quiet, conservative Plumsted

PLUMSTED — Satanists. Proud Boys. An unbaptism with burnt Bible pages.

These are not the images that come to mind with mentions of Plumsted, a typically quiet town of about 8,000 residents, bucolic farms and conservative-leaning town leaders.

Plumsted recently gained attention when members of The Satanic Temple's New Jersey chapter, a non-theistic religious organization, and a group of Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group, silently squared off in the town hall during an "unbaptism" ceremony. The incident was first reported by Jersey Shore Online.

The event was out of place for a town where prayers typically opened municipal meetings and church groups routinely met in municipal spaces. That's part of the reason The Satanic Temple members took an interest in the community. Michael Silvestro Jr., or "Reverend Leviathan" as he is known among Satanic Temple members, said he was motivated by a desire to see more religious pluralism and equality.

"We were founded as a pluralistic country," Silvestro said. "As a country, we can't have a go-to religion, because it ends up leading to extremism."

Silvestro said the group was also attracted to Plumsted's centralized location in the state, which makes it convenient to members from both northern and southern New Jersey. He said the group has about 600 Facebook followers and about 20 regular attendees to its various functions, such as its "Sippin' with Satan" coffee meetups. A few members are even Plumsted residents, he said.

When not holding ceremonies, the Satanic Temple members have worked on a local community garden, donated to another faith-based group's food pantry, and operate a peer-to-peer parent support group, Silvestro said.

"We try to find like support groups to help each other, be a better person and be better to society," he said.

Despite its name, members of the temple do not worship Satan; rather, they view Satan as a literary character with admirable qualities, Silvestro said. Satan rebelled against authority and stood for his beliefs despite the odds against him, he said.

"It's that ultimate rebel, the ultimate opposite of the tyrannical authority," Silvestro said. "We look at that and we try to embody those characteristics."

The community garden and food pantry donations did not draw attention from the Proud Boys and law enforcement to its meeting; rather, the group's unbaptism ceremony did. As part of the ritual, temple members used burned Bible pages.

"It's important to clarify that our use of burnt Bible pages is not an act of hate or disrespect towards Christianity," Silvestro said. "Rather, it symbolizes personal liberation and the release from dogmatic beliefs that some of our members have experienced as oppressive or harmful.

"We recognize and respect the sacredness of the Bible in Christianity," he continued. "Our intention is not to denigrate what is holy to others, but to use symbolism that is meaningful in the personal journeys of our members. This ritual is about individual empowerment and the affirmation of our core principles, including empathy, personal autonomy, and the pursuit of knowledge."

It was unclear if the Proud Boys, who watched from the back of town hall, were convinced.

For The Satanic Temple, Plumsted was a nearly perfect location for an act of religious rebellion.

Baptist Pastor Dominick Cuozzo of the Bible Baptist Church is the township's newly appointed mayor.

Cuozzo, in a phone interview, said he wanted the township to be known for its long standing amenities – wineries, U-pick farms, a quaint downtown and rural lifestyle – rather than as a setting for religious or social friction.

"Our town gives opportunity to all local not-for-profit community groups… We want them to use our municipal facilities," the mayor said. "I have no intention of ever treating anybody with discrimination, and I know that they (the Satanic Temple) are trying to get us to do that, but we won't. We believe everyone has an equal footing and we are very committed to everyone's First Amendment rights. We're going to be fair."

Township attorney Jean Cipriani echoed the mayor.

"The town has actually been very conscious to be sure that all groups, including the Satanic Temple, have equal opportunity to use municipal facilities on an equal footing," she said.

Temple members are seeking to hold regular meetings in town hall going forward. In addition, Silvestro said he and another member of the Satanic Temple applied to perform invocations at the start of Plumsted Township Committee meetings, but the committee awarded the invocation job to another minister.

He has not been deterred.

"We're gonna try again next year," Silvestro said.

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Satanic Temple members settle in Plumsted, but they may not be who you think they are