The Satanic Temple has made waves here in the Valley and around the country for its challenges of religious freedom. Now, the group is suing the city of Scottsdale for religious discrimination.
As KJZZ has reported, the suit alleges that the city refused to let members of the temple give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting in 2016, and then came up with a policy to intentionally prevent their religion from doing the invocation.
The organization and its attorney, Stu De Haan, argue that’s unconstitutional.
The city says it believes it meets all constitutional requirements.
The temple also tried to do an invocation at a Phoenix City Council meeting last year, and the group has — intentionally or not — started a conversation about religion in public spaces.
So, what does all of this mean for the separation of church and state in this country?
For more on that, The Show's Lauren Gilger sat down with ASU Professor of Religious Studies Tracy Fessenden. And, they started by discussing the main question about the lawsuit that’s been filed in Scottsdale: does she think they have a case?
