Like an Insult to Lucifer

Last week former Speaker of the House John Boehner was asked his opinion of Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz. Boehner replied by describing Cruz as "Lucifer in the flesh." Satanists then announced that they were offended by that characterization, on the grounds that comparing Lucifer to Ted Cruz is insulting to Lucifer.

Has this been like the weirdest election year ever, or what?

When asked for his opinion about the Texas senator, Boehner said, “I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.” It turns out that the Satanic Temple agrees with Boehner’s sentiments — but they said there’s no way Cruz is the living incarnate of Satan.

When asked by the Friendly Atheist, Satanic Temple spokesman Lucien Greaves bashed Cruz. “Cruz’s failures of reason, compassion, decency, and humanity are products of his Christian pandering, if not an actual Christian faith,” Greaves responded. “It grows tedious when pedophile priests and loathsome politicians are conveniently dismissed as Satanic, even as they spew biblical verse and prostrate themselves before the cross, recruiting the Christian faithful. Satanists will have nothing to do with any of them.”

It's not that politicians aren't routinely referred to as the embodiment of Satanic evil. I remember back in the 1980's when Ronald Wilson Reagan was supposed to be 666 because his first, middle, and last name all had six letters. More recently, of course, Obama has been accused of being the Antchrist. But I have to say, this is the first time I've heard of Satanists being up in arms over the comparison.

I guess Ted Cruz really is just that awful.