A New-York based group of Satanists mocked the infamous Westboro Baptist Church on Sunday by performing a same-sex ritual on the grave of Catherine Johnston, the mother of the church’s founder.
At the gravesite in Meridian, Massachusetts, the group that calls themselves the Satanist Temple underwent a made-up ritual called a “pink mass”, which celebrates same-sex love. They also declared Johnston, the mother of WBC’s founder Fred Phelps, a lesbian.
During the ceremony, the spokesman of the Satanists, Lucien Greaves, wore horns as two male couples and one female couple kissed over the grave.
They were hoping to get a rise out of the WBC and offend them after hearing that they threatened to picket at the funerals of victims killed in the Boston bombings.
ABC News reports that Greaves was mocking a quote often used by the WBC when he said,
“Our right to believe that Fred Phelps now must believe that his mother is gay is inviolable. No one can question our beliefs.”
The WBC, based out of Topeka, Kansas, is recognized for being an anti-homosexuality group and making their opinion strongly known at protests throughout the country. They believe that the entire country is sinning because of gay people.
The Westboro members claim the “pink mass” doesn’t disrespect them but just gives them another reason to hate the homosexual community even more.
According to Raw Story, the Satanists Temple also performed the stunt because they want to adopt a highway in New York and hoped this would attract attention to them. They even launched a fundraising page hoping it will persuade people to donate.