The Satanic Temple says the new Mississippi state flag idea is just as offensive as the old one.
Mississippi elected-officials recently decided to change their state flag after the old flag, which dates back to 1894, sparked controversy for it's similarity to the Confederate Flag
Some new flag designs have been proposed and apparently one of the suggestions contains the words "In God We Trust."
And that's when the old controversy turned into the new controversy.
A nontheistic religious organization called the Satanic Temple is threatening to sue Mississippi if the state moves forward with its plan to include the words “In God We Trust” on the new state flag.
A letter sent by the Satanic Temple to Attorney General Lynn Fitch cites constitutional concerns regarding the First Amendment, saying the phrase “In God We Trust” is not representative of all Mississippians.
“While the Satanic Temple supports the removal of the Confederate flag, removing one divisive symbol of exclusion only to replace it with a divisive phrase of exclusion does not eliminate exclusion, but rather moves it from one group to a collection of others,” states the letter sent to Fitch.
In O’Hair v. Blumenthal, the court noted that language in Supreme Court cases indicates that the national motto, and its use on coin and currency, does not infringe on First Amendment rights. Despite that ruling, the Satanic Temple said it will proceed with a lawsuit against the state, saying they are aware of the prior court ruling but believe it is distinguishable from the case they intend to make.
Designs for the new state flag will be presented to legislators by Sept. 14, then voters will decide in November which design they like the most.