PLUMSTED, N.J. — Plumsted, New Jersey, a small Pinelands town near the Jersey Shore is finally recovering from last year’s debacle over satantic services held regularly at town hall.
Former Plumsted Mayor and Bible Baptist Church Pastor Dominick Cuozzo had faced growing criticism after the town allowed the Satanic Temple of New Jersey to hold an “unbaptism ceremony” at the Ron Dancer Memorial Town Hall.
The ceremony, held last January went largely unnoticed until recent reports brought the event to light. The Satanic Temple, a non-theistic religious group, used the public facility for the ritual, which drew a forceful protest from the right-wing Proud Boys, according to reports from the Asbury Park Press and Jersey Shore Online.
At the time, then leader of the group, Michael Silvestro Jr., known as Reverend Leviathan, told the Asbury Park Press, “[America] was founded as a pluralistic country… we can’t have a go-to religion, because it ends up leading to extremism.” Silvestro clarified that while the group uses Satanic imagery, its members do not worship Satan, describing Satan as “a literary character with admirable qualities… [he] rebelled against authority and stood for his beliefs despite the odds against him.”
Since then, Reverend Leviathan has split with Satanic Temple over demonic political differences with the national oraganization. Gotta hate when Big Satan meddles in the affairs of the local Satanic chapters, right?
Backlash grew among residents and religious community
Mayor Cuozzo defended the decision, emphasizing that Plumsted’s municipal facilities are open to all local non-profit community groups.
“We want them to use our municipal facilities,” Cuozzo said. “We believe everyone has an equal footing and we are very committed to everyone’s First Amendment rights. We’re going to be fair.”
The ceremony sparked outrage among some local residents, particularly those who remember the late Ron Dancer, a devout Christian and former Assemblyman for whom the town hall is named.
One resident, speaking anonymously, called the event “a stain on Plumsted and on Ron’s legacy.”
Plumsted, in the media, has been referred to as the “buckle” of Ocean County’s Bible belt, has a large Christian population with multiple churches representing various denominations.
The Satanic Temple had used the municipal building since March 2022, the same facility where the Bible Baptist Church previously held services for five years.
That backlash eventually led to the demise of Cuozzo’s political career. He was voted out of office that year. He was easily defeated in the June GOP primary election, receiving the lowest number of votes among Republicans.
