Satan's here: Plumsted Mayor welcomed Satanic Temple to Town Hall
In hyper-religious Plumsted, conservative Baptist Mayor Dominick Cuozzo let the group perform an "unbaptism."
Plumsted - Plumsted Mayor and Pastor of Bible Baptist Church Dominick Cuozzo is facing harsh criticism after allowing the newly-settled Satanic Temple to perform an “unbaptism ceremony.”
True to Plumsted’s nature as a small, tucked away town in Ocean County, the event was largely buried until the Asbury Park Press dug further.
Back in January, Plumsted’s Ron Dancer Memorial Town Hall played host to the Satanic Temple's New Jersey chapter, a non-theistic religious group for the their ceremony. A group of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys met them in forceful protest. The event originally appeared in Jersey Shore Online.
A question-and-answer portion was held to combat perceived misinformation concerning the ceremony or the religious practices of the Satanic Temple. Michael Silvestro Jr., known as Reverend Leviathan told the Asbury Park Press that "[America] was founded as a pluralistic country…we can't have a go-to religion, because it ends up leading to extremism."
Despite celebrating the Lord of Darkness, members of the temple do not worship Satan. According to Silvestro, Satan is “a literary character with admirable qualities…[he] rebelled against authority and stood for his beliefs despite the odds against him.”
Plumsted’s chief authority, Mayor Cuozzo, seemed to not be concerned, but rather welcoming of the satanists.

A rising star in Ocean County and acolyte of the county’s Republican Chair George Gilmore, Mayor/Pastor Cuozzo emphasized to the APP that Plumsted “gives opportunity to all local not-for-profit community groups… We want them to use our municipal facilities." Cuozzo also stated that he has “no intention of ever treating anybody with discrimination.”
Satanic Temples have popped up nationwide, trolling small business and towns and seizing opportunities to take Christians to court. Shortly after a 7-2 Supreme Court victory, Colorado baker Jack Phillips, the plaintiff in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a Satanic Temple reached out to have Phillips make a “Happy Birthday Satan” cake. The dark lord servants lost the cause. Satan statues have been erected across the country in hyper-religious communities and states such as Arkansas, and most recently the capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa.
Perhaps Cuozzo’s aversion to interference is to prevent Plumsted from becoming a national headline and becoming the subject of litigation.
”I know that they [the Satanic Temple] are trying to get us to do that, but we won't. We believe everyone has an equal footing and we are very committed to everyone's First Amendment rights. We're going to be fair."
Those who remember the late Ron Dancer, a former Assemblyman and devout Christian for whom the Town Hall is named after, are furious.
One Plumsted resident, offering a quote under anonymity for fear of retribution from both the Mayor’s office and the Satanists, said “this is a stain on Plumsted and on Ron’s legacy." To have such a dark act take place in a building honoring a pious public servant and devoted man - and having the seal of approval from an alleged ‘Christian’ mayor and pastor - is just incredibly disheartening.”
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