Netflix series in hot water with the Satanic Temple

The Satanic Temple ("TST"), a religious group, has threatened legal action against Netflix for a statue used in their new series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. TST have alleged Netflix of appropriating the copyright in a statue created by the Temple, without permission. The statue in dispute is an alleged copy of the TST's statue of the sabbatic goat, Baphomet. In the series, the statue appears in the Academy of Unseen Arts and is shown multiple times throughout.

The co-founder of TST, Lucien Greaves, announced to his Twitter platform that he intended to take legal action against the series and posted images of the two statues next to each other. The image of Baphomet is often used as a symbol of evil, for example, in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the statue has been used to represent an evil cannibalistic cult. The symbol, and meaning behind Baphomet, is widely misinterpreted however. Greaves has explained how the use of the statue in the series contradicts the many things that Baphomet actually represents, that being a symbol that celebrates contrasts, that glorifies the pursuit of knowledge as well as the spirit of compassion and wisdom.

TST have sent a letter to Netflix and production company, Warner Bros. Entertainment, demanding the removal of any advertisements that feature the Baphomet monument as well as an explanation of where the statue in the series derived from.

Greaves expressed that even had the show asked the Temple's permission to use the statue his answer would have still been no. In the demand letter to Netflix and Warner Bros Entertainment, Greaves, through his lawyer, expressed that the Temple has struggled to overcome the stigma associated with the Baphomet symbol for many years. TST are awaiting a response from Netflix and Warner Bros regarding the allegations in their letter.

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