Chelsea Clinton’s exchange with ‘Church of Satan’ stokes rage
On Twitter, former first daughter defends herself from conservative critics by proudly proclaiming her marriage to a Jew
JTA — Chelsea Clinton on Wednesday afternoon reproached a Twitter commenter who accused her of being a Satanist by proudly proclaiming that she is married to … a Jew.
We’ll spare you the details, but the former First Daughter had been bantering with various celebs when someone brought up the Church of Satan, which does not believe in Satan, according to its FAQ. It is instead an atheist group that coopts Satan as “a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism.” The point appears to be that the group does not believe in either supernatural extreme: God or the devil.
When Chelsea exchanged New Year’s greetings with the church, it sent the conservative media into paroxysms of glee. Variations on the headline “Chelsea Clinton sends New Year’s Greetings to the Church of Satan” currently populate a significant portion of the web.
Oh goodness gracious. We can be civil, cheerful, respectful to & friends with people who don’t share our religious beliefs. Sometimes, we even marry them. I’m a Methodist & my husband is Jewish, thank you for asking. A very happy New Year to you Rhonda! https://t.co/8UH9SP8EWO
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) January 3, 2018
On Wednesday afternoon, Chelsea Clinton replied to one of her trolls: “Oh goodness gracious. We can be civil, cheerful, respectful to & friends with people who don’t share our religious beliefs. Sometimes, we even marry them. I’m a Methodist & my husband is Jewish, thank you for asking.”
Marc Mezvinsky, Clinton’s husband is, indeed, Jewish. She doesn’t appear to be comparing her husband’s faith to the “Church of Satan” — rather, she’s making the point that, when it comes to religion, people can believe different things and get along, and sometimes get married.
