Formal Complaint against Christian Ministry’s Salem Disruptions and Ancestor Altar Desecration
Salem Psychic Fair and Witches’ Market on 1 Church Street, [Courtesy
The disruption came amid a broader surge of conservative Christian messaging denouncing Halloween and Samhain as “demonic” or “occult.” Across social media, evangelical influencers have urged followers to reject the holiday entirely and, in some cases, to confront those celebrating it. While many Christians support religious freedom, these more aggressive voices have dominated seasonal discourse.
The incident has sparked outrage within Salem’s Pagan and interfaith communities, with leaders like Angie Buchanan condemning the behavior as spiritual violation and others responding through protective ritual. Pagan leaders are calling on city officials to ensure safety for practitioners and visitors ahead of Halloween. The Salem Police Department has not yet issued a statement, but the event underscores ongoing tensions over religious freedom and tolerance during the city’s busiest season.
Day and Cain submitted a formal complaint to the Massachusetts Attorney General:
To the Office of the Attorney General Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
We are requesting assistance from the Attorney General’s Office regarding Philip Renner Ministries, a religious group led by Philip Renner of Claremont, Illinois, that spent the final week of October entering Salem Witchcraft and tourism shops, refusing to leave, hurling sexist, homophobic, and transphobic obscenities, acting physically aggressive, and throwing a substance they referred to as “anointing oil” at business owners and smearing this substance on their private property. These acts appear to violate multiple Massachusetts laws, including MGL c. 266 § 126A (willful or malicious destruction of property), MGL c. 265 § 13A (assault and battery), MGL c. 265 § 39 (assault or battery for the purpose of intimidation), MGL c. 272 § 73 (defacing structures designed to memorialize the dead), and MGL c. 12 §§ 11H–11J (the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act). Witchcraft has been recognized as a religion by the U.S. Supreme Court in Dettmer v. Landon (1985). The U.S. military recognized it in 2007 with the inclusion of the pentacle on military headstones. Thousands of Witches work and live in Salem, and countless more can be found throughout the globe as part of one of the world’s fastest-growing religions.
On Sunday, October 26, members of Philip Renner Ministries visited our Salem Psychic Fair and Witches’ Market at 176 Essex Street, rubbing their “anointing oil” on photos of our psychics and our tables. The police were called and let the group go with a warning. On October 27, the group visited our shop, Hex, at 184 Essex Street, harassing tourists on the private part of our business under our awning and rubbing oil on our religious altar that memorializes the dead. The police were called again and issued yet another warning, later accompanied by no-trespass orders provided to the group on October 31 on Salem Common. The ministry posted a video bragging about their visits on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQUEYGVjUus/.
On Wednesday, October 29, Tim Maguire’s Halloween Museum and Joanna Thomas’s shop, New England Magic, were both visited by members of the ministry. Its members stood in the doorways of these businesses, casting “anointing oil” at the owners and shouting obscenities, including “whore.” When police were called, they arrived to hear Charlotte Michaels, a trans woman and employee of the Halloween Museum, being called homophobic and transphobic slurs, yet they ignored this. The police then took statements from the group’s members and, despite multiple repeat offenses, let them go with yet another warning. When Mr. Maguire tried to explain to the officer in charge what happened, the officer became impatient, dismissive, and even swore at Mr. Maguire.
On October 30, a staff member of Hex, Sean Kelly, was called a “faggot” and later sucker-punched in the face by someone who was clearly with a Christian religious organization. Given the tone he described, we can only assume that this was a member of Philip Renner Ministries. Mr. Kelly filed a police report, and we are awaiting an investigation.
We are confident that neither Mayor Dominick Pangallo nor Police Chief Lucas Miller condones this conduct, but we also believe that their response has been limited by fear of litigation. A Christian church group previously prevailed in a First Amendment lawsuit against the City of Salem—and similar cases have been won throughout the country. Because of this, municipalities nationwide are often reluctant to address such harassment by radicalized religious groups.
Salem has long been a target for radical Christian groups, but our current polarized sociopolitical climate has dramatically increased this level of harassment. On October 31, 2023, one group brought a large and heavy cross into the center of our annual Halloween ceremony on Salem Common that, if dropped, could have killed one of our hundreds of guests. The police formed a circle around the Christians within the center of our ceremony, effectively ending it. Witches from around America came up to me that evening asking, “Why are the police protecting them and not us? We thought we’d be safe in Salem!” The Salem Police Department has since addressed this particular issue, providing us with barriers for our Halloween ceremony in both 2024 and 2025, and has provided training to their staff to ensure our safety. However, the Philip Renner Ministries group is far more aggressive than any group we’ve experienced in Salem before, and we fear that their annual visits will only escalate to greater violence if left unaddressed.
While the Salem Police Department did not see the application of “anointing oils” as vandalism, we found numerous cases referred to online in which the FBI treated acts such as placing bacon on mosque doorknobs as vandalism and also investigated them as hate crimes due to the religious aversion to pork in Islam.
The one recipe for “anointing oil” that we could find in the Bible, from the Book of Exodus, contains a number of skin allergens such as cinnamon, cassia, and myrrh in a base of olive oil. Olive oil alone can stain and discolor surfaces, weaken sealants, and discolor inks and paint; the addition of the essential oils mentioned above can further etch and mar surfaces.
Bacon is no more damaging or difficult to remove than the oil that the members of Philip Renner Ministries claimed to be using, so we struggle to understand why Chief Miller and the Assistant District Attorney for Essex County—according to Chief Miller—would not follow the FBI precedent regarding bacon and regard the throwing or smearing of this “anointing oil” on private property as vandalism under state law MGL c. 266 § 126A, and possibly even assault under MGL c. 265 § 13A, when you consider that it was thrown at people who may suffer allergic reactions to its ingredients.
We also believe this “anointing oil” may constitute a hate crime. Philip Renner Ministries flagrantly described their oil as something meant to oppose our beliefs, which they classify as “demonic.” By deliberately placing the oil upon our ancestral altar at Hex, it becomes not only a physical act of vandalism but a religiously motivated attack—one that should meet the same hate-crime threshold as placing bacon on the doorknobs of a mosque.
Moreover, if oil is a form of vandalism and defacing, rubbing that oil on an ancestral altar may also violate MGL c. 272 § 73, which prohibits defacing structures designed to memorialize the dead. Finally, given that their obscenities and hurling of oil at people are accompanied by an intent to disparage our religious beliefs, this may also qualify as Assault or Battery for the Purpose of Intimidation (MGL c. 265 § 39) and as a violation of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act (MGL c. 12 §§ 11H–11J).
The First Amendment does not protect criminal behavior such as harassment, trespass, vandalism, assault and battery, or intimidation of religious groups, even when religiously motivated—and especially when directed at other religious groups. We are asking that your office elevate this matter to clarify where constitutionally protected expression ends and criminal conduct begins, so that the Mayor, the Police, and the District Attorney’s Office can act without fear of violating anyone’s rights.
Many Salem businesses rely on tourism to survive, particularly in October, and the fear being stoked by groups like Philip Renner Ministries could impact not only religious freedoms but our local economy as well. We hope your office can bring clarity to this situation and help ensure the safety and religious freedom of all Salem residents and business owners, and those throughout Massachusetts.
Sincerely, Christian Day and Brian Cain
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Pagan Solidarity Alliance Condemns Religious Harassment and Desecration in Salem, Massachusetts
Pagan solidarity logo
The Spiral Council of the Pagan Solidarity Alliance (PSA) released a statement that it strongly condemns recent acts of religious harassment, desecration, and intimidation targeting Pagan practitioners and businesses in Salem. Members of a group linked to Philip Renner Ministries reportedly entered Pagan-owned establishments—including HEX: Old World Witchery and New England Magic—where they disrupted services and smeared consecrated oils on sacred objects, desecrating altars and violating private property.
The statement said that Paganism, encompassing traditions such as Wicca, Druidry, and Witchcraft, is a peaceful, lawful, and federally protected religious practice. The intentional use of Christian oil to defile Pagan altars constitutes religious intimidation and bias-based vandalism, not protected speech. They noted that Pagan spaces deserve the same legal protections as churches, synagogues, and mosques.
PSA calls upon the City of Salem, the Salem Police Department, and state and federal authorities to open a full investigation under Massachusetts hate-crime, civil rights, and vandalism statutes; to review police procedures regarding bias crimes; and to implement religious diversity training for all municipal staff. Salem must affirm its commitment to equal protection for all faiths and ensure that no community is marginalized or left unprotected in the name of religious intolerance.
Pagan Solidarity is “an alliance of concerned people who find common ground in Pagan communities and wish to use our nurturing connections for the common good.” The Spiral Council is the leadership of the alliance.
Atlanta Mom claims her Daughter was forced to participate in a Halloween Activity
ATLANTA – WANF in Atlanta reports that in Paulding County, Georgia, a mother and Christian minister, Quan Lanae Green, claims her five-year-old daughter was made to participate in Halloween-themed school activities that conflicted with their religious beliefs. Green said her kindergartner at Floyd L. Shelton Elementary was given witchcraft-related worksheets, including one labeled “Hocus-Pocus” and another featuring a pentagram to trace, and came home wearing a skull-and-bones necklace. Green called the assignments “occultism” and “satanism,” arguing they had no place in public education.
Green said she had emailed the teacher beforehand to opt her child out of Halloween activities, but the school failed to honor her request. The Paulding County School District later clarified that the email had gone to the teacher’s junk mail folder, not ignored, and promised to review its email system to avoid similar incidents. The district also said it was unaware of any pentagram tracing or skull necklaces being distributed and is investigating the matter.
Green has since filed complaints with both the district and the Georgia Department of Education. She plans to transfer her daughter to a Christian school but hopes her experience will prompt broader conversations about religious respect and parental choice in public classrooms.
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Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Lorenzi Tarot by Irene Lorenzi, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Four (4) of Wands
The week ahead holds the potential for a cause to celebrate—if nothing more than finding oneself on stable ground and with the breathing space to look back on how far one has come. Harmony and being in balance with oneself and with others, especially as it pertains to the home, are indicated. Given the current state of things, this alone could be a reason for some shared cheer and joy.
Conversely, there may be a lack of balance that manifests as boredom or dissatisfaction with how things are going, particularly when it comes to family and one’s domicile. A key for getting through this week relatively unscathed is to not allow being dragged into the conflicts of others if it can be avoided. While some upheavals or shifts may be unavoidable, choosing how to respond rather than react is generally within one’s control.
Glowing Bats!
TWH – A new study published in Ecology and Evolution reveals that six species of North American bats emit a striking green glow under ultraviolet (UV) light, adding them to the growing list of photoluminescent mammals. Researchers from the University of Georgia discovered that big brown bats, eastern red bats, Seminole bats, southeastern myotis, gray bats, and Brazilian free-tailed bats all exhibit the same consistent hue, regardless of sex or species. This uniformity suggests the glow may be an inherited trait—potentially used for communication—rather than a result of camouflage or mate attraction.
The team examined 60 preserved specimens and found the glow emanated from the skin between the bats’ wings and hind legs, peaking in the 520–552 nanometer range, which bats can likely perceive. Study co-author Steven Castleberry and lead author Briana Roberson note that this consistency across species implies an evolutionary function, though its exact purpose remains unknown. It may be an ancient trait that once served a purpose but now lingers as an evolutionary remnant.
Glowing Bats – “Specimens of Myotis austroriparius (a–c), Lasiurus seminolus (d–f), Lasiurus borealis (g–i), and Eptesicus fuscus (j–l). Specimens were illuminated under 410 nm light and photographed under UV light alone (column 1), under filtration using yellow-tinted UV-filtering lens (column 2), and under filtration using a 470 nm longpass filter (column 3).” via Ecology and Evolution.
The discovery builds on earlier findings of photoluminescence in mammals such as flying squirrels and platypuses. Some scientists, however, suggest preservation chemicals might enhance or alter the glow, though not create it outright. Researchers emphasize that further study is needed to determine whether the phenomenon offers ecological or behavioral advantages.
For scientists, understanding why mammals glow could illuminate deeper insights into evolution, communication, and species adaptation. As Castleberry explains, “It’s cool—but we don’t yet know why it happens.” The finding deepens both the mystery and fascination surrounding bats, showing that even well-known animals can still surprise us under a different light.
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