By Fred Jackson
June 13, 2003

(AgapePress) - In a highly unusual move, the Iowa Supreme Court has decided to get involved in a church-related defamation case. At issue is the use of the phrase "spirit of Satan."

According to an Associated Press report, the problem started when a Methodist church in Shell Rock, Iowa, was experiencing some difficulties over different views about the pastor. Methodist Church official Jerrold Swinton was sent to investigate. According to the court records, while there he spoke with church member Jane Kliebenstein.

In the wake of the meeting, he wrote a letter to the congregation, calling on the members to acknowledge that "the spirit of Satan" was at work in their church.

Although the letter never mentioned Kliebenstein, she and her husband are now suing the church and the Iowa Methodist Conference, seeking unspecified damages.

The high court admits a reluctance to get involved in internal church matters. But it believes it is justified in this case because the letter was published outside the congregation. The court also says that while the phrase "spirit of Satan" has religious roots, it also carries a "common and largely unflattering" secular meaning.

The court concludes from those definitions that the phrase has meaning in both a secular and a sectarian context. A lower court had thrown out the case earlier.

But What About the Separation of Church and State?
Meanwhile, the governments of three western states have put an end to what they call "the Devil's Highway."

Lawmakers in New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado have successfully petitioned the federal government to change the designation of Highway 666 to Highway 491. According to The New York Times, the trio of states, led by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, argued that the New Testament's association of the numerals "666" with Satan was impairing the economic vitality of the towns along the route.

The change went into effect at the first of this month, but authorities say it will take some time to get all the new signs in place.

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