USA Today had an interesting story.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in this state known as the buckle of the Bible Belt authorized the privately funded Ten Commandments monument in 2009, and it was placed on the Capitol grounds last year despite criticism from legal experts who questioned its constitutionality. The Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit seeking its removal.
But the New York-based Satanic Temple saw an opportunity. It notified the state’s Capitol Preservation Commission that it wants to donate a monument and plans to submit one of several possible designs this month, said Lucien Greaves, a spokesman for the temple.
…Greaves said one potential design involves a pentagram, a satanic symbol, while another is meant to be an interactive display for children.
…Republican state Rep. Mike Ritze, who spearheaded the push for the Ten Commandments monument and whose family helped pay the $10,000 for its construction, declined to comment on the Satanic Temple’s effort, but Greaves credited Ritze for opening the door to the group’s proposal.
“He’s helping a satanic agenda grow more than any of us possibly could,” Greaves said. “You don’t walk around and see too many satanic temples around, but when you open the door to public spaces for us, that’s when you’re going to see us.”
The stupidity of religious public officials never ceases to amaze me. There is no way that they can justify Christian symbols and not other ones. You can be sure that the Satanist plan will form part of the legal arguments when the case goes to trial.
Satanists meh. They are so Dark Ages.
Besides which, you have to be a xian to be a satanist. To an atheist, satan is as real as jesus, not very.
I’d wait for the Pagans to get their display together. You have to admit they are at least interesting and colorful. Aphrodite, Zeus, Thor, Freya, Odin, Estre, and the other 1000 or so.
My favorite gods are Athena, Freya, Estre, Gaia, and Thor, for right now anyway. The goddesses of wisdom, fertility, spring, and the earth. The earth actually at least exists and does something necessary for us.
Thor doesn’t quite fit in but I”m sure he will find something to do. If nothing else, he can keep the Frost Giants away. Thor is very good at that. No one has seen a Frost Giant in centuries.
Not sure about this group, but from what I’ve heart about Satanists before, they sounded pretty tongue-in-cheek. Just like how Pastafarians don’t really worship the FSM and no one really worships the invisible pink unicorn. They’re atheists and secularists who call themselves that as a form of rebellion and to make religious people upset. Looks like in this case it’s working. 🙂
Not so tongue in cheek, but definitely a cheeky bunch. This is the group that held a ‘pink mass’ on the gravestone of Fred Phelps’ mother to baptise her as a lesbian.
A big interview: http://www.vice.com/read/unmasking-lucien-greaves-aka-doug-mesner-leader-of-the-satanic-temple
Not really. 1st just believing the Greasy was the son of a god isn’t enough to make you a Christian. You have to believe things like there was original sin and that the execution of the Greasy was in expiation of that sin.
2nd you could easily not believe that Jesus ever existed, even as a template around which mythology arose. You could believe that Satan pulled a hoax to distract the world from his actual opposition, a truly wise prophet named Brian, etc., etc.
There’s no limit to the weird that religion makes possible. Believing in Satan without believing in the entire set of original sin, jesus the Christ, jesus’ execution, and that the execution served as expiation, but only for those who endorse the creed.
I think many of the commenters are confused. Satanists don’t actually worship Satan. They’re basically like the people who don’t believe in god, but think that Jesus sounds like an awesome dude in the Bible, -- only for Satan.
LOL. Really satanists more or less don’t exist. Although there are people who call themselves satanists for one reason or another.
They have the same problem as xianity. They’ve split into a number of groups that have little in common with each other.
1. The First Church of Satan, LaVey’s group are…atheists.
2. Other groups are atheistic or anti-fundie xian and find that calling themselves satanists makes the xians go pale and throw a hissy fit. Their parents don’t like it much either. It’s the religious version of Goths.
This is a good place to put one of my discoveries. Although I’m sure I’m far back in the pack.
What is the difference between Satanism and the fundie perversion of xianity? Nothing really.
1. Fundie-ism is based on hate. Check.
2. Fundie-ism is based on lies. Check
3. Fundies worship an invisible Sky Monster god. Check.
4. Fundies practice human child sacrifice by medical neglect or torture murder. Check.
There is almost no difference between fundie xianity and Satanists. Except that Satanists more or less don’t exist and fundies definitely do exist and number in the tens of millions in the USA.
There are a few Satanists who believe the wrong side won the war between light and dark. What fundie xians call god looks a lot like what the Dark Side is supposed to look like.
I think we should try to get a nice monument to Sheela na gig erected somewhere.
The things I learn from the comments … !
A monument to Freyr would be nice, a statue based on actual examples of votive figurines of the fertility god with a raging boner (go to Google images and look for “freyr” and “phallic” for examples.) Or maybe just go with Priapus. Most male Talibangelicals already worship the penis, so it seems a reasonable choice.
What makes you think Satanists do any of those things?
Oops!!! Good point.
In fact, most Satanists don’t do those things. Which makes them far better than fundie xians.
That list would be more like what fundie xians imagine satanists are like if their mythology was true.