On Monday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Mary Fallin, the Republican governor of the state, to reconsider its earlier ruling that the presence of the Ten Commandments monument on the capital grounds violated the state constitution and had to be removed, with the chief justice John Reif writing, “We carefully consider the arguments of the commission and find no merit warranting a grant of rehearing.”
Fallin says she is still exploring her legal options and has not received a direct order yet to remove the monument. Maybe she is waiting for god to tell her. She may also be considering the advice of Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association who says that the courts have got it all wrong about the US constitution and the intent of the drafters of that document did not allow for the regulation of religious expression, gave Christianity a special place, and provides no cover for Satanists.
Meanwhile, the statue of Baphomet, that the Satanic Temple unveiled in Detroit and was originally intended to balance the Oklahoma Ten Commandments monument, may instead be headed to the Arkansas State House to serve a similar purpose, because of plans to install a biblical statue there.
Maybe Baphomet could become kind of a roving ambassador for the idea that religion should not have a special place in a democratic society, by traveling from place to place wherever people are trying to create a privileged place for their religion.
Baphomet could become the latest superhero, fighting the scourge of religious exclusivity and advocating for religiously neutral societies the world over.
AIUI, even living in Fischer and Barton’s bizzaro-world wouldn’t justify ignoring this ruling, as it was based on a provision in the Oklahoma constitution.
I greatly doubt whether those responsible for the State Capitol park areas in Oklahoma or Arkansas would ever allow a goat-headed cloven-hoofed statue to ornament their grounds.
Speaking of oddities on Oklahoma state properties --
Oklahoma Guv’s Daughter Living In Trailer Parked Outside Guv’s Mansion.
TPM Editor’s note:
I like your superhero idea. But he’s going to need wheels if he’s going all over the place like that. Maybe the next effort can be a Baphomet Car?
Surely you mean a …Baphmobile?
Good one, caffeineaddicted!
I was very entertained by the thought of attending the unveiling of the statue despite being far beyond the age range of the musical entertainment, but the threat of violence was scarily real. As a life-long atheist it’s hard for me to understand the harder-line aspects of belief, but people really reacted as if the statue was a real deity, possibly really bringing down divine retribution on the city’s people. The number of threats in local media commentary, the very eager willingness to kill the attendees or burn down the venue with all within (or more obliquely hoping _someone_ would) made me understand that religious terrorism is not just something for foreign shores. It’s here, it’s waiting, it’s right under the surface.
My young adult children were concerned enough to convince me not to go.