On January 6, the Satanic Temple from New York City unveiled their design of a seven-foot tall goat-headed Baphomet statue that they wish to erect next to a Christian monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma state capitol. The goat-headed statue is seen sitting cross-legged on a stone slab, with two smiling children on either side. The monument is expected to carry quotes from poets William Blake and Lord Byron.
“The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond. The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation,” Lucien Greaves, Satanic Temple spokesperson explained.
The Satanic Temple proposed their idea of setting up a monument in December 2013 after state representative Mike Ritze and fellow conservative Christians were granted permission to erect a Ten Commandments monument at the same site. While lawyers in Oklahoma have maintained that denying the Satanists a monument of their own would suggest the state is discriminating against a certain section of its population, lawmakers in Oklahoma have insisted that Satanists should not be treated the same way as Christians.
The Oklahoma City Capitol Preservation Commission placed a moratorium on erecting new monuments on the statehouse grounds after groups like PETA and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster proposed their own monuments. However, the Satanic Temple has been insisting on having its monument erected citing constitutional rights.
“Satanism is a fundamental component at the genesis of American liberty. Medieval witch-hunts taught us to adopt presumption of innocence, secular law and a more substantive burden of proof. Today, we are rightly offended by the notion of blasphemy laws and divine fiats. Acknowledging wrongful persecutions has helped shape the legal system that preserves the sovereignty of our skeptics, heretics, and the misunderstood. It has shaped a proud culture of tolerance and free inquiry. This is to be a historical marker commemorating the scapegoats, the marginalized, the demonized minority, and the unjustly outcast,” said Greaves.
The Satanic Temple aims to raise $20,000 by January 17 so that their monument can be built on the grounds of the statehouse capitol.
“We trust that this unique monument will also prove a favorite tourist attraction to Oklahoma’s Capitol for years to come,” Greaves remarked.
