It is a scene that would warm the cockles of every Satanic heart. In Oklahoma, the Satanic Temple has unveiled the design for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan that it believes would go nicely at the Oklahoma state Capitol. After all, the legislature put a Ten Commandments monument on the site in 2012. So why not the comforting image of Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard for children to gather around and take strength from on school visits? While it seems a tad unlikely that the Oklahoma legislature (which has a history of intermingling Christian faith with legislation) will add a Satanic element to the Capitol grounds, it forces the question of why it is permissible to depict one religion in exclusion of others.
The design allows legislators and visitors to actually sit on the lap of Baphomet on his pentagram-adorned throne. Temple spokesman Lucien Greaves (I really want to say Satanic spokesperson) heralds this “functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.” One thing is clear, it would a lot more attention than “The Magic of Petroleum” artwork.
The ACLU is suing the legislature over the monument to the Ten Commandments. Other groups including a Hindu group, an animal rights group, and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster have also asked for equal time. The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission has responded by declaring a convenient moratorium on any further requests. You can apply but no action will be taken at this time.
As if to add to the ACLU case to show sectarian bias, Oklahoma Rep. Earl Sears has denounced the request as “an insult to the good people of the state.” Notably, Sears objected that “I do not see Satanism as a religion, and they have no place at the state Capitol.” Yet, this is clearly a faith, just not one that Sears likes. Moreover, if he is saying that religions are allowed to build such structures, he would have a hard time challenging the Hindus. Moreover, the mission statement on the Temple website (which is centered in New York) speaks of its religious beliefs:
God is supernatural and thus outside of the sphere of the physical. God’s perfection means that he cannot interact with the imperfect corporeal realm. Because God cannot intervene in the material world, He created Satan to preside over the universe as His proxy. Satan has the compassion and wisdom of an angel. Although Satan is subordinate to God, he is mankind’s only conduit to the dominion beyond the physical. In addition, only Satan can hear our prayers and only Satan can respond. While God is beyond human comprehension, Satan desires to be known and knowable. Only in this way can there be justice and can life have meaning.
The Satanist harbors reasonable agnosticism in all things, holding fast only to that which is demonstrably true. The cultural narratives through which we contextualize our lives must be malleable to conformity with our best scientific understandings of the material world… Those understandings, in turn, must never be so rigidly codified as to themselves be inflexible to advancements yet unknown. Thus, Satanism is an evolving religion, unfettered by arcane doctrines born of fearful minds in darkened times. Belief must reconstruct itself to fact, never the other way round. This is the Luciferian impulse to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, even (and especially) when to do so irretrievably dissipates blissful and comforting delusions of old.
That which will not bend must break, and that which can be destroyed by truth should never be spared its demise.
Clearly, Oklahoma is one of the least likely locations for the Satanic throne. Heck, you cannot even say “Hell” in a speech. Legislators who supported bibles from being passed out were outraged when free Korans were offered. However, what is the standard for inclusion? Sear says that the problem is that Satanists are not religious enough in his view to be featured on state grounds. Yet, they have all of the elements of faith from written tenets to a long history to temples to religious practices. The point is that is you are in the business of mixing faith with politics, it becomes difficult to choose between faiths without establishing officially approved or favored faiths.
Greaves notes that Satanism not only is a faith but (as argued by those who advocate 10 Commandment monuments) a value structure that is relevant to daily function of the legislature to protect rights and oppose laws like blasphemy crimes that deny freedom of religion and speech: “Our monument celebrates an unwavering respect for the Constitutional values of religious freedom and free expression. 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.”
Yet, it seems unlikely that the legislators will approve other changes at this time:
[Baaaa-phomet, the master] comes sweepin’ down the plain,
And the [cravin’] wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain
[Baaaa-phomet], Ev’ry night my [sacrificial] lamb and I, Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin’ lazy [penatgrams] in the sky.We know we belong to the [Satan] (yo-ho)
And the [Satan] we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Aye-yip-aye-yo-ee-ay!
We’re only sayin’
You’re doin’ fine, Baphomet!
Baphomet O.K.!
Ok, it loses a bit in translation. Besides, I am not sure Oklahoma wants to get its Satan from New York City. If there is going to be a display, it should be a more Sooner Satan with a more country coven. When Lucifer says “You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma,” he needs to be able to say “Yeeow! Aye-yip-aye-yo-ee-ay!” without some Brooklyn accent.
Source: CBS
Oky1,
I was sitting in on a clinical staffing at the forensic unit of the Mississippi State Hospital. This was sometime in the 1970s. The psychiatrist in charge of the men’s unit, Dr. Charlie Bell was doing the interviewing. This defendant had committed some relatively minor felony, but his lawyer had asked for a mental examination by the State Hospital. Dr. Charlie Bell was not a forensic psychiatrist, but was traditionally trained. He was also a staunch Baptist.
During the interview, the young man described being born and raised in the Dakotas on a reservation by his parents and grandparents. I forget which tribe, but he was clearly Native American. During the interview, Dr. Bell asked him about whether he heard voices or communicated with spirits. The defendant said he did, that he communicated with the earth, with plants, stones and water. Dr. Bell turned to the rest of the doctors and announced with unwavering certainty that the guy was clearly schizophrenic because of his auditory and visual hallucinations.
My response was, “Not so fast.” I asked the defendant if he was trained as a Shaman. He said that he was not, but his grandmother, who was a medicine woman, had been teaching him the old ways. And that in his belief system, the earth spoke to those who would listen. By that time, Dr. Bell, being the good and faithful Baptist, was clearly upset. He sent the fellow out of the room and would not be budged off his position that anyone who talked with animals, water and rocks was clearly schizophrenic.
The Ten Commandments are from a specific religion:
(Exodus 20: 2-7). So, that is not religious?
And that does not belong to a particular religion?
Answer who is the “you” in it (the ones brought out of Egyptian slavery), and who is “your God” and then the specific religion that is established will be known.
Sol made a good point: “Why wouldn’t this be governed by Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 …”
On land given to the native Americans and the stolen once oil was found…. Seems appropriate to me….. Nothing good ever came out if Oklahoma I hear….
There is a reason that religion should be kept separate from the state as is the commandment 🙂 in our Constitution. There is no rational reason to exclude this statue. To refuse it’s display is sheer hypocrisy in action. This kind of hypocrisy has been a disaster in our society. It is the same hypocrisy displayed by followers of Obama. When he began doing the same and worse as Bush, they cheered it along. So what was the complaint about Bush by these people all those years before? There is no rational basis for complaint about torture and murder based on a torturer and murderers’ membership in a political party that one adores. The only basis of criticism against these actions is a truly consistent ethical stance against torture and murder.
The Constitution demands that we take a consistent ethical stance towards religious expression. The state may not establish or favor any religion-end of story. Either every faith is allowed expression in the capital building or none of them are.
Annie Laurie Gaylor is smiling.
Frankly wrote: ““One nation under God” would have sent the founders into fits as they had seen the death and destruction caused by religious intolerance.”
The religious intolerance they had seen was one whereby one Christian establishment of religion was intolerant of another Christian establishment of religion. The concept of being “One nation under God” was never in question by them. Just start by looking at the Declaration of Independence declaring, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence…” How much more clear can it be but that our Founding Fathers perceived us to be One Nation under God from our very foundation before there was even a Constitution?
Add to this many other observations, such as Benjamin Franklin asking for the Constitutional Convention to be opened with prayer every morning, to George Washington adding “So Help Me God” to his solemn oath of office, to chaplains being paid to open Congress with prayer, to the U.S. seal incorporating the all seeing eye to represent God with the Latin words annuit coeptis taken together to mean that Providence (God) approves our undertaking.
The pledge of Allegiance was not formally adopted by Congress until 1942. Three years later in 1945, Congress adopted the official name, The Pledge of Allegiance. Then 9 years later in 1954, they amended the pledge to add the words “under God.” This made the pledge more in conformity with our Declaration of Independence and with the values of our nation’s founding fathers.
To illustrate the “under God” concept of our founding fathers, I repeat here the words of Benjamin Franklin to the Constitutional Convention as provided to us by James Madison:
Benjamin Franklin said the following in 1787:
“In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. ”Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments be Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.”
David,
Here is the rest of what you need to know if you’re going to take up Preachin God’s Word.
◄ Matthew 6:6 ►
Parallel Verses
New International Version
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
New Living Translation
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
English Standard Version
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
New American Standard Bible
“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
King James Bible
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
http://biblehub.com/matthew/6-6.htm
**3) The Ten Commandments has a historical basis in our culture and the values of our society as a whole. Many in Oklahoma grew up reading the Ten Commandments, but very few if any in Oklahoma grew up worshiping Baphomet.
4) The Ten Commandments promotes the common good and has actual benefit to a good society. This idol promotes evil, works against the common good, and is not of benefit to a good society. How much more evil can one get than Satan worship which magnifies the self and self interest above all else? **
David,
You must have over looked a small bit of info about Oklahoma, such as the name means: “Land of the Redman”
You surly know, Native Americans.
Most had their own religious beliefs before the White Christan illegal Immigrants showed up & Massacred the bulk of them.
With the Bulk of them Massacred by good Christians we only have the remnants left & much of the religious history appears lost for ever.
Church is the place for your 10 Commandments/Idol Worshiping, not the State or Fed Capitals!
** Matthew 22:20-22
King James Version (KJV)
20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. **
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A20-22&version=KJV
**
Matthew 6:5
King James Version (KJV)
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. **
Thomas Jefferson, ect… ” The United States of American is in No Way a Christian Nation!”
God’s Kingdom is said by the Christian Bible to be in Heaven, where as the State & the Federal Govt is seen as Rome.
Hopeful this Oklahoma Idol worshiping crap is used a valuable teaching tool for all the fools that do not & refuse to accept that the State of Oklahoma/USA are govt’s of the People, not Religion & are legally bound not to endorse/promote Any Religion!
They can have their religion they are just not allowed to have a Religious Govt as that would be a Theocracy & that isn’t what the govts of the US were ever meant to be.
BTW: “In God We Trust”, that was a Typo, they meant to say: “In Gold We Trust'” lol
How far from our historical roots we have come that a U.S. State is being asked to consider erecting idols of worship on State grounds.
Hopefully this will help put to rest the foolish thesis of government neutrality in matters of religion. There are good religions and there are bad religions, and government should not always be blind to this fact.
Some big differences between the Ten Commandments and this idol are:
1) The Ten Commandments is not an idol. It is not an object of worship.
2) The Ten Commandments provides a historical foundation for our legal system and laws, being reflected even in our U.S. Constitution.
3) The Ten Commandments has a historical basis in our culture and the values of our society as a whole. Many in Oklahoma grew up reading the Ten Commandments, but very few if any in Oklahoma grew up worshiping Baphomet.
4) The Ten Commandments promotes the common good and has actual benefit to a good society. This idol promotes evil, works against the common good, and is not of benefit to a good society. How much more evil can one get than Satan worship which magnifies the self and self interest above all else?
5) The intent of placing this idol is completely different from the intent for a Ten Commandments monument. The Ten Commandments is meant to point to foundational values in the formation of the Oklahoma government, to bring people to an understanding of what led to its greatness. The intention for this idol is to use legal wrangling about neutrality to spoil that statement, or if successful in placing the idol, to spoil the message of the Ten Commandments by directly violating its foremost commandment not to worship other gods. So good intentions for the Ten Commandments and bad intentions for erecting this idol.
Perhaps there is a place for this idol in a state museum. Let’s not deny the offer of the idol entirely, but upon what basis is there to place it on the Capitol grounds near the Ten Commandments? That is not appropriate. Clearly this is just a ruse from jokers who want to attack all things sacred and promote all things profane. Let the acknowledgment of this religion be done in its proper place, such as a state funded museum that acknowledges this group and the grotesque idol that they adore. There is no traditional and historical basis for placing it on the Capitol grounds.
Shannon – “One nation under God” would have sent the founders into fits as they had seen the death and destruction caused by religious intolerance. IT was forced onto the pledge in the 1905’s on the silly belief that communists would catch fire if they tried to say it (seriously that was an argument made at the time it was debated).
AS for “”In God we trust” I strongly suggest your review the words of one J. Christ about mammon and serving money before God.
I would strongly suggest that if the mouth-breathers are successful in limiting the monuments we fund a monument to some of the other laws of the OT. “You must marry your sister-in-law if your brother dies” “You must not wear a clock of two fabrics”, “No eating lobster, clams or pork” “If a woman is raped in town and nobody hears her scream its her fault”, The rapist can pay daddy 30 silver coins & its all a-OK” and “The rapists must marry his victim”
Truly these are turds to live by
Yeah, what Dog said. Alain? Must be a hoot at parties. Me? I say Oklahoma, maintain at least 30,000 feet altitude while flying over.
Reblogged this on Dead Citizen's Rights Society.
The New World Order that our president is ushering in is 100% Satanic.
Look it up, there are tons of utube videos on the subject. Also see how World leaders meet at Bohemian Grove in Nor Cal annually to conduct Satanic rituals as captured on hidden camera by Alex Jones. The Crisis Actors used at Sandy Hook were all recruited from the church of Satan. People need to WTFU now.
Why wouldn’t this be governed by Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 (2009)? In that case, the Court unanimously held that the acceptance of a permanent monument in a public place was an example of government speech. When the government speaks, it can choose from conflicting views (government can accept a Statue of Liberty without therefore being obligated to accept a Statue of Despotism). The Summum religion could not force Pleasant Grove to accept its own monument to stand alongside the Ten Commandments.
Notwithstanding the potentially valid ideas of the Satanic Temple and Baphomet, I never thought much about Satan until I tried to describe in my own mind what drives miscreants like Limbaugh and O’Reilly. It finally dawned on me that they represent Satanic ideas. They seem to be able to put a Satanic spin on every idea that comes before the public.
Knowing that many ‘christians’ are ‘lowlives’ Can ‘Satanism’ be much worse? Let’s give it a chance! 😉
” … it forces the question of why it is permissible to depict one religion in exclusion of others …” – JT
Oklahoma opened a can of worms with its one true religion legislation.
Civic ignorance is epidemic.
This is so upsetting. What happened to “One Nation Under God” and “in God We Trust”? I bet our forefathers are turning in their graves. Somehow, I don’t believe our present America is anything that they had envisioned or would have even fought for…sad really.