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
David,
You have no game!
Don’t make me drag up a 12 year old Jehovah witness boy over to kick your butt explaining scriptures to you.
Could a guest blogger release from the WordPress vortex of doom my lengthy reply to Jill please?
Tom,
You’d better keep your eyes off my azz! LOL
https://www.google.com/search?q=Pictures+of+Missouri+Mules&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=qNHNUui-CIykyAHa_4DICQ&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1600&bih=757
mespo: made my week; thank you.
Tom Blanton:
“By the way, is it OK to covet the ass of my neighbor’s wife?”
***********************
Assuredly it is not — as conventionally understood. However, the lawyer in me does notice that lust is not specifically proscribed. Covet could mean you admire and desire her loom skills or that he derriere would fit just perfectly into your new “She’s Got The Bump” video.
Jill
O.S. That is a good example, although I am sorry for what happened to the young man. Christians talk to spirits all the time. Why isn’t that clearly the basis for being diagnosed as schizophrenic?
==================
Good point.
Probably because they are Baptist?
In this case it was Psybiastry masking as Psychiatry as OS pointed out.
The question is, whose God? One nation under God. Our forefathers didn’t specify.
If any group needs equal space on the legislative or state house squares in that state it would be the Cherokee. Yo, Andrew Jackson! Thou shalt not kill the Cherokee.
[music]
Redneck Mothers:
Its Up against the wall Redneck mothers.
Mothers who have raised their sons so well.
He’s thirty four and sitting in honkey tonks.
Kickin hippies asses and raisin hell.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. The Satanists are as much a religion as many other sects.
Separation of church and state protects us from the control of any religion. The problem with most Christians is that they have no idea what happens when another religion takes over and uses the state to impose its will. ( Saudi arabie) They think as long as its Christian and of course right, no problem. Short sighted and apparently devoid of a knowledge of history.
It depends Tom,
The husband may take a shot at you or he may give you a brand new Ranger Bass Boat to take her off his hands. LOL
By the way, is it OK to covet the ass of my neighbor’s wife?
Oky1 left out the version of Matt 666 from the New American Republicrat Pharisee Super Bible:
“But when thou, the sanctimonious Republicrat Grand Poobahs, when thou pretendeth to pray, appeareth before the television cameras with the large Super Bible adorned with gold, and prayeth loudly before the rubes so they may donate their meager earnings to you and voteth for you, pray for thy Imperial Empire which rules in secret; and thy cronies which seeth in secret shall reward thee secretly.”
I think those who dare question the wisdom of their duly elected Masters of the Imperial Empire need to remember one thing: The God of the Masters is bigger than your tiny impotent god.
The defendant was likely, Lakota, a very spiritual tribe.
David:
I’m continually amazed at just how little American jurisprudence/history you know. The Ten Commandments are not the foundation of American law any more than the Bible itself was. There are no laws precluding taking the Lord’s name in vain or having no idols before anyone. Likewise it is not a crime to fail to honor your father and mother or to miss church on Sunday/Saturday. Even adultery goes without criminal penalty.
If you want to rest your argument on coveting your neighbor’s wife or ass, perjury, or the proscription against murder, you’ll find that little bit of practical wisdom just about everywhere in the ancient world. If you want to find the roots of American law look to the laws of Rome or the English common law and turn off the 700 Channel and Rush Limbaugh.
mespo wrote: “David: I’m continually amazed at just how little American jurisprudence/history you know. The Ten Commandments are not the foundation of American law any more than the Bible itself was.”
There really is no need for you to get personal about this, or feel the need to put me beneath your feet in knowledge. It may just be that I am more well read on this particular subject than you are. I read a book more than 30 years ago that made an impact upon my young mind about how much of our civil government we owe to the Hebrews. This influence includes our concept of city councils to civilize our towns, voting for representation, the method of establishing laws, how our court system functions, and concepts of freedom, social justice for the poor, for immigrants, for women, etc. Although I don’t have a reference for you right now to this specific book because I would have to dig through some old notes as this was when few could afford a personal computer, a quick search on Amazon shows several books that address this subject:
“Influence of Jewish Law in Some American Constitutional Amendments”
“Torah and Constitution: Essays in American Jewish Thought”
“WorldPerfect: The Jewish Impact on Civilization”
“The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels”
“David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible’s Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition”
Most of these titles I have not specifically read, but they appear to deal with the same concept of the Hebrew Influence on Western Civilization that I have read in many similar books.
You might also want to read U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Brewer’s book: “The United States a Christian Nation.”
The book focuses upon the Christian culture surrounding our founding, and how the Bible was very much used as a textbook in education until modern times. He admits in this context: “I could show how largely our laws and customs are based upon the laws of Moses and the teachings of Christ.”
Following is a link to Justice Brewer’s book online:
“The United States a Christian Nation”
https://archive.org/details/unitedstateschri00brew
You should ask yourself why so many include the Ten Commandments in our historical monuments. Would this be primarily because it has some historical significance to our culture, or is an attempt by modernists to hijack our government and force religion upon everyone? The evidence is overwhelming that it is the former reason. When Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore designed a monument, he included the Ten Commandments at the center and included text from Martin Luther King Jr., Declaration of Independence, quotes from Justice Blackstone, and other historical sources. Why were the Ten Commandments included? Hint: it was not just for religious reasons. It has to do with law, natural law, and our pathway to civilization.
mespo wrote: “If you want to find the roots of American law look to the laws of Rome or the English common law…”
The Ten Commandments predates these roots by millennia. Hence, these legal systems you mention were themselves influenced by the Hebrew writings and concepts. In fact it was during the Roman period when scholars wrote that Plato from the pre-Roman period had come across the Torah. They wrote that Plato adopted adopted his concept of monotheism from the writings of Moses. Plato’s contemporaries called Plato an atheist because he rejected the polytheism that was popular in Greece. In truth he was a monotheist.
Unlike other sacred texts, the Ten Commandments were believed by the culture to have been written by the very finger of God. The commandments were followed up with the Torah which established additional concepts of jurisprudence and expounded upon social justice issues which have been a foundation for most of Western Civilization. The only formulation of law prior to the Ten Commandments was the Noachide laws comprised of 7 commandments. The Hebrews even today consider the Noachide commandments applicable to the entire world, but they regard the Ten Commandments as binding law only to themselves. Nevertheless, the Ten Commandments have been greatly influential on Gentiles of Western Civilization. I know you see it differently, but please don’t assume it is because I am ignorant and you are knowledgeable. I will not react to insults by discarding the knowledge that I have accumulated over many years.
Yes, some Pentecostal claim to be speaking in tongues.
Of course they & no one else are never sure what they said. lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia
WordPress seems to have ate that last post?
Just for my own curiosity, does believing in God automatically translate into “religion” or is that something that evolved into going hand in hand?
With regard to Cecil B. DeMille, the Ten Commandments movie and the Ten Commandments monuments that dot our country:
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“The God Racket, From DeMille To DeLay”
(excerpt)
As DeMille readied his costly Paramount production for release a half-century ago, he seized on an ingenious publicity scheme. In partnership with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a nationwide association of civic-minded clubs founded by theater owners, he sponsored the construction of several thousand Ten Commandments monuments throughout the country to hype his product. The Pharaoh himself — that would be Yul Brynner — participated in the gala unveiling of the Milwaukee slab. Heston did the same in North Dakota. Bizarrely enough, all these years later, it is another of these DeMille-inspired granite monuments, on the grounds of the Texas Capitol in Austin, that is a focus of the Ten Commandments case that the United States Supreme Court heard this month.
We must wait for the court’s ruling on whether the relics of a Hollywood relic breach the separation of church and state. Either way, it’s clear that one principle, so firmly upheld by DeMille, has remained inviolate no matter what the courts have to say: American moguls, snake-oil salesmen and politicians looking to score riches or power will stop at little if they feel it is in their interests to exploit God to achieve those ends.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/arts/27Rich.html
‘In God We Trust’ did not appear on our coins until the 1860s.
The salute to our flag was written by a socialist minister in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World.
The “under God” in “one nation under God” was added to the Pledge in the 1950s out of a passion to announce that we were not a communist country.
Our Founders and the Framers of our Constitution (and Bill of Rights) never uttered the Pledge of Allegiance that mentions “one nation under God” and did not put “In God We Trust” on our coins. When Ben Franklin suggested the men at the Constitutional Convention say a daily prayer to God while at the Convention there was a silence out of respect for Ben but they did not vote to add a prayer to their daily sessions nor did they do so. They had seen enough blood shed in the name of religion and were determined to avoid any more bloodshed over religion.
O.S. That is a good example, although I am sorry for what happened to the young man. Christians talk to spirits all the time. Why isn’t that clearly the basis for being diagnosed as schizophrenic?