The group, which calls itself "The Satanic Temple," today unveiled its proposal for a monument it intends to erect next to another religious statue: a depiction of the Ten Commandments.
It would also include quotes from poets William Blake and Lord Byron.
The monument, said the group’s spokesman, was designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and could doubly serve as a tourist attraction.
Oklahoma state legislators in 2009 approved the installation of a privately-funded Ten Commandments monument. It was installed last year over the protests of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Satanic Temple wasn’t the only group to apply for a monument; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a Hindu group have also requested a place near the Capitol steps.
"Either way you cut it, this is a First Amendment issue," Greaves said. "Once they open that door, they can't discriminate."
State Rep. Mike Ritze, who spearheaded the campaign to erect the Ten Commandments and paid for that monument, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Oklahoma lawmakers have declared that Satanists should not be allowed to construct a monument of their own. The city Preservation Commission last month voted to ban additional statues on Capitol grounds until a judge decides on an ACLU suit to remove the current Ten Commandments monument.
Greaves assured the Satanists’ monument would be “in good taste and consistent with community standards.”
Asked why the Temple had chosen to descend on Oklahoma, Greaves said the locals had reached out to him after the Ten Commandments had been erected.
According to The Satanic Temple's application, the proposed monument features a large pentagram and “a 7-foot tall goat-headed Baphomet that sits cross-legged flanked by a child on both sides. The lap will serve as a seat for visitors:
- http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Satanists_unveil_proposed_statue_for_state_capitol.html
Call upon any diety to smite me where i stand me if old!
It would also include quotes from poets William Blake and Lord Byron.
The monument, said the group’s spokesman, was designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and could doubly serve as a tourist attraction.
Oklahoma state legislators in 2009 approved the installation of a privately-funded Ten Commandments monument. It was installed last year over the protests of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Satanic Temple wasn’t the only group to apply for a monument; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a Hindu group have also requested a place near the Capitol steps.
"Either way you cut it, this is a First Amendment issue," Greaves said. "Once they open that door, they can't discriminate."
State Rep. Mike Ritze, who spearheaded the campaign to erect the Ten Commandments and paid for that monument, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Oklahoma lawmakers have declared that Satanists should not be allowed to construct a monument of their own. The city Preservation Commission last month voted to ban additional statues on Capitol grounds until a judge decides on an ACLU suit to remove the current Ten Commandments monument.
Greaves assured the Satanists’ monument would be “in good taste and consistent with community standards.”
Asked why the Temple had chosen to descend on Oklahoma, Greaves said the locals had reached out to him after the Ten Commandments had been erected.
According to The Satanic Temple's application, the proposed monument features a large pentagram and “a 7-foot tall goat-headed Baphomet that sits cross-legged flanked by a child on both sides. The lap will serve as a seat for visitors:
- http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Satanists_unveil_proposed_statue_for_state_capitol.html
Call upon any diety to smite me where i stand me if old!
