7-Foot Satan Statue Proposed for Okla. State Capitol
A devilish design for a proposed statue of Satan at Oklahoma's state Capitol has gotten more than one legislator's goat.
The Satanic Temple, based in New York, requested that a 7-foot-tall likeness of Satan (in winged, horned, goat-headed form) be erected at the Sooner State's Capitol building, as a response to the Ten Commandments occupying the public space in 2012, reports The Associated Press.
Will Hell freeze over before Satan sits on Oklahoma's Capitol steps?
The 'Buddy' Satan Statue
Following in the same vein as the "Buddy Christ" from the movie "Dogma," devotees of the Satanic Temple are proposing a more friendly Satan statue design -- one flanked by smiling children. A Temple spokesman related that the statue can serve as a place of "inspiration and contemplation" for "people of all ages," reports the AP.
You can see the proposed design in this report from Oklahoma City's KFOR-TV:
The Oklahoma Legislature had authorized a Judeo-Christian display of the Ten Commandments, to be placed on the north steps of the state's Capitol in 2012, which drew a lawsuit from the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that a display of the Ten Commandments at a state's Capitol was constitutional, but the issue is still being litigated in federal courts across the nation.
Meantime, groups like the Satanic Temple have tried another approach: getting other religious symbols into this display space.
Reactions to Satanic Proposal
Proposing the Satan statue didn't require a deal with the devil, it simply meant making a request to the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission. However, in light of the pending ACLU lawsuit over the Ten Commandments, the Commission has put a hold on considering any new requests, reports the AP.
Critics have associated this move by the Satanic Temple with similar requests aimed at highlighting the intersection of religion and government. But unlike one Floridian's "Festivus Pole" idea, Greaves affirmed that the Temple is "serious about having a monument placed there," reports the AP.
Oklahoma Rep. Earl Sears disagrees, telling the AP that the proposed Satan statue would be "an insult to the good people of the state."
Regardless of any lawmaker's personal views on the beliefs of the Satanic Temple, Satan will not be seated anywhere on Oklahoma government land until the ACLU lawsuit is resolved. Maybe then the devil will get his due.
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Related Resources:
- N.Y. Group Applies To Build Satan Statue At Oklahoma State Capitol (CBS New York)
- Is 'Vote Satan' Theft a Sign of Hate Crime? (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- 'Bible Banners' OK at School Football Games, Texas Judge Rules (FindLaw's Decided)
- Therapist Sued for Fake Satanic Cult Memories (FindLaw's Injured)
