Christmas 2014: Satanic Temple Display Proposed For State Capitol

October 9, 2014

The New York-based Satanic Temple wants to bring some of its holiday cheer to the Florida Capitol, after being turned away last year. The Satanic Temple announced Wednesday that “in a gesture of seasonal spirit and good will” it will ask the state Department of Management Services to accept the same display for the Capitol’s first-floor rotunda that was rejected a year ago as being “grossly offensive.”

“We feel our holiday display sends a very important, affirmative message that goes above and beyond that of superficial season’s greetings,” temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves said in a release. “It’s a message of religious freedom, and church-state separation expressed in the state’s neutrality.”

Ben Wolf, a spokesman for the Department of Management Services, said in an email Wednesday that the agency has yet to receive the application. The agency limits the height of displays based on where they are located in the rotunda and prohibits displays from blocking permanent memorials such as the Civil Rights and Veterans halls of fame. Also, the department will allow displays as long as there is available space, but has rules against noise and impeding official business.

The department decided in May to maintain its mostly open-door, first-come, first-served policy on Capitol displays after a number of diverse exhibits dotted the Capitol rotunda during the 2013 holiday season. The often irreverent displays, which included a pole made of empty beer cans to mark the sitcom-created Festivus holiday and a shredded pile of paper that was supposed to resemble the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, came in response to the state approving a pair of Christian nativity scenes for the Capitol.

The Satanic Temple had proposed a diorama of an angel falling into hell bannered with the phrase “Happy holidays from the Satanic Temple.”

by The News Service of Florida

Pictured top: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster  joined several groups putting up irreverent displays in the first floor of the Florida Capitol last year for Christmas. Pictured inset: A display proposed by the Satanic Temple that was rejected last year by the Department of Management Service for the Florida Capitol. File photos by Jim Turner for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

20 Responses to “Christmas 2014: Satanic Temple Display Proposed For State Capitol”

  1. mom on October 13th, 2014 6:00 pm

    Keep all religions out of the state capital. All have a right to worship their own way, but no one has a right to push their religion on anyone. We USE TO BE a Judeo Christian nation, not any more. If we let the mojority rule, that may be muslem one day. Let every business owner put whatever display they want to for their business. The paper mill should be able to put the nativity scene up if the owner prefers to.

  2. Interesting... on October 10th, 2014 4:04 pm

    I think it’s very interesting that the Satanic Temple wants to wish everyone a Happy Holiday for Christmas – the holiday that symbolizes the day of the birth of Christ. Are they really happy about that? I think not.

    However, the law of the land does say freedom of religion. So, I guess we need to define what religion is in order to allow these various religions their displays. Christians know that they should believe in Jesus not religion.

    But beware: Satan is real and has crept into most areas of our life. He enjoys his reign on earth for sure. Confusion is his friend. Maybe Satan thinks if he gets his worker-bees to display these type of images more people will become curious and join or they will become desensitized. There lies the danger.

    Let the state capitol have their holiday display. Christians can display else where…

  3. Lindy67 on October 10th, 2014 8:38 am

    First and foremost, I am a Christian. Christmas is the holiday celebrating Jesus Christ’s birthday, hence the name Christmas! There is no other holiday being celebrated Dec. 25th.

    This Satanic Temple – a group of agnostics who mock Christian beliefs – should not be allowed to display this disrespectful and direct attack on Christians during a time we are honoring Jesus..

    Don’t have ANY displays, seperate Church and state.

    It would be the equivelant of letting some organization use a display to insult & disrespect other religions on such holidays as Kwanza, Yom Kippur or Ramadan.

  4. Ponch on October 9th, 2014 9:50 pm

    Touché, Sedition, touché

    @Fred, How can this display be offensive to Christians when it merely depicts an illustration of what YOUR bible says happened? According to YOUR religion (that created Satan in the first place) he was an angel that was cast out of heaven.

    I’m not a religious person, but what’s good for one religion should be good for all religions. Allow them all, or allow none of them.

  5. Amen on October 9th, 2014 4:44 pm

    Seems that if one’s true belief is strong enough then this display is nothing more than a passing curiosity as are many others.

  6. Alex on October 9th, 2014 1:03 pm

    That is horrible, do not let that happen!!! May God bless them

  7. Brenda on October 9th, 2014 12:55 pm

    DO NOT SEND IT TO FLORIDA. KEEP IT THERE.

  8. Fred on October 9th, 2014 12:49 pm

    cy, if these displays appeared to be any kind of religious expression, I would not have said that. They appear to be snarky insults, though, and that’s why I said what I did. As I also said, if these were displays insulting to Mohammed and the Moslems, I would bet they would not be allowed.

  9. BT on October 9th, 2014 11:12 am

    Most folks don’t go to a government building to get into the holiday spirit. It’s just plain silly to have these displays, serious or not.

    Please feel free to put whatever kind of display you want on your own property, though.

  10. Dennis HE Wiggins, D.Div. on October 9th, 2014 10:59 am

    I have to agree with Melissa on this one. I am a Christian, and I do not want to have anyone’s views “pushed” on me. But, likewise, a Christian should never “push” his or her views on people of other beliefs.

    It is a slippery slope when the government begins allowing ANY group to display religious-themed items on government property. The law of equality is clear – allow all or NONE the privilege of the display. Do I like the law? Absolutely not. But everyone has the right to freely exercise their religion without interference from the government.

    When the government begins impeding the rights of one group (the Satanic Temple) and are allowed to do so, it won’t be long before others’ (Christians’) rights are taken, too. We need only look at history to see it has happened.

  11. cygie on October 9th, 2014 10:03 am

    If you are afraid of the devil you will not want to allow the displays to be put up.

  12. Gene on October 9th, 2014 9:41 am

    Ditto, Jeeperman (LOL)

  13. cy on October 9th, 2014 8:41 am

    It’s amazing that people feel offended of other religions, but don’t feel that they offend others with their religion! This is precisely why we have (should have) separation of church and state! I agree with Melissa and Sedition on this.
    And to Fred for saying “Tell these worms to crawl back under their rocks where they belong.” Way to go Fred. Seems like the Christian thing to say, right?
    Why can’t everyone just get along?

  14. Sedition on October 9th, 2014 8:20 am

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

    The 1st Amendment…it’s not just for Christians, it’s the Law of the Land.

  15. Michelle on October 9th, 2014 7:41 am

    They may think they are being funny and clever right now. Satan will have his time on the earth and no one will think it is funny.
    We are ALL made in GOD’s image and Satan HATES us all because of that.
    The time is Now, turn to GOD because they may not be tomorrow <3 GOD Bless you all <3

  16. Melissa on October 9th, 2014 7:33 am

    Why is it that most of the commenters here seem to be okay with Christian displays in the Capitol but are not interested in letting others display their religions as well? One person even said they were “pushing their sick views on other people.” But don’t you think that you are pushing your views on others as well? I say let them all have a go at it. We are a freedom of religion based country here. We should not oppress others’ beliefs.

  17. keith on October 9th, 2014 7:24 am

    There are sick people in this world but hells fire will let them know they are wrong for trying to push there sick views on other people…

  18. jeeperman on October 9th, 2014 7:20 am

    Let them place their decoration.
    Then another group can place a sign with an arrow that says “Do not let this happen to you”.

  19. Fred on October 9th, 2014 3:07 am

    Okay, would a display depicting Mohammed in some compromising or disrespectful fashion be allowed? Of course not. Then why would a display patently offensive to Christians be allowed? It should not. Tell these worms to crawl back under their rocks where they belong.

  20. 429SCJ on October 9th, 2014 1:38 am

    There is room in hell for the gullible.

    Expedite!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News