Worshippers of Satan want to bring their beliefs into the heartland. The Associated Press reports that the New York-based Satanic Temple group wants to bring a seven-foot tall Satan statue into the Oklahoma capitol, which has a monument to the Ten Commandments up.
The Satanic Temple submitted its application to a panel that administers the Capitol grounds. Their statue depicts Satan with a goat-head and with horns, wings and a beard.
“The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond,” temple spokesman Lucien Greaves told the AP. “The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.”
The temple says the building of the Ten Commandments monument opened the door for their group to apply. Other religious groups have likewise applied to place structures at the Capitol, but Oklahoma authorities placed a moratorium on requests after the American Civil Liberties Union sued in 2012 over the Ten Commandments structure.
Oklahoma politicians were none too pleased with the request from the Satanic Temple. Rep. Earl Sears said that the temple’s attempt is a “an insult to the good people of the state. I do not see Satanism as a religion, and they have no place at the state Capitol.”