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Satanic Temple’s Holiday Display Now At Florida Capitol
December 24, 2014
The Satanic Temple, a New York-based group that doesn’t really worship the devil, put up a crudely made diorama in the entry rotunda of Florida’s Capitol on Monday.
The only dispute involved a brief dustup with a state official over the exact spot on the floor to place the display.
The falling-angel diorama, which a year ago was barred from the Capitol because it was deemed “grossly offensive” by the Department of Management Services, is the latest in a series of irreverent holiday displays from groups motivated by the state’s acceptance of Christian nativity scenes the past two years.
John Porgal, a Tallahassee resident and member of the Satanic Temple, said the group threatened legal action this year if it again was blocked. It also offered not to put up its display if the Florida Prayer Network and International House of Prayer Tallahassee wouldn’t put up their nativity scenes.
“If the nativity scene never came in here in the first place we would never had done this,” said Porgal, who is also a member of the American Atheists of Tallahassee. “We don’t want to be insulting. We just want our rights, the separation of church and states or equal rights.”
The group’s name, the Satanic Temple, is simply to draw attention to its efforts.
“The Satanic Temple does not worship the devil in any way, shape or form,” Porgal acknowledged when asked.
The temple’s display this year joined entries from the American Atheists of Tallahassee, the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and a South Florida political blogger who for the second year put up a 6-foot stack of empty beer cans to represent Festivus, a sitcom-based festival “for the rest of us.”
State officials, when asked the past couple of weeks about the temple’s inclusion in the Capitol, have either deferred to the Department of Management Services or turned the topic to the more irreverent Festivus pole, which gained a national audience in the sitcom “Seinfeld.”
In reaction to the glut of holiday display applications this year, the department imposed a new seven-day timeline for items put up in the rotunda. Applicants face a fine starting at $100 if a display remains after its scheduled removal date.
The Florida Prayer Network’s nativity, which went up Dec. 15, was taken down Monday. Nearby a framed poster of the nativity by the International House of Prayer Tallahassee was put up Monday.
Both groups are represented by Pam Olsen, who questioned the motives of those opposed to the nativity scene but said she supports the open forum for holiday displays.
Olsen added she wouldn’t remove the nativity scenes if that would keep out many of the more “outlandish” displays.
“They’re here to shut down Christianity,” Olsen said. “They’re fighting for the separation of church and state. That’s what their whole premise is. They’re here to fight the display of Christ and Christmas. Whether we have a display here or not, guess what, Christ is in Christmas.”
Olsen noted that the opposition groups have been silent regarding the placement of a Hanukkah menorah or Christmas trees, which have been displayed for years on the first floor of the Capitol.
The menorah is up this week inside the rotunda. The trees are inside the entries to the offices of the governor and the members of the Cabinet, the same as in past years.
The temple’s display includes the phrase “Happy holidays from the Satanic Temple” atop a diorama of an angel falling into hell. On Monday, the temple demanded its table-top display be placed in the middle of a hallway leading toward the offices of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Gov. Rick Scott.
The spot had been occupied by the Florida Prayer Network’s wooden nativity scene.
A Department of Management Services official told Porgal that the display needed to be closer to a column, a couple of feet away and out of the central walkway. After Porgal vehemently protested, the official departed without speaking to the gaggle of media attending the temple’s arrival.
“We wanted to make sure we got front and center just like the manger scene did,” Porgal said.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
12 Responses to “Satanic Temple’s Holiday Display Now At Florida Capitol”
I’m offended…..does that mean they have to take it down?
What a sad country this is becoming. Where is the “do gooder lawyer” from Oklahoma or whatever God forsaken place “he” is from now? I say whatever is good for one religion is just as good or better than the other. What kind of country is this that God fearing men and women gave their all to defend? May God Have Mercy On All OF Our Souls! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!.
I will pray for the satanic temple people that they may be touched by the Holy Spirit ! And I thank them for their acknowledgement of the Holydays !
Can’t have a Nativity Scene up but can put a devil scene up in public God is greater and we should have a Nativity scene up in public places.
America has always been ONE NATION UNDER GOD
this is showing when satan was cast out of heaven….2nd Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” And then again in Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
So I think this display is just proof that this so called satanic temple does Believe in God and also in fallen angels…we should just look at it as this, Satan is still roaming and trying to steal from us.. and what a good time to put up such a display as we celebrate the birth of Christ…a good reminder to Christians that we cant let Satan win and we should cast him out of our lives and house just as our father God did….don’t let things like this burden, upset or make you angry as that is what the devil trys to do….use this display as a reminder and Cast him out!! Merry Christmas may God bless each and everyone of you
An Atheists does not believe in God. However in there attempt to get at Christians they are showing us they believe in heaven and hell. Not sure they thought his out to well.
Merry Christmas.
If you look at this “logically”, those who choose to worship satan (little “s”) or choose to worship nothing – in fact, already acknowledge the very existence of the Christ I serve. The display shows a fallen angel from heaven (as depicted).
True, satan was cast down from heaven and a third of the angels who followed his (little “h”) ways. Therefore even the satanic group acknowledges the existence of God, if not – the entire premise of their belief system is invalid.
One must ask, “knowing (believing) their is a God, as acknowledged by their own display – and that satan was cast down – why would you risk all of eternity on a belief system that validates the demise of the god (little “g”) satan you worship?
Unfortunately, we live in a time that political correctness and threat of law suites are the prevailing overtures that direct and guide much of society as we understand it. This display is no exception. In many ways, it just fulfills the prophecies of the Bible…
As for me and my house, we choose to follow and believe and trust and put our faith in the living God, (ok a lot of AND’s)…. And we choose to celebrate His (big “H”) birth and recognize the gift of all gift’s, Jesus THE CHRIST. After all, we could not have CHRISTmas without CHRIST (lol).
To all the haters, doubters, atheist, Satanist groups, etc… I ask you this, “When you lay your head down tonight, and IF it were the last time you took a breath in this earthly body, would you risk all eternity of a chance you were right/wrong (same difference). Let’s say there was a .00000000000000000001 percent change God exist. Would you still risk an eternity in hell on that percentage? Let’s say you are 100% right, and in fact you are – satatn does exist, and he will one day be cast down to never rise up again. Which would you bet on? A .00000000000000000001 percent chance that you could spend eternity in heaven, or a 100% chance you could spend eternity in hell…..
Ok I admit – I believe in the Big Bang…. Say what????? Yea, God spoke the very universe into existence, and I was not there – but I bet there was one heck of a BIG BANG !!!
Anyway, Merry CHRISTmas to all…. (just my two cents)
If it is OK for one group to place a display, it must be allowed for any other to do so also.
I say no religious displays need be in government offices for this very reason.
The same goes for public prayer. That is, unless you are OK allowing ALL other faiths to do so also.
Religious freedom or theocracy. You decide.
To those ACLU types I ask, how can you love the father, yet curse his son?
“Satanic Temple, a group that doesn’t worship the devil”
Yet they do the devils work? Hell won’t hold it against them.
Whoever feels the need to show off their religious beliefs may do so…and in return we Christians will do the same. It’s not for me to understand, nor question….because I am a daughter of the Most High King….Jesus Christ Himself! I know for a fact that when the trumpets sound I am Heaven bound.
Don’t judge me for my Christian beliefs, because it’s not man made religion…for I do not judge you of yours. I pray that get the most out of whatever it is you are seeking. I pray that our Father helps lead you in a Godly way and help you prosper.
Merry CHRISTmas!