The Satanic Temple of New Hampshire and Vermont (TST) installed a satanic holiday display outside the New Hampshire State Capitol building in Concord on Saturday night in an attempt to criticize the Christian Nativity set up just feet away.
“Everything has the potential to offend, even the nearby nativity scene. Not only is over a third of the state not religious, never mind Christian, but I can imagine those who have been judged, harmed, or abused by the Christian church feeling offended by the nativity scene displayed on public grounds. And yet the nativity scene has stood perennially, unmolested, for years,” said N.H. State Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket) in a statement to NH Journal.
Rep. Read reportedly helped the Satanists file the proper paperwork and permits necessary to put up their display.
“A lot of people run from the word ‘satanic,’ but we embrace it,” said Satanic minister Vivian Kelly at the group’s ceremony putting up the display.
The display includes a statue depicting its “mascot,” the goat-headed demon Baphomet, holding an apple and a cluster of lilacs.
The statue is dressed in a version of Catholic clerical robes, and a parody of the traditional Catholic penitential purple stole, featuring inverted crosses and pentagrams with a goat skull in the center.
The display also includes a satanic version of the American flag, featuring black and white stripes, and a circle containing a pentagram surrounded by numerous stars, along with a tablet displaying the Satanic Temple’s seven core tenets.
The Satanic Temple is a left-wing atheistic organization that claims to use its satanic imagery to promote “benevolence,” abortion, and transgender rights, and views Satan as an icon of self-determination.
The City of Concord addressed the controversial display in a Facebook post, implying that they only decided to allow the display out of fear of a potential lawsuit.
“The Satanic Temple has been making requests to install its monuments at holiday displays as part a show of unity and religious pluralism. Throughout the country, the Satanic Temple has both threatened and brought lawsuits under the First Amendment when excluded,” said the city.
“Under the First Amendment and to avoid litigation, the City needed to choose whether to ban all holiday displays installed by other groups, or otherwise, to allow it. After reviewing its legal options, the City ultimately decided to continue the policy of allowing unattended displays at City Plaza during this holiday season and to allow the statue,” they added.
They suggested that the current situation could lead to a change in the city’s policy regarding displays outside the State House.
New Hampshire-based Christian advocacy group Cornerstone Action put out a statement addressing the Satanic display.
“The Satanic Temple are not Satanists. They have no religious belief in any Satan figure. They are normal, atheist feminists who use Satanic imagery as a legal tactic, to fundraise through media exposure, and because offending Christian grandmothers brings a sense of meaning to their sad lives,” said the group.
“Christians should either ridicule these displays as cartoonish or else deny ‘The Satanic Temple’ the attention they use to generate media exposure and funds,” said the group.
Cornerstone called on Christians to put up more and larger Christmas displays to counter the Satanic Temple, but did not advocate vandalism towards their display.
The Satanic display is not the only holiday display put up to protest the nativity.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation put up a display of the Bill of Rights to protest the religious imagery of the Nativity setup.
Sponsored by Planned Parenthood…
It is good to be reminder of evil.
Some people need to be clubbed like a baby seal N.H. State Rep. Ellen Read
Doesn’t anyone have a gallon of gasoline ?
When do Mills, Pingry and Anus put one up on Munjoy Hill?
This country was NOT founded on Satanic beliefs! It was founded on Judean/ Christian beliefs – The Satanic display MUST go!
If you are atheist, jehovah, Muslim, Jew or even satanist, you can come to work on Christmas just like any other work day. You don’t need to celebrate Christmas the day to celebrate the birthday of Christ. There are many soup kitchens, children homes, old folks homes, etc that need help during Christmas so put your belief where your mouth is and go donate your anti Christmas days off helping out in needy places. The shelters need lot of help too especially during Christmas week