A Satanic holiday display put up in the Illinois State Capitol dome just days before Christmas has drawn harsh criticism from locals and religious leaders.
The Satanic Temple of Illinois installed the display, depicting the deity ‘Baphomet’ as a baby, on Monday in the state building’s rotunda, WICS reported.
Satanic Temple members said that Baphomet is meant to represent plurality, unity, compassion and empathy, and described it as ‘a display of positive values.’
‘The Capitol welcomes a diverse range of religions every year to display holiday statues during the holiday season, so we wanted to join in on that,’ Satanic Temple of Illinois Minister Adam said.
Following the displays installation, members of the Catholic group American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property gathered to protest.
Parishioners held banners reading, ‘Satan has no rights’ and ‘Mary crushes the serpent.’ Some knelt in prayer while others held Rosary beads and recited the Christian ‘Hail Mary’ prayer.
Last month, the Springfield Diocese installed a Nativity scene in the same rotunda, during which Bishop Thomas Paprocki said the Satanic statue had no place in the Capitol, or anywhere.
The Satanic Temple of Illinois said they invited Paprocki to participate in the installation of their display, which is on loan from the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts. Paprocki did not make an appearance.
A sign from the State of Illinois placed in front of all the holiday displays says:
‘The State of Illinois is required by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to allow temporary, public display in the state capitol so long as these displays are not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Because the first floor of the Capitol rotunda is a public place, state officials cannot legally censor the content of speech or displays. The United States Supreme Court has held that public officials may legally impose reasonable time, place and manner restrictions regarding displays and speech, but no regulation can be based on the content of the speech.’
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