The New York-based Church of Satan has the state of Oklahoma in a tizzy after submitting an application to put up a statue of the goat-headed Baphomet on the grounds of the state Capitol. The move comes after the state government allowed a privately-funded monument featuring the bible's Ten Commandments to be installed on Capitol property in 2012.
The Satanists feel that Oklahoma home, the state known as the buckle of the Bible Belt, should show its commitment to freedom of worship, as protected by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but allowing their plans to go through. They hope to see the construction of a 7-foot tall statue of a god-headed deity, designed to be chair-like so that "people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation," according to the group.
The Church of Satan intends to donate the statue to the government and are presently collecting funds online to see the structure made. According to its Indiegogo fundraising page at the time of publication, the group is about $4,000 short of its $20,000 goal.
Oklahomans are less than amused however, and the local government has moved to put a moratorium on considering any new monuments at the Capitol. This motion happened, however, after the Satanists sent in their forms.
Local officials said they will decide how to continue after a pending lawsuit brought against the state by the ACLU is adjudicated. The civil rights group sued after the Ten Commandments monument was put up, claiming that its installation on government property was a violation of separation of church and state.
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