Satanic Temple Raises Hell at the Arkansas Capitol by Unveiling a Badass Baphomet Statue
Yesterday the Satanic Temple in Arkansas unveiled a Baphomet statue intended as a counterpart to the 10 Commandments statue located on the Arkansas capitol grounds. The Baphomet statue features a winged, enthroned, goat-headed idol, looked upon lovingly by two young children. Upon its unveiling at the Satanic Temple Arkansas rally, temple co-founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves called it “a symbol of pluralism, legal equality, tolerance, freedom of belief, freedom of conscience and reconciliation.”
Greaves explained that the Satanic Temple didn’t bring the Baphomet statue to replace the 10 Commandments statue or to mock other people’s beliefs, nor has the Temple ever asked that the 10 Commandments statue be removed.
“We have as little interest in forcing our beliefs and symbols upon you as we do in having the beliefs and symbols of others forced upon us,” Greaves said.
Rather, Greaves clarified that the Satanic Temple only brings Baphomet to state grounds where other religious statues already exist as a way to compel lawmakers to uphold the American value of free speech and religion.
RELATED | 3 Ways the Satanic Temple Wants to Make Life Better for Queer Students
Greaves said the Satanic Temple Arkansas rally isn’t a protest of Satanists against Christians or secularists against believers but rather a rally for “liberty in the face of rising theocracy and tolerance in the face of infantile tribalisms.”
Here’s a video of the Satanic Temple Arkansas rally and the Baphomet statue:
In our May 2017 interview with Greaves, he explained the symbolism of the Baphomet statue, saying, “The design of Baphomet might strike some people as shocking at first glance, but it is rife with meaning. The binary elements embodied in the imagery signifies a reconciliation of opposites; alongside the 10 Commandments, it was meant to send a clear message in support of real religious liberty, pluralism and freedom of conscience.”
