LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Christians and Satanists put up competing displays Sunday on the Michigan Capitol grounds as Christmas week got underway.
The Detroit chapter of the Satanic Temple set up its "Snaketivity Scene" featuring a snake offering a book called "Revolt of the Angels" as a gift. The snake is wrapped around the Satanic cross on the 3-feet-by-3-feet display. Capitol rules require that displays have to be taken down each night.
In a videotaped interview with the Lansing State Journal (http://on.lsj.com/1z9vp1h ), Satanic Temple spokeswoman Jex Blackmore said her group doesn't worship Satan but does promote individuality, compassion and views that differ from Christian and conservative beliefs.
Blackmore said that the "holiday season is a time of year that is celebrated in many different ways."
"Having our government endorse one singular viewpoint or method of celebrating the season is problematic when we have a diverse community of people in Michigan," she said.
Word of the Satanic Temple's plans led state Sen. Rick Jones, a Grand Ledge Republican, to erect a Nativity scene on Friday featuring baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary. He put it back up Sunday morning.
Jones said he was happy to "represent the light and not the darkness."
"They could have put theirs up in July or April or sometime. They didn't need to put it up in the Christmas season," Jones said. "That's OK. We're going to ignore them. I'm not afraid of the snake people. I'm sure that Jesus Christ is not afraid."
Blackmore told MLive.com her group is "really pleased to be part of what is perhaps a new holiday tradition at the Capitol."
Martin Diller, a 28-year-old who served two tours in Iraq with the Michigan National Guard and one in Afghanistan, visited the Capitol grounds after attending Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing. He said he wanted to see how the constitutional rights issue played itself out.
"A few of my friends in the military, we like to see the First Amendment in use," Diller said. "We all went overseas, we fought for it, it's kind of interesting to see it in action."
There is a lottery here for holiday displays At city hall. There are usually 3-4. I really like this method.
This year the friends of the library got chosen so they made a tree out of books with dvd/cds as ornaments. Super cool.
Random question: why wouldn't members of a satanic temple worship satan? That makes no sense to me. If their mission is simply to promote unconventionality I would think calling themselves a satanic temple would turn away a lot of people who might otherwise be interested in joining their club.
It's always been my understanding that to be a Satanist you have to be a form of Christian because hell/ the devil in their widely recognized form don't exist in most other religions. You have to believe in the Christian god to believe in his Christian opposite.
I completely understand and support what these people are doing and I LOVE that the guy at the end made the statement he did. I'm just nitpicking and think there should be a better name for the group if they're not actually worshipping Satan. Their message is getting lost because they're evoking that image.
Man, this is not my Christmas at home ( Lansing) and I KNOW my dad is riled up about this. I would love to hear what he has to say. He listens to other perspectives well, and has good points. It is just interesting to hear him solidify his opinions as he gets older. He is a church elder and wants to protect the meaning of Christmas, so I am sure this is under his skin.
Also, I am sure that this will make its way to at least one church service by my childhood pastor. I am guessing lent. I would like to hear that.
I think it is a tasteful display and it is definitely a strong counterpoint to Christianity. Seeing as there are no major commercialized Christian holidays around The Creation Story and that christmas time encompasses a lot of holidays, this was well timed, too.
It's always been my understanding that to be a Satanist you have to be a form of Christian because hell/ the devil in their widely recognized form don't exist in most other religions. You have to believe in the Christian god to believe in his Christian opposite.
I completely understand and support what these people are doing and I LOVE that the guy at the end made the statement he did. I'm just nitpicking and think there should be a better name for the group if they're not actually worshipping Satan. Their message is getting lost because they're evoking that image.
That is a christian way of interpreting satanism lol. And I am certainly no expert - but what I do know is that the guy who wrote The Satanic Bible thought people needed rituals. It didn't really matter what the rituals were, but that people had them and acted them out etc etc. Satanism is usually about the search for truth, with the idea that Christianity is a lie, as are all faith based religions.
Satanism is the opposite of these religions not because it believes in the opposite of God, but because it does not believe in any god.
However, non belief has none of the comforts or rituals or gatherings that belief has, and therefore satanism has a bunch of rituals just like the catholic church or buddhism or whatever. Satan and the symbols of satan are used because a) you need something to base the ritual on and b) it makes a statement of "this is nonsense" because really? goats heads and pentagrams and a little red man with a tail and horns? Its idiotic.
I have never been to a satanist meeting, but I would bet any money that a fly on the wall would see a bunch of normal people hanging out with satanism as an excuse to socialise, pretty much like the majority of churches nowadays.
I can think of like 3 people who I want to fix up with this guy. Because I'm already married.
Martin Diller, a 28-year-old who served two tours in Iraq with the Michigan National Guard and one in Afghanistan, visited the Capitol grounds after attending Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing. He said he wanted to see how the constitutional rights issue played itself out.
"A few of my friends in the military, we like to see the First Amendment in use," Diller said. "We all went overseas, we fought for it, it's kind of interesting to see it in action."