As an unspoken rule of the Internet goes, do not read the comments. Even Satanists would agree.
Earlier this week, The Satanic Temple of Detroit unveiled a one-ton heavy, nearly-nine-foot statue of a Baphomet gazed at lovingly by two children, bearing the sigils of their worship, at what was called one of the “largest Satanic ceremony in history” according to Reuters. According to Satanists, the statue stands for “reconciling opposites and plurality”.
Satanists flocked to the historic gathering, all bearing tickets that went $75 a head that would also allow them to take a picture together with the statue.
The Unveiling Of Baphomet https://t.co/EcKsZ70xtl
— MATT SUKKAR (@SUKKAR) July 26, 2015
The venue was supposed to be held at a local restaurant, but the owner cancelled it after he realized the Satanist Church was hosting it. The group had said that they kept business very transparent, though, signing the contract as “The Satanic Temple”.
The new warehouse venue was then kept a water-tight secret and revealed to ticket-holders at the very last minute. A rival group learned of their location and leaked it, but the group had then moved on to another secret location to continue their festivities.
The pictures from the church’s Facebook page show the gathering to be anything but nightmare fodder. Sure, the lighting was a deep red, but more than anything it certainly seemed like the worshippers were having a pretty good time, chilling with each other, drinks in hand, music in the air, and clad in their gothic best.
Christian groups in Detroit were not to be outdone, as the chose to light up a large statue of St. Michael in a pickup truck, following the group as they changed venues in protest of the event.
.@Church_Militant has lit up St. Michael to remind satan who tossed him from heaven #detroit “Quis ut Deus?” pic.twitter.com/kzuNACfJWv
— Matthew Pearson (@MattPearsonCM) July 26, 2015
However, it was in the comments section of the Facebook pictures where the opinions really started to fly.
Some took it as an opportunity to engage over scholarly debate.
And others, well…
In a bold move, The Satanic Temple of Detroit had hoped to place the statue outside Arkansas’ statehouse, right beside what was planned to be a monument to Moses’ Ten Commandments. The statue was originally meant to stand for the state Capitol of Oklahoma City, until Oklahoma supreme court banned the planned erection of a Ten Commandments monument outside the building.
The Satanic Temple says they advocate the separation of church and state, and are staunch supporters of liberal human rights and have spearheaded campaigns for the right to accurate medical information and the protection of women (as in the case of abortions and illnesses), the protection of children from domestic abuse, and same sex marriage.
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