Statue of Baphomet

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Baphomet (disambiguation).
Statue of Baphomet
Baphomet statue unveiled in Detroit, Michigan[1]
ArtistMark Porter[2]
Year2015 (2015)
Mediumbronze
SubjectBaphomet
Dimensions260 cm × 141 cm × 118 cm (102 in × 55.5 in × 46.5 in)
Weight3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) [3]
LocationSalem, Massachusetts
WebsiteSalem Art Gallery
This drawing of Baphomet by Eliphas Levi served as an inspiration for the statue.

The statue of Baphomet is a sculpture commissioned by the

religious equality.[5] Production of the statue, and its initial notoriety, is featured in the documentary Hail Satan?
(2019).

Origins

The Satanic Temple began an

Eliphas Levi as a basis for Baphomet.[8]

Public unveiling

The piece was first seen publicly on 25 July 2015 at an event organized by the Detroit chapter of The Satanic Temple, amidst protests by religious organizations.[9][10][11] The 700 attendees at the unveiling ceremony had to "sell their souls to Satan" in order to receive a ticket, a tactic that the Temple stated was done in order to "keep away some of the more radical superstitious people who would try to undermine the event."[1][12]

Time noted that "the group does not 'promote a belief in a personal Satan.' By their logic, Satan is an abstraction, ... 'a literary figure, not a deity — he stands for rationality, for skepticism, for speaking truth to power, even at great personal cost.' Time also commented on the statue's unveiling, writing "Call it Libertarian Gothic, maybe — some darker permutation of Ayn Rand's crusade for free will. One witnesses in The Satanic Temple militia a certain knee-jerk reaction to encroachments upon personal liberties, especially when those encroachments come with a crucifix in hand. The Baphomet statue is the Satanic Temple’s defiant retort du jour."[12]

State Capitol grounds

Oklahoma

Initially commissioned to be installed alongside the Ten Commandments outside the Oklahoma State Capitol, The Satanic Temple offered to donate Baphomet for display on the Capitol grounds. After litigation of Prescott v. Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission concluded with a State Supreme Court order to remove the Ten Commandments monument, the Satanic Temple withdrew their request to place Baphomet on Oklahoma public property.[13]

Arkansas

The statue was displayed on a flatbed truck parked in front of the Arkansas State Capitol building for several hours on 16 August 2018 for an event organized in protest of the Ten Commandments Monument on the Arkansas Capitol grounds.[14][15][16] After a formal request to install Baphomet was refused, Satanic Temple members were granted legal standing to challenge the Ten Commandments monument.[17] Litigation of the consolidated case Cave et al. v. Thurston was still ongoing as of July 2023.[18]

In October 2023, U.S. District Judge

U.S. Constitution.[19]

Iowa

Satanic Temple in the Iowa State Capitol
in December 2023, prior to is destruction by Michael Cassidy.

In December 2023, the Satanic Temple erected a Baphomet display in the

Satanic Temple "needed Jesus", and sought to evangelize adherents.[21]

In a further interview with

Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water. I saw this blasphemous statue, and was outraged. My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree, and so I acted."[20]

Cassidy also cited

Jesus Christ."[20]

Despite Cassidy's claims, the

Satanic Temple states on its website, "We do not believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. The Satanic Temple believes that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition. As such, we do not promote a belief in a personal Satan. To embrace the name 'Satan' is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions. Satanists should actively work to hone critical thinking, and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world, never the reverse."[22]

The Satanic Temple also denied Cassidy's accusations of "promoting evil", stating, "[We] hold to the basic premise that undue suffering is bad, and that which reduces suffering is good. We do not believe in symbolic 'evil'. We acknowledge blasphemy as a legitimate expression of personal independence from counter-productive traditional norms."[22]

Cassidy was later charged with fourth degree

USD fine.[23] He was later charged with a hate crime under Iowa's list of misdemeanors.[24]

The Sentinel subsequently launched a

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also stated on Twitter/X that he would donate to the campaign. Overall, the campaign raised over $75,000 for Cassidy's legal defense.[21]

It was announced that Davis Younts, an attorney and retired

Christian faith."[20]

Kim Reynolds, the Governor of Iowa, released the following statement on 12 December 2023, just two days before Cassidy destroyed the Baphomet display: "Like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple's display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable. In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and I encourage all those of faith to join me today in praying over the Capitol, and recognizing the nativity scene that will be on display – the true reason for the season."[25]

Iowa State Representative

U.S. Constitution."[26]

Another Iowa State Representative and

U.S. Constitution, and in favor of Christian nationalism.[27]

References in popular culture

The Satanic Temple sued Netflix in November 2018 over usage of a likeness of the statue in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.[28] The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, and the Satanic Temple was given credit for the statue in future broadcasts.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Inside the Satanic Temple's Secret Baphomet Monument Unveiling". VICE. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  2. ^ "Satanic Temple monument". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  3. ^ Baphomet at the Salem Art Gallery
  4. ^ Petri, Alexandra (2014-01-09). "Come sit on Satan's lap with proposed Oklahoma statue". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  5. ^ That Satanic Statute Of Baphomet Has Found A Home In Detroit Metal Injection
  6. ^ a b "Put a Satanic Monument at OK Capitol". Indiegogo. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  7. ^ Here Are the Latest Photos of the Satanic Statue Being Made for Oklahoma’s Statehouse Jonathan Smith, Vice News, December 12, 2014.
  8. ^ Sculpting Satan: A Chat With America’s Most Controversial Artist Observer August 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "Satanic Temple Unveils Baphomet Sculpture In Detroit". Huffington Post. Reuters. 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  10. ^ lemonde.fr (28 July 2015). "Le Temple satanique de Détroit dévoile son imposante statue de Baphomet". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Protesters: Don't turn Detroit over to Satanists". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  12. ^ a b Jenkins, Nash (27 July 2015). "Hundreds Gather for Unveiling of Satanic Statue in Detroit". TIME.com. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  13. ^ Satanic Temple: Campaigns
  14. ^ "Satanic Temple Unveils Baphomet Statue at Arkansas Capitol". Snopes. Associated Press. August 17, 2018. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  15. ^ Forrest, Adam (August 17, 2018). "Satanic temple sparks uproar by unveiling statue of goat-headed, winged creature called Baphomet in Arkansas state capitol". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  16. ^ Grabenstein, Hannah (August 16, 2018). "Satanic Temple Unveils Baphomet Statue at Arkansas Capitol". U.S. News & World Report.
  17. ^ Brantley, Max (December 18, 2018). "Satanic Temple cleared to enter the 10 Commandments lawsuit". Arkansas Times.
  18. ^ McFadin, Daniel (2023-07-09). "Federal judge does not rule on motions for summary judgment in Ten Commandments case". Arkansas Online. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  19. ^ Ellis, Dale (25 October 2023). "Federal judge to decide if state Supreme Court must rule first on Ten Commandments lawsuit". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Zeisloft, Ben (14 December 2023). "Exclusive: Christian tears down and beheads Satan shrine in Iowa Capitol". The Sentinel. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b Mendiola, José (20 December 2023). "Man who vandalized Satanic display at Iowa Capitol says he 'felt convicted' to remove it". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". The Satanic Temple. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  23. ^ Wendling, Mike (2023-12-16). "US man charged over damage to Satanic Temple display in Iowa". BBC. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  24. ^ Helsel, Phil (2024-02-01). "US man charged over damage to Satanic Temple display in Iowa". BBC. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  25. ^ Reynolds, Kim. "Gov. Reynolds Statement on Satanic Temple Display". Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Government of the State of Iowa. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  26. ^ Dunwell, Jon. "Statement from Jon Dunwell". Twitter/X. Twitter/X. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  27. ^ Sherman, Brad. "Honoring God at the Capitol". Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  28. ^ "The Satanic Temple is suing Netflix for $50 million, alleging 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' copied its statue of a goat-headed deity and implied it was evil". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  29. ^ "Satanic Temple settles lawsuit over 'Sabrina' goat-headed deity". Reuters. 21 November 2018.

External links

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