The Illinois State Capitol rotunda will feature a controversial holiday art display from The Satanic Temple that will stand alongside other religious exhibitions.
This year’s installment, the third for the organization, will feature the satanic figure Baphomet depicted as a baby to celebrate the holiday Sol Invictus, The State Journal-Register reported.
The display was designed by Albuquerque horror artist Chris P. Andres.
The Satanic Temple is less of a true religious group in the traditional sense than it is a social activist organization that is an outspoken supporter of women’s reproductive rights, the separation of church and state and several other social justice issues.
According to the organization’s website, Sol Invictus is a “celebration of being unconquered by superstition and consistent in the pursuit of sharing knowledge,” and has its origins in the cult of Sol in pre-Christian Rome.
“This year’s tradition marks a greater urgency in the Baphomet’s message of harmony and reconciliation,” Satanic Temple’s Director of Campaign Operations Erin Helian said in a statement, obtained by the State Journal-Register.
The display will be installed at 1 p.m. at the rotunda in Springfield on Monday, overseen by members of the congregation.
The display has been a source of controversy with local Christian leaders. A nativity scene was installed at the rotunda recently at an event sponsored by the Diocese of Springfield, where Bishop Thomas Paprocki said the Satanic Temple’s displays “should have no place in this Capitol or any other place,” according to the State-Journal Register.
“Mocking the millions of Christians in the state of Illinois and billions around the world by depicting the baby Jesus this Christmas with the ‘satanic deity’ Baphomet is the very definition of evil and causing division, but that is to be expected from an organization that is in existence to troll people of faith,” said Andrew Hansen, a spokesperson for the diocese told The State-Journal Register.
The Satanic Temple extended its invitation to the Bishop “to hold hands with members of The Satanic Temple while we come together and stand before all of the religious displays at the rotunda,” Helian wrote.
However, he will not be attending.
“Bishop Paprocki declines the invitation to associate with evil and urges all people of true religious faith to shun the devil,” Hansen told the paper.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple, criticized the Bishop’s attitude as lacking a sense of “unity.”
“Our real message is to reestablish pluralism,” Greaves told the Journal-Register. “It doesn’t mean that people with opposing viewpoints have to be in conflict.”
The Satanic Temple’s first holiday installation at the rotunda was in 2018, followed by another installation in 2019 called “Knowledge is the Greatest Gift,” which featured the forearm of the biblical Eve beside an apple and snake.
There is no place for this garbage in society. Anything regarding Satan is unacceptable to decent respectable society. Those that follow Satan clearly will do anything to turn people away from our holy father to destroy their souls. They make satanism and their church sound intellectual and edicated. It’s not!
Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth not a celebration of Satan who represents nothing but evil, impurity, and immorality.
Sorry but would you expect anything different from liberal government goons that are willing to accept anything and everything no matter how disgusting it is to society. How our country has spiraled down the tubes. They want the bishop to stand with them in unison? What an utter fiasco! Satan is clearly alive and well in his followers. They have to live with ultimate death for following satan.
May God the Father stike down Satan and his followers soon!
I definitely agree with most of what you said. However, I’m not sure we would agree on the liberal part. From my perspective it is difficult to point the finger at any one person or side. Many have shown true evil . One thing we both agree with is that Satan is alive and well, and spreading as much hate, disease and discord as possible! I pray to GOD every day that he will show all of us the WAY, and help us rid this earth of evil! Much love is needed.
What happened to ROME, the most POWERFUL EMPIRE in the world, way back when? Simple. It was so DECADENT, EVIL AND CORRUPT, that “it” destroyed itself. History DOES “repeat itself”, and “WE” are too stupid & brainwashed to “SEE IT”! Instead of Arenas & Gladiators, we NOW have “cage fights” with blood & gore. ORGIES? “We” have Hollywood films that GLORIFY every EVIL, from murder, drugs, sex, pornography, child molestation & “SEX” with anybody. So much for Congress. “THEY” ALLOW ALL OF THIS “with” their left wing Dems.”MAYBE” SATAN is sitting on the papal “throne” with FRANCIS. ? NO MORE LATIN “anything” & THIS was the language that UNITED ALL CATHOLICS EVERYWHERE! No matter “where” you went, THE MASS WAS ALWAYS THE SAME! Benedict IS the “TRUE POPE”. As for the U.S. Congress,Ameica had no hope.
These satanic worshipers love that so much, they have a reserved seat in hell, to burn in the lake of fire in extreme agony for ETERNITY! Enjoy it a. h.!
“IF” you are Catholic, Our Lady wants no soul lost. Rotten & and as evil as they are, “SHE” wants ALL to be saved. PRAY BIG TIME, especially the ROSARY! “NO FUN”, saying a ton of Hail Mary’s, BUT THIS WILL SAVE US!
The day is fast approaching that these unbelievers WILL now to our Lord & savior and regret for all eternity that they were tricked by Satan .
Satanic anything should not be allowed in a government building! We are all aware that a LOT of our politicians are into satan worship, as well as the Hollywierd” elites! They have sold their souls and will not be redeemed. How sad for them!