Be careful what you wish for, Teapublicans.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/12/06/oklahoma-satanic-temple-piece/

Oklahoma’s 10 Commandments To Get A Sister Memorial … From The Satanic Temple
AUTHOR: NATHANIEL DOWNES DECEMBER 6, 2013 10:10 PM

Oklahomans Must Love That They Will Host The Satanic Temple's New Memorial

Remember the Satanic Temple, which performed a ritual to turn Fred Phelps’ dead mother gay? They are still at it, now in Oklahoma. The Satanic Temple has filed the papers to put up a memorial on statehouse grounds, next to the state’s display of the 10 Commandments. They are doing this by citing Okla.’s religious displays legislation, signed into law in 2009. And they are absolutely serious about it. According to their press release:

The Satanic Temple, an established New York City-based religious organization, has offered to donate a public monument to Oklahoma’s Capitol Preservation Commission for display upon Oklahoma City’s capitol grounds. Described as an “homage” to Satan, the purpose of the monument is to complement and contrast the Ten Commandments monument that already resides on the North side of the building. The donation offer has been submitted and is currently awaiting the commission’s reply.

When Patheos heard of this, they reached out to the temple, and had some questions answered. The statement boils down to the Satanic Temple’s willingness to embrace the new Republican-led insistence of religiously backed memorials, and they plan to take full advantage of it.

Earlier reports of the temple called them the Religious Yes Men. The irony is that the tenets of the Church of Satan, founded by Anton LaVey in 1966, not only make this mix of satire and dogma plausible, they embrace it.

While none would consider Father Guido Sarducci a spokesperson for the Catholic Church, Satanists have no problem with getting its message out through any means possible. After all, the founding principles of Satanism can be found in the works of none other than Ayn Rand. If anything, Satanism is the epitome, and the end-form of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. With the popularity of Ayn Rand’s philosophy among the Republicans, including one-time GOP VP hopeful Paul Ryan, the idea of them rejecting the Satanic Temple’s monument is impossible to fathom. It would instead be a true affirmation to their love affair with selfishness.

Okla., thanks to its argument for religious monuments on public display, now must accept the Satanic Temple and their memorial. The law allows them to put it right next to the 10 Commandments, if they so desire. Next week, who knows, perhaps the Satanic Temple will get the opportunity to name a new public school. It’s not like the state would be hypocrites who would only accept their own narrow religious views in direct violation of the US Constitution after all. Wouldn’t that be something to witness?

So, what is it going to be GOP? A memorial to 666 himself, courtesy of the Satanic Temple and its members in Okla., or a return to the tenets of this nation, with a wall of separation between Church and State. Because once you open up the gates, and let the flood of religion into the public commons, you can no longer control whose messages go out to the public.

this should be interesting. it worked for the Flying Spaghetti Monster (pointing out the hypocrisy of creation only education), perhaps it will work for Mephistopheles.

And the flood gates have been opened! Florida will allow a "Festivus" display. Video at the link.


[url]http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-festivus-florida-capitol-20131209,0,1969699.story
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Festivus pole to go up in Florida Capitol rotunda

By Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
1:26 p.m. EST, December 9, 2013

TALLAHASSEE —A nearly 6-foot-tall "Festivus" pole made from empty beer cans will be put up in the Florida Capitol this week as a not-so-subtle protest to the recent placement of a Christmas nativity scene.

The mock monument will be erected most likely on Wednesday in the same first-floor rotunda as a nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ put up last week by the Florida Prayer Network.

"I still chuckle, I literally can't believe there will be a pile of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans in the state rotunda," said Chaz Stevens, a Deerfield Beach resident who applied to the state Department of Management Services to put the Festivus pole on display.

Stevens, who operates a blog that focuses on South Florida politics, said the intent of the Festivus pole is to make a political statement on the need for the separation of church and state.

He compared the Festivus pole with the nativity scene as "my ridiculous statement versus what I consider, as an atheist, as their ridiculous statement."


Festivus is a "holiday" created for the TV sitcom "Seinfeld" as a non-commercial festival "for the rest of us" in the Christmas and year-end holiday season. Festivus, celebrated Dec. 23, comes with a ceremonial post-dinner "airing of the grievances" in which participants describe how they have been disappointed by others in the past year and engage in "feats of strength."

Festivus purists may favor a more-simple unadorned aluminum pole, but Stevens said the use of beer cans is in line with the irreverent spirit of those who celebrate the holiday.

Late last week, the Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocates for non-theists and promotes the separation of church and state, also set up a "Bill of Rights nativity" banner in the rotunda. The foundation's banner states: "At this season of the Winter Solstice, we celebrate the Birth of the Unconquered Sun — the TRUE reason for the season."

Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, said last week that such displays only "shine more light" on her group's message that she said isn't to be viewed as a state-sponsorship of religion.

"It's their right, they have a right to exercise freedom of speech, that's what America is about," Olsen said. "It doesn't faze me, it doesn't faze the God I serve."

Stevens, a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, requested the Festivus display space from the state Department of Management Services after reading about the nativity display. A preliminary approval was given Friday with the formal approval made Monday.

Ben Wolf, a spokesman for the Department of Management Services, said as long as there is space available, and the proposed display meets state guidelines, it would likely get approval.

"As long as it meets those guidelines and there is space available in the capitol, DMS is happy to allow all cultures, and denominations, and committees and groups to put up their holiday displays," Wolf said.

The department does limit the height of displays based on where they are located in the rotunda, and prohibits displays from blocking permanent memorials such as the Civil Rights and Veterans halls of fame. There are rules against noise and impeding official business.