Of all the things Detroit, Michigan can boast about, it can now brag about being the city that hosted the unveiling of an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of a 14th-century pagan figure known as Baphomet, in what was billed as the "largest public satanic ceremony in history."
This is the same statue that has been in the works over the last year and the one that was originally lobbied to to be erected next to the Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol, in the name of religious equality. It features Satan flanked by two children gazing up toward his bearded goat head. There is even space on his lap intended for children to sit with Lucifer for the purposes of "inspiration and contemplation."
The New York City chapter of the Satanic Temple is responsible for the design of the statue and raised the money through a crowdfunding campaign. They were said to have chosen Detroit as host because the city's chapter of the Temple has a "strong congregation" of about 200 members, according to CBS Detroit.
"The Unveiling" happened Saturday night, just before midnight. The location was withheld from ticket holders until just prior to the event. An e-mail went out to the nearly 700 attendees, directing them to an industrial warehouse building near the Detroit River to catch a first-glimpse of the 1-ton statue. The guests were treated to "a night of chaos, noise, and debauchery." Those that paid $75 were allowed to climb atop the statue for a photo.
The Temple's Facebook page shared pictures from the event. Here is a sampling:
There is politics also at play with the unveiling of this statue. According to the Satanic Temple, it represents "a call-to-arms from which we’ll kick off our largest fight to date in the name of individual rights to free exercise against self-serving theocrats.”
Celebrating the "success" of Saturday's unveiling, Detroit's Satanic Temple posted the following thank-you to Facebook:
Last night proved to be an incredible, historic evening! Our utmost gratitude to those who volunteered their time and resources to make the Unveiling a huge success. Many thanks to all of our unbelievably amazing guests and performers who graciously accepted the intricacies of the evening, endured downpours, the media, protesters, and sweat. We couldn't have made this happen without everyone's cooperation and participation - and for that reason all who attended played a vital role in standing firm in our resolve to reject censorship and embrace Satanic ideals. Here's a few teaser photos. We will be uploading many more from the evening throughout the next couple of days - please tag as you like. We will not be silenced by the voices of oppressors. HAIL SATAN!
And now that the Oklahoma Supreme Court voted for the removal of the privately-funded monument of the Ten Commandments on statehouse grounds, the New York Satanic Temple, along with its statue, is turning its attention towards the Arkansas Statehouse and its plan on erecting a monument to the Old Testament law. The Satanic Temple will again ban together with the ACLU in an attempt to lobby for this statue to sit next to Arkansas' Ten Commandments monument if it is ultimately approved.
