A satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments monument was placed in 2012.
The New York-based Satanic Temple formally submitted its application to a panel that oversees the Capitol grounds, including an artist’s rendering that depicts Satan as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard that’s often used as a symbol of the occult.
In the rendering, Satan is sitting in a pentagram-adorned throne with smiling children next to him.
‘The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond,’ temple spokesman Lucien Greaves said in a statement.
‘The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.’
The Satanic Temple maintains that the Oklahoma Legislature’s decision to authorize a privately funded Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol opened the door for its statue.
The Ten Commandments monument was placed on the north steps of the building in 2012, and the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sued to have it removed.
