Satanists Generously Offer To Build Monument Next To Oklahoma Statehouse's 10 Commandments Display

In a move that pretty much says "I'll see your rhetorical question and raise you an ugly public monument," a group calling itself the "Satanic Temple" has offered to display a big ol' monument in honor of the Hornéd One, to be installed on the Statehouse grounds near the state's display of the 10 Commandments. These are the dadaist religious trolls who made "God hate Fred Phelps's mom last nightback in July. Best of all, the epic trolling appears to be sanctioned under the 2009 law that erected the 10 Commandments at the statehouse. We hope the Pastafarians will be next, because noodles are yummy.

We have to hand it to the "Satanists," who are more of a political performance troupe than a religion, just as the Westboro Baptists are a law firm that pretends to be a church. The law insists that the 10 Commandments are placed at the statehouse not to endorse or establish religion, but merely to "help the people of the United States and of Oklahoma to know the Ten Commandments as the moral foundation of law," and also includes a line insisting that the monument

"shall not be construed to mean that the State of Oklahoma favors any particular religion or denomination thereof over others, but rather will be placed on the Capitol grounds where there are numerous other monuments."

And so, says Satanic Temple spokesman Lucien Graves,

"By accepting our offer, the good people of Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to show that they espouse the basic freedoms spelled out in the Constitution … Allowing us to donate a monument would show that the Oklahoma City Council does not discriminate, and both the religious and non-religious should be happy with such an outcome.”

And of course, if the lawmakers refuse the offer, that might mean having to admit that they aren't really open to all comers, a constitutionally iffy position.

There's no particular design for the "Satanic" monument yet; they'll seek public input once the Capitol Preservation Commission makes a decision. Might we suggest something incorporating Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo Fist? 

[ AATTP ]