[FunkPumpkin]

I laughed at this whole situation. The "Satanic Temple" has every right to do this. I'm chuckling at their creativity and testicular-fortitude in dealing with this age-old argument.

source

'Snaketivity' display set up at Michigan Capitol draws supporters, opponents

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: There have been several more people who have come to the Capitol for the displays. People were there from two different churches to support the Nativity and others to check out and support "snaketivity."

Michigan State Police Lt. Brody Boucher, who is the commander of Capitol security, said there haven't been any incidents. The number of people picked up throughout the day, Boucher said, with sometimes between 10-15 people there at a time. But there has not been a long-term, large scale rally.

LANSING, MI — There was more curiosity than outrage Sunday morning in front of the Michigan Capitol, where a group called the Satanic Temple set up a display to counter a Nativity scene.

Instead of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, this "snaketivity" display had a red serpent, a pentagram with a goat head and a cross with “Knowledge is the Greatest Gift of All” written across it.

Martin Diller had just attended Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in the Lansing area and wanted to see the display for himself. The 28-year-old served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan with the Michigan National Guard and said he is interested in seeing the First Amendment in use.

“A few of my friends in the military, we like to see the First Amendment in use,” Diller said. “We all went overseas, we fought for it, it’s kind of interesting to see it in action.”

The display was set up on Sunday morning by the Detroit chapter of The Satanic Temple, which plans to have the display on the lawn through Tuesday.

The display is about 84 steps away from a Nativity scene, which was set up on Friday.

Jex Blackmore, founder and head of the Detroit chapter, said the group would rather have no religious displays at the Capitol. The group doesn’t actually worship Satan, according to Blackmore, but seeks to "separate superstition from deeply held religious beliefs.”

Blackmore said everything went smoothly setting it up Sunday.

"Everyone seems to be peaceful and haven't gotten any pushback," Blackmore said. "We are really pleased to be part of what is perhaps a new holiday tradition at the Capitol."

The talk about holiday displays in Lansing has gained international attention. It began in November when an out-of-state resident requested to display a Nativity scene at the Capitol. This prompted the Satanic Temple to put up a display.

While the original Nativity scene never panned out, State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, wanted to have a display to counter that from the Satanic Temple.

“Satanic people, every time they hear of a Nativity at a Capitol, they strike out, they want to hijack the Christmas season,” Jones said Friday. "So they are as offensive as possible…that’s OK, we don’t care. I’m not afraid of the snake people and I’m sure Jesus Christ isn’t afraid.”

Jones installed the display Friday, and said he will take it down and set it up each night. The Nativity was donated by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth.

The state’s Capitol Commission approved both displays, which have to follow certain rules, including that it only can be on the lawn between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. and cannot be larger than three feet by three feet in size.

"We are restricted by the Constitution and bound by the Constitution to recognize their First Amendment rights,” commissioner John Truscott told MLive earlier this month.

Within a 20-minute period Sunday morning, four different people including Diller and a television cameraman from Saginaw, came to see the display.

Scott Schwerin stopped by to check it out on his way home from shopping at Horrocks.

“I expected both of them to be a little bigger,” said Schwerin, who identifies as an atheist. “This is just kinda funny, that’s what you get with a slippery slope.”

Schwerin said he agrees with the current rules for putting up displays in front of the Captiol.

“If you bring one church in, all religious should be able to set something up,” Schwerin said.

[niknik]

I don't understand this. Why not just let people celebrate their religion

I don't see a need to counter a nativity seen.

[FunkPumpkin]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

I don't understand this. Why not just let people celebrate their religion

I don't see a need to counter a nativity seen.

If you let one set up a display, you have to let them all set up a display. Otherwise, the government is giving uneven support for select(ed) religions over all others. That has been interpreted in the courts as state sponsorship ("establishment"), which is illegal under the Bill of Rights' Establishment Clause ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...") and Free Expression Clause ("...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;".)

So either everybody who wishes to gets to, or nobody does. It's not persecuting Christians; it's making them play ball according to the Bill of Rights like they should have been since its inception.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by FunkPumpkin ↗

If you let one set up a display, you have to let them all set up a display. Otherwise, the government is giving uneven support for select(ed) religions over all others. That has been interpreted in the courts as state sponsorship ("establishment"), which is illegal under the Bill of Rights' Establishment Clause ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...") and Free Expression Clause ("...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;".)

So either everybody who wishes to gets to, or nobody does. It's not persecuting Christians; it's making them play ball according to the Bill of Rights like they should have been since its inception.

I understand they have the right too. I just don't understand why they do it. They could put their thing up any time of year. But they choose to put it up to counter the Christian Christmas scene. The Christmas one is just celebrating a 2000 year old holiday. The Satanic one is just put there because the Christian one is there. I just think it's being inconsiderate, and childish.

I think they do it to piss people off, it doesn't piss me off, just makes me have less respect for the people responsible. It seems to me they are upset that a religious scene is allowed, and since the law protects the religious scene. They decided to use that same law to put up their scene. A scene I believe is nothing more than a protest against the religious one.

[rob666]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

I understand they have the right too. I just don't understand why they do it. They could put their thing up any time of year. But they choose to put it up to counter the Christian Christmas scene. The Christmas one is just celebrating a 2000 year old holiday. The Satanic one is just put there because the Christian one is there. I just think it's being inconsiderate, and childish.

I think they do it to piss people off, it doesn't piss me off, just makes me have less respect for the people responsible. It seems to me they are upset that a religious scene is allowed, and since the law protects the religious scene. They decided to use that same law to put up their scene. A scene I believe is nothing more than a protest against the religious one.

It's because of the location.

If they were doing this on church property it would be different.

It is public property, government property, which in theory is supposed to be secular.

Maybe it is in poor taste, but as was already said if you let one group do it you have to let all groups do their thing...... If you agree with it or not.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by rob666 ↗

It's because of the location.

If they were doing this on church property it would be different.

It is public property, government property, which in theory is supposed to be secular.

Maybe it is in poor taste, but as was already said if you let one group do it you have to let all groups do their thing...... If you agree with it or not.

That's the only problem I have with it. It is in poor taste. It's not meant to do anything but mock and disturb.
What I think is the most telling about these people behind stuff like this is they wouldn't dare do anything like this to Muslims. You won't see them go into heavy Asian areas and mock their religions.

[rob666]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

That's the only problem I have with it. It is in poor taste. It's not meant to do anything but mock and disturb.
What I think is the most telling about these people behind stuff like this is they wouldn't dare do anything like this to Muslims. You won't see them go into heavy Asian areas and mock their religions.

Fair enough.

[commondenom]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

I understand they have the right too. I just don't understand why they do it. They could put their thing up any time of year. But they choose to put it up to counter the Christian Christmas scene.

well of course it's the best time to do it...it's the only time (other than easter) that everyone, including those who don't attend or care for church are still involved in what is basically a christian celebration.....

it's perfect....and besides, fuck them..

[niknik]

That's a great attitude. Maybe you could teach your children to hate other people because of their beliefs or culture. So we can have some more intolerance.

[commondenom]

damn right i will....religion is poison and they will know that