"it will be a very cold day in hell"
August 17, 2018 10:37 AM   Subscribe

The statue of Baphomet... is seated and accompanied by two smiling children. The Satanic Temple (previously) has deployed a statue of "a goat-headed, winged creature" in Little Rock, Arkansas, right near the Capitol building. The idea is to challenge the government for recently erecting a Ten Commandments statue.

Satanic Arkansas cofounder Ivy Forrester, who helped organize the rally, said “if you’re going to have one religious monument up then it should be open to others, and if you don’t agree with that then let’s just not have any at all.”

According to KARK, A sign below the rally's makeshift stage on the flatbed read:

"Future home of the Baphomet monument

Presented in the spirit of religious pluralism by: The Satanic Temple with a special thanks to Senator Jason Rapert."


In June a driver knocked over the 10 Commandments statue, but it was reinstalled.

Previously.
posted by doctornemo (46 comments total) 26 users marked this as a favorite
 
They gave Baphomet pants.

They gave Baphomet pants.





Ţ͍̼͕͑͂ͭ͒͌̊͒̓͞H̜͚͙̟̺̻̬͓̒̍ͪ̏̅͒͌̄̑̀ͦ̚͠Ȩ̶̸͕͕̠̤͋ͯ͑̂̄̅̋̍̍̐͜Y̡̦͚̙̜͎̗̜͉͂̾͗̆͆̌̑͌̇̓̀ ̶̧̼̯̹ͤ̔ͭͬ͆̾̆̑̑̏͑ͫ́ͤ̐̎͝G̸̥̜͚̜͙ͫ͌̐ͬͤ̃ͫ̇ͭͦ̾ͥ͜Ą̷̧̭͇̥͕̩̟̱̞̫̞̈́̆̈̂̔̉ͮ̔̀̉ͧ̒ͮͥͫͫ̀̀ͅV̨̳̗̙̯̗̹̻̩̼̠̋ͪ̈́ͪͦͯͬͨ̎̎ͦͦ̕͝Ẹ̶̪̘͓̹̘͉̼̬̪̝͎̖̦̍ͨ͛̀͢ ̵̨̪̪̟̻̰̼̝̼̬̪̟̮̫̮͙͙ͩ̅ͭ͌͑͛̎͢B̝̟̰̬̲̹̖̻̲͕͍̅͆̌ͯͧ̿̎̃̆͗͗̾̚̕͢ͅA̴ͦ̍̏ͮ̒ͬ̌̉̆͌͜҉̸҉̦̭̜͉P̷̛̹͕̩̜͚͓̖͍͗̔̈̂ͫ͒̑͊́͒̿ͣ͋͐ͯ̋ͫH̢̡̢̻̣̘̺̃ͤͩ͗O̧̳̪͙̣̜͕ͧ͂̀͌̌̓̏̋̅̀͟M̢̡͈̭̤͎͈̝̞̱͈͍̻̖̹ͨ̀ͥ̔̑̉̌̾͜Ȩ̶̵̺̼͉̜̲̬͖̫͍̹̓̎͆̌ͭ̏̿̌̇͂̄̈̆͒ͩͫ́͞T̸̴̺̗̘̹̘̞̠̪̯̪̭̼̙̙͇̳̭̠͑̌̂͊ͤͥ̑͟͞ ̴̴̮͇̯̼͓̭̎ͮ͛ͯͭ̆ͤͦ͐̍̂̈̅̾͌̌̐͢͞͞Pͬ̉̅ͫͨ̆̽̎̑̉̇͋͆͑ͭ̑͢҉̲̰̪͕̙̣̰̪̖̗̹͝͝Ą͖̝̙̜͓̳ͬ̓̿ͥ͒ͤ̋̈́͋̕͠͝N̷̥̟͖͓͚̖͙̙̺̠̒̐̏̆̒T̰̦̪̝̿ͪͯ̽̈̅ͧ̔̈ͣ͒̀̇̐͆ͨ͛ͣ̀͢S̸̬͖̩̭̤͍͎̹̝̣̫̺̘̱͈͙͈̻ͦ̎̔̍͒ͧ̈ͪ̋͋̓̎͋ͤ̕͡͞

posted by Halloween Jack at 10:42 AM on August 17, 2018 [48 favorites]


TST != COS
posted by Weighted Companion Cube at 10:45 AM on August 17, 2018 [15 favorites]


They gave Baphomet pants.

Well, you can hardly expect the Arkansas State Legislature to approve a Satanist statue of Baphomet with its genitalia hanging out, can you? I'm sure they will appreciate this magnanimous gesture of compromise and approve the statue with pants.
posted by Naberius at 10:51 AM on August 17, 2018 [40 favorites]


TST != COS for emphasis.
posted by bastionofsanity at 10:51 AM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: they gave Baphomet pants.
posted by Foosnark at 10:57 AM on August 17, 2018 [26 favorites]


For the non-religion-nerds out here, let's clarify:
The Church of Satan (CoS) was founded in 1966.
The Satanic Temple (TST) was founded in 2013.

There is a relatively strong antagonism between the two groups online and neither would appreciate being confused for the other. I actually tried to find a non-biased cheat sheet to link and didn't find one quickly.

In real life it's a lot more apathy.

Personally, as a long-time CoS member I don't care except that I agree with current statements that a Baphomet statue with children, as well as the 'after school Satan' groups, does do harm against the emphasis the CoS has long placed on having zero involvement with children, including no childhood membership. (There used to be stuff for members' children, but there haven't been in ages, both from an internal ethics standpoint about free will as well as the Satanic Panic of the late 80s-mid 90s.)
posted by Weighted Companion Cube at 11:06 AM on August 17, 2018 [13 favorites]


Mod note: Updated the post text to correctly reflect that it is The Satanic Temple, not The Church of Satan, who gave Baphomet pants.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:08 AM on August 17, 2018 [61 favorites]


Baphopants™

Thank you for the explanation, WCC. Hail!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:09 AM on August 17, 2018 [6 favorites]


Well, you can hardly expect the Arkansas State Legislature to approve a Satanist statue of Baphomet with its genitalia hanging out, can you?

I guess they don’t like boobs either.

I realize this is more of a secularist goose/gander point-making exercise and not Actual Satanism™ but, like, c’mon. If the Christians can hang torture porn in public, surely the Satanists can manage some feta factories.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:09 AM on August 17, 2018 [7 favorites]


I was hoping for something more "First Edition Player's Handbook".
posted by The Bellman at 11:11 AM on August 17, 2018 [13 favorites]


But notice that the pants are not on fire.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:16 AM on August 17, 2018 [7 favorites]


That's one hell of a statue!
posted by missmobtown at 11:19 AM on August 17, 2018 [6 favorites]


The Satanic Temple has deployed a statue of "a goat-headed, winged creature" in Little Rock, Arkansas, right near the Capitol building.

God bless the Satanists.
posted by Palindromedary at 11:21 AM on August 17, 2018 [13 favorites]


They gave Baphomet pants.
From what we've seen, they could be chaps.
posted by eotvos at 11:22 AM on August 17, 2018 [7 favorites]


I heard Lucien Greaves speak about the Baphomet statue at a local atheists' meeting and apparently the pants/lack of breasts thing was to avoid state obsecenity laws, which would have granted the state an easy victory barring the statue. By removing the ability to challenge on those grounds, TST makes sure that the fight goes to the courts as about religious liberty, not obscenity.
posted by WidgetAlley at 11:33 AM on August 17, 2018 [26 favorites]


They gave Baphomet pants

with tiny, useless pockets. Evil!
posted by roger ackroyd at 11:34 AM on August 17, 2018 [43 favorites]


Which obviously makes a ton of sense from a pragmatic standpoint-- and if I've learned anything by being adjacent to a bunch of TST folks it's that they are very much principled pragmatists -- but still. Baphomet just doesn't look right without some nice tits.
posted by WidgetAlley at 11:34 AM on August 17, 2018 [5 favorites]


"What's that kerfuffle outside?"

"Huh. Looks like someone just pulled up with a Baphomet on a tractor trailer."

"What's a Baphomet?"

*opens curtains*

"Goat, see?"
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:37 AM on August 17, 2018 [24 favorites]


I actually tried to find a non-biased cheat sheet to link and didn't find one quickly.

I think a fair comparison would start by noting that the Church of Satan is based on The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey, which they deliberately don't make available for free because they consider it a form of proselytizing, which they oppose. The say they "it is important for anyone considering joining to have read and fully understood at least" The Satanic Bible and another book, The Satanic Scriptures.

The Satanic Temple, OTOH, is much more open. They have a concise statement of principles on their web site:
  • One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
  • The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
  • One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
  • The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
  • Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
  • People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and remediate any harm that may have been caused.
  • Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
They have a membership link at the top of their site. Membership is free to anyone with no preconditions, and for $25 they'll send you a membership card and certificate. The cards are quite nice, and the version I chose has the statement of principles on the back.
posted by shponglespore at 11:38 AM on August 17, 2018 [22 favorites]


As I keep asking, are we talking about US pants or UK pants?
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:47 AM on August 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


(There used to be stuff for members' children, but there haven't been in ages, both from an internal ethics standpoint about free will as well as the Satanic Panic of the late 80s-mid 90s.)

Do they fluff as well as they fold?


People were being jailed for life because of the Satanic Panic- people killed themselves over the implications that they were abusing their kids. they didn't fold they desperately changed they way they did things so as to not give local cops more ammunition to use against them.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:49 AM on August 17, 2018 [14 favorites]


If someone disliked the 10 Commandments sculpture enough to run a car into it, doesn’t that suggest an offensive sculpture which the legislature would not erect?
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:52 AM on August 17, 2018


Baphomet without breasts? Bro-phomet, more like.

One can understand why, for pragmatic reasons, they redacted that particular feature of the original image: American culture is still largely Puritan when it comes to nudity outside of restricted, sexualised contexts. Though giving Baphomet a masculine torso does reinforce the idea that this is a Baphomet for a patriarchy.
posted by acb at 11:53 AM on August 17, 2018 [6 favorites]


As I keep asking, are we talking about US pants or UK pants?

I'll just say that it's a good thing they didn't give Baphomet a fanny pack.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:53 AM on August 17, 2018 [5 favorites]


From what I gather, from previous experience and Shpongle's explanation, the TST takes itself less seriously than the CoS. TST seems to exist primarily to poke at "Religious freedom" laws that are really Pro-Christianity laws by making a religion that is completely benign but uses imagery meant to raise the ire of Christians, like a more focused version of the "Flying Spagetti Monster."
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:54 AM on August 17, 2018 [6 favorites]


"As I keep asking, are we talking about US pants or UK pants?"

Looks like neither really. The pictures in the linked articles are from a lower angle, so it's harder to tell, but pictures elsewhere from a higher angle make it clear that Baphomet is wearing some sort of a wrap/skirt.
posted by JiBB at 12:16 PM on August 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


Baphomet is a cross-dresser?
posted by pracowity at 12:37 PM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


It's obviously a kilt.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:41 PM on August 17, 2018 [9 favorites]


Related: Satanic Portland Splits With Satanic Temple Over Alt-Right Affiliation
The freelance journalist Mike Bivins, who first tweeted about Satanic Portland’s announcement, linked to stories by Vox and Jezebel, which point to a deeper division at the national level over Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves’ decision to hire Marc Randazza to represent them in their religious discrimination lawsuit against Twitter, who allegedly suspended their accounts for reporting that a woman encouraged people to burn down their headquarters. Randazza has previously represented Alex Jones and the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:43 PM on August 17, 2018 [9 favorites]


Well, if it's a kilt, someone needs to check out the statue from a lower angle to see if Baph is going regimental.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:29 PM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


Well, if it's a kilt, someone needs to check out the statue from a lower angle to see if Baph is going regimental.

Well, some Googling tells me there is apparently a Satan tartan, so...
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:03 PM on August 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


There is a relatively strong antagonism between the two groups online and neither would appreciate being confused for the other.

I find it helpful to think of them as analogous to the Judaean People’s Front and the People’s Front of Judaea.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:06 PM on August 17, 2018 [11 favorites]


Satan loves a splitter!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:08 PM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


Denver Airport still has the awesome demon horse scuplture greeting visitors. The stallion is rather visibly not wearing pants. I'd say the good people of Arkansas got off lucky.
posted by Nelson at 3:04 PM on August 17, 2018 [3 favorites]


This same story popped up in my FB feed from a fundie relative, with a comment that it confirmed her belief that liberals were acting in league with Satan. I was going to bring up the Flying Spaghetti Monster for comparison, but I don’t think she’d see the point.
posted by dr_dank at 3:31 PM on August 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


In his defense I would point out that Randazza has said publicly that he disagrees with the speech of many of his clients, though he does get along with Vermin Supreme. If you are a group engaged in First Amendment issues and you are looking for experienced and qualified First Amendment lawyer you will probably find someone who is committed to the idea that the solution to harmful speech is more speech for better ideas or at least a shouting down of the harmful speech. I recognize that this idea seems to be falling out of favor. It does have the virtue of being consistent with the idea that free speech means that people need to be able to espouse ideas others find repellent. The marketplace of ideas may not work the way idealists would like but over the long run it does seem to give us better results.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 7:19 PM on August 17, 2018 [2 favorites]


Nelson: "Denver Airport still has the awesome demon horse scuplture greeting visitors."

That's awesome! Can you pose with it or is access restricted?
posted by Mitheral at 8:07 PM on August 17, 2018


When I was still traveling all the time for work, I was sad that the Oklahoma Baphomet statue was in Oklahoma City, because my travel was always Tulsa and Muskogee.

Now I'm actually sad that I don't travel anymore and won't be getting sent back to Little Rock ever again, because I'd love to take a selfie with that statute.

Though other posters are correct and it'd be better with a luscious rack.
posted by bile and syntax at 9:06 PM on August 17, 2018 [1 favorite]


Nelson: "Denver Airport still has the awesome demon horse scuplture greeting visitors."

I still remember the utter confusion and delight I felt the day I learned about Blucifer. The demon horse killed his own sculptor!!

Not to mention all the other crazy conspiracies behind the Denver airport. Really livened up my layover.
posted by sprezzy at 11:11 PM on August 17, 2018 [4 favorites]


Denver Airport's weirdnesses are pretty neat. You can easily photograph the epic baggage murals. I haven't been able to get close to Blucifer yet - it's on a traffic median - but maybe this October I will.
posted by doctornemo at 5:02 AM on August 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


Now I'm actually sad that I don't travel anymore and won't be getting sent back to Little Rock ever again, because I'd love to take a selfie with that statute.

When he's not out trolling the fundies, Baphomet lives in a shed down the street from me. So once this is over, come up to Salem and you can take all the selfies you want!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:32 AM on August 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


So once this is over, come up to Salem and you can take all the selfies you want!

As a direct descendant of the town's founders and someone with friends and connections to that area, I will take you up on that! I am sure I can get some of my Boston area friends to make a day trip to Salem for Baphomet photos!
posted by bile and syntax at 10:12 AM on August 18, 2018 [1 favorite]


Well, some Googling tells me there is apparently a Satan tartan, so.

No, the real Satan’s tartan are the ones worn by the Campbells and the McDonalds.
posted by Rumple at 11:51 PM on August 18, 2018 [3 favorites]


They gave Baphomet pants.

Yeah, that statue isn't nearly as bold as the Horned God figure in e-sheep's Saturnalia (about 1:42, NSFW).
posted by homunculus at 4:12 AM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


Salem, Mass, robocop is bleeding? Count me in!
posted by doctornemo at 5:57 AM on August 19, 2018


I sense a meet up...
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:17 AM on August 19, 2018


« Older (I would title the Björk one "Broomin'...   |   Dollar General: not so much as an opportunity as a... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments