DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) - On Thursday, the Satanic Temple of Iowa announced that their display at the Iowa Capitol had been significantly damaged.
The controversial display, which Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called “objectionable,” featured a ram’s head covered with mirrors on a mannequin before being damaged.
Organizers say it’s a symbol of their right to religious freedom.
The Satanic Temple of Iowa posted the following message on their Facebook page:
“This morning, we were informed by authorities that the Baphomet statue in our holiday display was destroyed beyond repair. We are proud to continue our holiday display for the next few days that we have been allotted.
We ask that for safety, visitors travel together and use the 7 Tenets as a reminder for empathy, in the knowledge that justice is being pursued the correct way, through legal means.
KCCI has reported that 35-year-old Michael Cassidy of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. He has since been released.
Solve et Coagula! Happy Holidays! Hail Satan!”
No hate(crime) like christian love.
I like how he knows that the founding fathers didn’t really mean what they said about the first amendment and all that. I hope the temple sues.
After hearing about this thing, I’ve decided I’m making myself a Christmas Baphomet decoration for my house.
This lil guy is the angel on my Yule tree. He’s too heavy for my live tree’s bendy little branches so he’s hanging from the ceiling on fishing line, right above the tree, like he’s flying.
TST has you covered
I’m this close to slapping a ram skull on a twenty foot skeleton and glittering it up, then coating it with epoxy so the craft herpes stays contained. Maybe attaching it all to a forty foot ham radio tower just for funsies.
Some of us just can’t Christmas this year.
Solstice celebrations, however…
Whenever I hear the phrase Criminal Mischief, I always imagine an old cartoon criminal tip toeing around and up to no good.
Yeah, it’s absurd. Don’t you think that if this guy had vandalized a Christian or Jewish display that he’d get more than “criminal mischief”? This is a hate crime.
These evangelicals are doing a wonderful job of showing the Satanic Temple to be reasonable adults. Every time a loony loses their mind over this, more people compare the two and realize who the baddies actually are.
It reminds me of the whole “keeping a level head while someone loses their shit on you, to demonstrably prove they’re the asshole”, but writ large.
Republicans sure do love doing hate crimes
Why do you think they hate those hate crime laws so much
KCCI has reported that 35-year-old Michael Cassidy of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. He has since been released.
What a special snowflake, that one. Bless his heart.
Religious hate crime
I feel that destroying it has garnered more attention for TST than they would have received had it been left alone.
That’s the point.
The
church of SatanSatanic Temple doesn’t care about idol worship.But one religion REALLY REALLY DOES.
The church of Satan and the Satanic temple are two very different organisations.
Ah you’re right! I got them confused. Thanks!
Given that one of their goals is to highlight unfair treatment on religious basis, I’m sure they are delighted that someone illustrated their point.
how is this not a hate crime? it was committed because of someone’s membership in a protected class.
Because the whole point of conservatism and Christian Nationalism is that only the right people are protected by the legal system. Everyone else is beneath the law, denied rights and protections, and subject to retribution without cause and due process.
Conservatives fight to assure those not protected do not gain civil rights.
The white power movement fights to further reduce rights and protections, and narrow the set of those who qualify for them.
Can you link to a conservative saying that?
It’s the quiet part that’s (usually) not said aloud.
Just take a look at the statistics of how i.e. criminal law is applied much more aggressively to conservative out-groups (PoC, poor, etc.) than conservative in-groups (white, wealthy, etc.). Then have a look at who is proposing politics intended to fix that imbalance an who’s talking about “taking a hard(er) stance on crime”.
Another, rather specific example: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8769269/Former-abortion-clinic-worker-recalls-pro-life-women-justify-procedures.html
Once you look our for the pattern, you’ll see it everywhere.
I can’t imagine any would, that is an abstraction developed by not-conservatives trying to wrap head around conservative actions. To have a conservative in power say so overtly would fuel the people being oppressed into coordinated resistance and disgust fence sitters into voting against conservatism
I’m a conservative, and I think people should be equal under the law.
What are you seeing that makes it seem otherwise?
The one that vandalised this being released as per the summary for example.
What are you seeing that makes it seem otherwise?
Satanic display at Iowa Capitol vandalized ‘beyond repair’
Someone seemed to think it was appropriate to vandalize this display specifically.
So because someone targeted a specific thing here, that’s unequal, and the inequality must therefore be a core belief of conservatives generally? Is that the line of reasoning here?
The display is permitted by rules that govern religious installations inside the Capitol but has drawn criticism from many conservatives, including presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. A Facebook posting by The Satanic Temple on Thursday said the display, known as a Baphomet statue, “was destroyed beyond repair,” though part of it remains.
Michael Cassidy, 35, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Friday. He was released after his arrest.
Cassidy is a Republican who was defeated by Democrat Keith Jackson in Mississippi State House District 45 in November.
It is possible for someone to be on the Conservative side of the political spectrum and still be a reasonable person who respects equality. It is not possible for a reasonable person who respects equality to support the Republican party.
Simple, wrong class.
Interesting though it’s just a mischief charge, if I trashed their Jesus garbage you know DAMN well I’m swimming in hate crime charges.
If you did it now, wouldn’t lawyers be able to use thos case to get you the same punishment?
Not anymore friend, a precedent has been set
He’s from Mississippi? Did he drive 12 hours just to go break the display?
That’s what being brainwashed by fucking propaganda will do to a person…
Reich wing media is a cancer on society.
Conservatism in general. The entire concept of protecting the past from an improved future is asinine from the start.
