https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/12/satanic-display-iowa-capitol-free-speech-battle/71897091007/ The controversy began bubbling last week after a group that calls itself the Satanic Temple of Iowa placed with state permission a small altar on the first floor of the Iowa State Capitol. It displays what are described online as the "seven fundamental tenets" of Satanism, including the statement that "the freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend."
Completing the display are the temple's seal, electric candles and a caped figure representing the pagan idol Baphomet, holding a ribbon-bedecked pentangle and topped with a gilded ram's head.
Outrage and demands for removal came swiftly.
Iowa state Rep. Brad Sherman said in the Dec. 8 edition of his Sherman Liberty Letter that the "disgusting display" should be removed immediately and called "for clarifying legislation to be adopted in accordance with our State Constitution that prohibits satanic displays in our Capitol building and on all state owned property."
He further proposed additional legislation to clear the way for displaying the Ten Commandments in all state buildings, including the Capitol, and in Iowa public schools.
Sherman says the exhibit has drawn widespread "outrage and disgust" among Iowans, "but few people think there is much that can be legally done about it because of free speech and freedom of religion."
"However," he adds, "I disagree."
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Satanic Temple founder: Ignore display if it offends you Lucien Greaves, spokesman and co-founder of the Satanic Temple, said it is always important for the group to seek equal representation in public forums that are open for religious displays. "People assume that we're there to insult Christians and we're not," Greaves said. "And I would hope that even people who disagree with the symbolism behind our values, whether they know what those values (are) or not, would at least appreciate that it's certainly a greater evil to allow the government to pick and choose between forms of religious expression." Greaves said individuals are not being forced to interact with the display and don't have to engage with it. Sherman: Iowa Constitution endorses God, and Satan is his enemy Sherman points to the preamble to the Iowa Constitution, which says, "WE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the State of Iowa... ." "According to these opening lines of our Constitution, the foundation for laws and continued blessing and success in Iowa is based on these points: 1. There is One Supreme God. 2. Blessings over this state come from the One Supreme God. 3. We must depend upon the One Supreme God if we want to enjoy continued blessings," Sherman writes.
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>>1245250 based and demonpilled
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He says it is "a tortured and twisted interpretation of law that affords Satan, who is universally understood to be the enemy of God, religious expression equal to God in an institution of government that depends upon God for continued blessings." Sherman was joined in his opposition by some Iowans who have viewed the display. "I'm here today because this is so anti-Christian, so anti-Iowa," Evelyn Nikkel, a Christian praying in the Capitol rotunda, said. Nikkel said when a Nativity scene is installed in the Capitol this week, Iowans will be able to see the "real reason for the season." Satanic display 'objectionable' but not illegal, some say But Sherman, a pastor, may not have wholehearted support from other Republican legislators in Iowa, some of whom say they would oppose the government limiting freedom of speech in reaction to the display, which will be in place for a total of two weeks. State Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Newton, on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, and on Facebook has tried to explain why the display was allowed. He's experienced considerable blowback in response, though he says that as an ordained minister and "as a follower of Christ, I certainly find a display from the Satanic Temple objectionable." He says those who put up the display followed all the rules required to do so, adding that "the current operating principle has been to either allow all displays or none." The Legislature can try to change those rules, he says, but "my observation as an Iowan and a State Representative, I don’t want the state evaluating and making determinations about religions. I am guided by the First Amendment of the US Constitution." "The display is an inanimate object that has no real power in and of itself. We have nothing to fear," he says, adding that "the primary response required is prayer."
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'I think this is a test' of allegiance to free speech Dunwell calls for reviewing the guidelines for displays "to ensure they represent our constitutional rights"; monitoring the number of organizations that request displays to prevent the Capitol from being "overwhelmed" by them; and continuing "to dialogue with other elected officials and Iowans on this issue." Dunwell, in a posting Sunday, pushed back at responses condemning his position. "I would rather have an evil blasphemous display or no display at all than have the state dictate what they think is appropriate," he says, adding he has been "SHOCKED so many want to give up their freedom, so they don’t have to see a display they disagree with." Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Crawford County, said that while he agrees with Sherman on a philosophical level, he believes Iowans have the right to disagree about religion. In an interview, he said decisions about civil liberties can't just be based on the state constitution alone. "We also have the federal constitution, we have the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, (which) are just foundational values of our country… So while I totally hold a total disdain anything that this organization stands for, I nonetheless believe they have the constitutionally protected right to put up the display," he said. Holt said that in the time he has been in office, many atheist displays as well as Nativity scenes have been erected in the Capitol. Nativities periodically have been displayed in the Capitol at least since 2016, when the Freedom from Religion Foundation responded with a "Nativity" for the Bill of Rights.
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"I think this is a test," Holt said of the current satanic display. "I think this is really a test of just how, how strong your allegiance is to the Constitution and the concepts of free speech and free religion. It's easy to say you believe in those things when the speech is not that objectionable to you. But when the speech is really, really highly objectionable and offensive, unless it otherwise breaks the law, are you going to stand up for the constitutional rights of others or are you not?" Staff writer Katie Akin contributed to this article.
theonemammon servesitsself
>>1245250 >Satanic Leftist Liberals Display Satanic Symbols in Iowa Capitol Anonymous It's mostly Republicans that worship Mammon
Mammon in the New Testament of the Bible is commonly thought to mean an entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both quote Jesus using the word in a phrase often rendered in English as "You cannot serve both God and mammon."
In the Middle Ages, it was personified and included as one of the seven princes of Hell. Mammon in Hebrew (ממון) means 'money'.
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>>1245270 I mean if you look up the anti-Christ, Trump really does fit the description.
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>>1245275 actually joe biden and the communists in the democratic party are the anti-christ
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>>1245275 If Trump was more successful and well like by the vast majority of the governments you might be correct. Instead the world governments hated him and the US government undermined his every action. The antichrist is successful in his deception. Trump was popular with blue collar workers who wanted protectionist policies because they were getting screwed by "free trade" outsourcing.
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Freedom of religion right?
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>>1245257 I wonder how many homeless people are camping around the Iowa capital city right now?
It seems like there are more important and certainly more 'Christian' concerns that Iowa's legislature should be working to address here.
If you want God's continued blessings, maybe you would be better off trying to do something to help the poorest and weakest of your brothers and sisters in the city?
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>>1245281 >Whataboutism Remember, every accusation the Republicans make is a confession.
theoneanti christsitsself
>>1245284 >If Trump was more successful and well like by the vast majority of the governments you might be correct tRump is just a trial balloon that Satan sent for the real antichrist to follow.
The real antichrist won't say the nasty stuff out loud, but will hint at it,
tRump: 'All Mexicans are rapist and criminals'
Antichrist: 'Our loose borders have resulted in the desecration of our fair women, and the need to lock our doors at 24/7,
Ezekiel 7:23:
Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.'.
(The antichrist will be able to quote scripture quite well, but give the illusion of being an agnostic)
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theoneasjtb antibaptisesitsself
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>>1245348 No, I am the anti SJTB(anti St john the Baptist)
I have come here to this most unholy of places to announce that I will this Dec 25, over see the birth of our AC, in a local garbage heap in India and then baptize the our new anti-savior in the Ganges shit and piss water Jan 6/2024, and then smuggle her into the US and exchange her in the crib for a baby of an important US citizen.
The exchanged baby's biologies will be used in our Kabbalistic ceremonies.
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>>1245250 lmao this rocks.
are republicans really up in arms about this?
i forgot they are ultimately the same people who freaked out about how pokemon is demonic or whatever.
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>>1245371 Well, I think this just proves liberals never intended to remove religion, they were just out to get that specific religion removed.
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>>1245372 That's a pretty retarded takeaway. Fits the MO with you closeted faggots.
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>>1245375 How's owning the cons going there, pal?
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>>1245281 will you not share your great harvest with your less-fortunate brother so he does not starve?
communism is the most christian social order there is, it's been tainted every time by godless totalitarians who chose to take all of the shared wealth for their own gain. power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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>>1245376 >owning the cons Nice made up headcanon you have there
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>>1245372 i see no issue with specifically targeting the one religion that has an entire era of human history named after how harmful it was to the development of civilization
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>>1245507 Which one is that?
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>>1245560 I have no idea
>>1245507 If your talking about the dark ages, that name was coined for the shitty period after the fall of the Roman empire
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All attacks on Christians, Muslims, and Jews, are fine in my book
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>>1245616 >If your talking about the dark ages, that name was coined for the shitty period after the fall of the Roman empire This anon gets it. And what did the terrible Christians do? Preserve knowledge and lead the world into the conservative movement called the Renaissance period.
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>>1245636 I should also mention Christians and literal clergy also advanced science to a great degree.
They created the schools that educated the men who made the greatest scientific achievements in history.
Some children still think that "The Dark Ages" was due to Christians. However, they were the shinning light that led the savages out of the doldrums.
>The Dark Ages is a term for the Early Middle Ages or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual, and cultural decline. This was an age of liberalism run amok.
Thanks.
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>>1245620 Whatabout Buddhists? Or do you only care about Abrahamic religions?
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>>1245339 republifags don't believe in FREEDUMBZ.
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>>1245636 >>1245637 Brainwashed christfags belong on another board
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>>1245640 Nor do you, apparently.
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Christians never learn.
>>1245636 >>1245637 >conservative movement called the Renaissance period. >We burn books and want to abolish enlightenment and science... but we also invented those things! Sure you did. I bet you still think you invented morality too.
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>>1245636 >what did the Christians do Infight, collapse eastern Rome facilitating the rise of Islam, piggyback off of their scientific achievements and the Byzantine brain drain to the west
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>>1245275 You can just lie on the internet and get away with it?
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>>1245250 the satanic temple is literally just 100% communist jews who hate Christianity
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>>1245339 >>1245640 satanism isn't really a religion. its just a bunch of jews trying to piss off christians. it would be like calling /k/'s murder cube a religion
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>>1245689 Nazis burned books. And it was pretty much isolated to those at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft where they were creating fags and trannies.
Christians preserved and spread knowledge, and advanced science.
>The Renaissance is a period in history and a cultural movement marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity, covering the 15th and 16th centuries and characterized by an effort to revive and surpass the ideas and achievements of classical antiquity What a great achievement of conservatism.
Liberals: trash then, trash now.
Perhaps you should read a book instead of hanging out in your Discord being accidentally jewish.
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>>1245648 Sorry you oppose objective history. What can I do to help?
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>>1245759 >Perhaps you should read a book instead of hanging out in your Discord being accidentally jewish. Did you know that ﬩ is used jewish math because + resembles a cross?
Jews are still big made Jesus table flipped their shekels. I can't believe atheists fell for Jewish tricks. It would no longer exist if they focused on disassembling the Talmud and why they were kicked out of 109 countries instead of doing Moloch's work and focusing 100% on Christianity.
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Modern Satanists are often vegan levels of obnoxious, but I have to say that their public displays like this are always beautifully designed and a nice reminder that displays of my Christian faith will always be safe from government interference in this country. As long as the Satanists are safe, the rest of us are too.
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>>1245867 When satanism was created to be obnoxious. That's literally how it got it's name.
>It's Atheism, but we're going to take the name of the Christian's most foul being It sort of puts in context that it's not a religion. It's just exists to attempt to piss off Christians.
Atheists, once again, proving they are petulant children and nothing more.
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Too bad it's not against the law to hate Christians, amirite fellow templars?
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some vet knocked the statue down. he is going to get criminal charges because for some reason tearing down statues of confederate war vets is fine but god forbid anyone do anything to jewish child rape statues
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>>1246001 >in two more weeks I will be a victim, trust the plan Anonymous
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>>1245638 Buddhist don't worship deities so they're fine
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>>1246001 >for some reason tearing down statues of confederate war vets is fine It isn't fine. People were arrested and charged for doing so. Stop making things up.
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>>1246087 surely you have a source of a conviction
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>>1246001 >for some reason tearing down statues of confederate war vets is fine Of course. It's Democrats taking down statues of Democrats. A non issue.
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>>1246105 well you are obviously foreign, retarded, from reddit and have zero reading comprehension. I said convicted, retard.
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AVE MARIA DEUS VULT BEHEAD THE IDOLS OF EDGELORDS
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>>1245759 >Renaissance the point in time where the church actively suppressed scientific advancements they didn't agree with? cool.