Ten Commandments Monument on Oklahoma Capitol Lawn Case Involves ACLU, Supreme Court: 'Satanic Temple' Organization Wants a Statue, Too
As state lawmakers and civil liberties advocates argue over the public placement of a Ten Commandments monument on Oklahoma's Capitol lawn, the Satanic Temple organization aims to balance the scales.
The Satanic Temple recently unveiled photos of a monument it has built and wants placed on Oklahoma State Legislature grounds. The monument features two happy children looking up a creature named Baphomet, which has the head of a ram and body of a man.
The organization needs to cast the monument in bronze before it is completed, Satanic Temple spokesman Lucien Greaves told Al Jazeera America.
In the past, the group's attempt to get the monument placed on the government property has been thwarted by Oklahoma's Capitol Preservation Commission.
In 2012, Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, helped erect the Judeo-Christian monument through legislation and $10,000 out of his own pocket. The American Civil Liberties Union's local chapter have fought against its enactment ever since and is currently in pending litigation, according to Al Jazeera.
The case is expected continue until at least 2015, as it will more than likely be taken to the state's Supreme Court, ACLU's legal director Brady Henderson said. He added that the group also opposes the Satanic Temple's monument for the same reason its fighting against the Ten Commandments monument.
The Satanic Temple's "basis for saying 'we have right to have this on the Capitol lawn' is inconsistent with our case," Henderson said. "The state shouldn't have a religious monument at all."
However, Greaves said the Satanic Temple would continue to push for its monument to be placed next to its Judeo-Christian counterpart.
"In Oklahoma, some say the Ten Commandments have unique American legal value, that it's the foundational document on which our laws are based. It doesn't take too much intellectualizing to argue against that," Greaves said. "You've never seen the Ten Commandments codified into state law because they are against the Constitution. The whole satanic construct is very much a part of our (American) history and isn't one to be ignored."
If the Ten Commandments monument were to be removed then the Satanic Temple would drop its bid for the Baphomet statue, Greaves said.
For the ACLU, the best option would be for neither monument to be placed on government property.
"That makes perfect sense, Henderson said. "My impression of what they're doing is they are saying, 'Hey, if you have one religious view out there, you should represent others.' The state can represent multiple religious views or none at all."
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!