Bye Bye, Oklahoma Theocracy

Now for some less depressing news, reminding us that there is a bright side, and that life is not always one long sigh: after a Supreme Court ruling over two years ago stating that the statue of the ten commandments at the Oklahoma state building needed to be removed, the eyesore was finally taken away from public property on Monday. It was "re-homed" at the Oklahoma Counsel of Public Affairs, which is an organization that advertises Republican candidates for various offices and lobbies for policies that favor theocracy, christian theocracy, and threaten the constitutional rights of everyone. At least the statue is on private property.

No one should think that a demand was made by the people to remove the ten commandments. All that was desired by non-christian citizens, such as The Satanic Temple, was equal space for icons and symbols that favored The Satanic Temple, alongside the ten commandments. It was the Supreme Court that told Oklahoma to remove the eyesore from its front lawn. Thomas Jefferson would agree. No religion should cram government space with icons. Neither should a religion attempt to rule any segment of America's population. It would have been a lot of fun to attend the unveiling of the statue of Baphomet on the lawn of the Oklahoma state building, however. But all is not lost; a letter was sent earlier this week by The Satanic Temple to the state of Arkansas, concerning a similar eyesore at the state capital building in Hope.

In Case You Missed Church On Sunday

In case you missed church on Sunday, there is still a lawsuit on the table against the state of Oklahoma, concerning their offensive affirmation of a preference for one religion over another at their state capital building, in the form of a statue bearing the biblical ten commandments. The Satanist Temple, headquartered in New York, came to the assistance of Satanists in Oklahoma with a blueprint for a statue of Baphomet to grace the same building. The matter has yet to be decided.

The drawing of the proposed statue is quite attractive. I like it. The only thing that bothers me a little bit is that Baphomet and Satan are two distinctly different entities, but the message of the Temple of Satan is still valid. In fact, there are two messages here: first, it is acceptable and admirable, from a spiritual standpoint, to think logically and love one's self; second, it is legal and appropriate to demand equal representation, both inside the state building and outside of it. Christians everywhere should pay close attention to this.

If this is finally settled by building the new statue, rather than removing the offensive christian motif; I intend to make the trip to Oklahoma for the unveiling. It will be a unique experience for my children to photograph and write about in school.