Well, that's one way of fighting religious intolerance. With giant bronze statues of the Devil.
The Satanic Temple of Detroit has recently unveiled a bronze, nine-foot statue of Old Nick in Detroit, Michigan that it's called "a celebration of a group effort" on their part.
The statue was initially scheduled to be erected in the city which passed a law allowing religious monuments to be erected on government property. America's constitution expressly espouses a clear separation between church and state; Satanists believe laws that allow for religious monuments on government property is a mockery of this.
The nine-foot tall statue was, as you'd expect, met with protest in Detroit when it was unveiled. Over 100 protestors gathered to voice their concerns against it and the statue itself has received widespread media attention.
The initial plan was to have the statue, which depicts a winged, goat-headed Satan on a throne next to two children, erected alongside a monument depicting the Ten Commandments in Oklahoma's State Capitol grounds.
However, when the application was denied, the statue was then moved to Detroit for its unveiling. Oklahoma has since removed all religious monuments on government property.
Local activists in Detroit believe the statue is evil and that it is a mockery of religion, whereas Satanists believe it will provoke debate and discussion on religion's role in politics.
As for the statue itself, its sculptor, Mark Porter, says that although it initially creeped him out, it looks "like whatever. It could be Mickey Mouse."
The statue, which weighs over one ton, cost $100,000 to build.
Via ABC7
