Satanic Temple Unveils 8 Foot Baphomet Statue in Detroit – Christians Upset

The Satanic Temple, Detroit, unveiled an 8-foot bronze statue of the goat-headed Devil — also known as Baphomet — in Detroit on Saturday, Fox 10 News reports. According to sources at the unveiling ceremony, when the one-ton statue of satan was revealed, the crowd cheered loudly and chanted, “Hail Satan.”

The Satanic Temple kept the site of the Baphomet statue secret for months until the last moment, only emailing ticket holders who had paid $25 to see it. Invitations to “The Unveiling” told guests to anticipate “a night of chaos, noise, and debauchery … Come dance with the Devil and experience history in the making.”

But there are many people who don’t want the satanic statue in Detroit.

The Temple claims that they have received threats that the devil statue would be destroyed. On Saturday, protesters assembled near Bert’s Marketplace, where the Satanic Temple Detroit had originally planned to reveal the statue, RT.com reports.

“The last thing we need in Detroit is having a welcome home party for evil,“ Reverend Dave Bullock, a local pastor, told Reuters.

As you can imagine, he’s not the only Christian leader who’s against a satanic statue in Detroit.

“This unveiling will not happen in the City of Detroit on my watch,” Bishop Corletta Vaughn from the Detroit Holy Ghost Cathedral told the Free Press. “I’m here to stand against this being in the City of Detroit. We will not turn over our city to Satanists. It’s a violent spirit that’s moving to the city and infiltrating that place. We will drive them out of Dodge.”

Her sentiments were echoed by another protester, James Bluford, who said: “Satan has no place in this city, or any other city.”

As RT reports, some Detroit residents feel that the statue is being forced on the city because the Satanic temple wants to capitalize on Detroit’s depressed economic situation.

“They think we’re down as a city,” said Martin C. Tutwiler of Oak Park.

The Detroit Satanic Temple has said that the Baphomet statue is meant “to complement and contrast the Ten Commandments monument that already resides on Oklahoma State Capitol grounds.” Originally, a winged statue of Baphomet was supposed to be erected alongside the 6-foot statue of the Ten Commandments at the Oklahoma State Capitol. However, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ordered that the Ten Commandments monument be removed because state property should not be used to show support for any religion. This decision is currently being appealed, according to CNN.

In a statement released earlier this year, Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves stated that the Detroit Baphomet statue would be a”beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures.” He also claimed that the satanic statue would serve a functional purpose as “a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.”

After its stay in Detroit, the Satanic Temple plans to move the Baphomet statue to Arkansas.

[Photo via The Satanic Temple / Facebook]