8ft Statue of Baphomet Appears On Arkansas State Capitol Lawn
The demonic statue was unveiled as part of Church Of Satan protest
A massive satanic statue of Baphomet was unveiled Thursday on the lawn of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock amid chants of “Hail Satan.”
The demonic statue was unveiled as part of the Church of Satan’s protest against a 2015 bill signed into law that allows “the placement on the State Capitol grounds of a suitable monument commemorating the Ten Commandments.”
Satanists gathered at the 8.5-foot statue chanting “Hail Satan!” while some chanted in Latin.
Many different groups waiting on @LucienGreaves to bring Baphomet to the state capitol steps for the Satanic Temple's "Rally for the First Amendment." #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/B5MuhGc0QB
— Jessi Turnure (@JessiTurnure) August 16, 2018
Baphomet has arrived at the state capitol to cheers of "Hail Satan!" #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/6QFbf1eiTE
— Jessi Turnure (@JessiTurnure) August 16, 2018
Star-Telegram reports: Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert, who was the lead sponsor of the bill that is now known as Act 1231, released a statement on Facebook in advance of the Satanst gathering.
“Though our state is being visited today by outsiders who clearly choose to travel around the nation uplifting the profane and proclaiming extremely unorthodox views, rest assured that though we respect their right to free speech, they must also respect our right to disagree with them and repudiate their false claims,” Rapert wrote.
The act’s closing sentence reads, “The placement of the monument under this section shall not be construed to mean that the State of Arkansas favors any particular religion or denomination over others.”
The ACLU of Arkansas sued to challenge the constitutionality of Act 1231 in May, according to a news release. That challenge is still moving through the court system.
Worth noting: In 2017, the Satanic Temple sent Arkansas legislators a letter, asking them to sponsor a bill, that would allow for a statue of Baphomet to be placed on capitol grounds.
Not one legislator responded Rep. Kim Hammer tells @KATVNews #arnews #arpx #arleg
The name Baphomet dates back to the Inquisition and the torture of the Knights Templar before the year 1100, according to the BBC.
The modern image of the Baphomet goat, which is portrayed in the Satanic Temple’s statue, was drawn by the French occultist Eliphas Levi in 1856.
