Saying that the devil should not be assigned any value at all, a group of Christian pastors is planning to strongly oppose the unveiling of a Satanic statue in downtown Detroit scheduled later this month.
Pastor David Bullock of the St. Matthew Baptist Church said he and other Christian leaders are organising a counter protest on the same day the devilish Baphomet monument, which depicts a goat-headed entity, is to be unveiled by the group calling itself the Satanic Temple."
He invited all Christians to join the counter protest.
"The last thing we need—in a city where we're fighting against violence and fighting against economic problems and unemployment and the water crisis—is a statue dedicated to Satan right downtown," Bullock said.
The Christian pastor also said that that Satanism is not even a real religion. He added that he and other Christian pastors are trying to request that the unveiling of the Satanic statue be cancelled.
"They're bringing a Baphomet statue to the city of Detroit valorising, elevating Satan. This is not even a real religion in my estimation," Bullock said.
Satanic Temple spokesman Doug Mesner, who also calls himself "Lucien Greaves," earlier said the Baphomet statue will be unveiled on July 25 at Bert's Warehouse—an area very near a Ten Commandments monument—"a counter-balance to existing graven tributes to archaic Abrahamic barbarism."
"The statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures. The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation," Mester said.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court earlier ruled that the Satanic Temple could not place the Baphomet statue alongside the Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma state capitol's grounds because the site is state property.
