The location of the event was disclosed only to $25-ticket holders, whom The Satanic Temple group welcomed for “a night of chaos, noise, and debauchery.” The group also urged party goers to “dance with the Devil and experience history in the making.”
The statue, which weighs about a ton, had never before been seen in public. It features Baphomet. This goat-headed, demon-like creature with hooves, wings and a beard is portrayed sitting on a throne backed by an inverted pentagram as two children gaze upon it.
While a satanic gathering of this magnitude may send shocks down the spines of Christians and members of other religions, some Christians viewed it as an opportunity to strengthen their faith.
“The church can benefit from this because we can view this as an opportunity to get at the truth in terms of what the Satanic Temple believes,” said Minister Todd Sanders, “I don’t think it’s anything we should be afraid of at all, we don’t need to cower in fear — we have the truth on our side as Christians.”
The Satanic Temple originally planned to hold The Unveiling at a Detroit restaurant, but the venue’s owner canceled the event after learning more about the group’s satanic ties. Beforehand, it was planned to take place at the state capitol in Oklahoma City before the Oklahoma Supreme Court banned a statue of The Ten Commandments on capitol grounds.
The Satanic Temple then moved the event to Detroit where it says it has a “strong congregation” of more than 200 registered members.
The group wants the statue’s next stop to be the Arkansas’ Statehouse, where a monument of The Ten Commandments is also planned to be unveiled.
