Satanists have applied to put a 7-foot statue of Satan at the Oklahoma state Capitol to stand next to a monument of the Ten Commandments.
A New York-based Satanic church sent in the application, Gawker reported via The Associated Press. The group has already raised about half of the $20,000 needed to build the monument.
An artist's rendering of the statue in question shows Satan depicted as Baphomet, a figure with a goat's head, wings and a beard.
"The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond," temple spokesman Lucien Greaves said in a statement as quoted by the AP. "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."
The Satanic Temple argues that because the Oklahoma Legislature authorized a privately funded Ten Commandments statue, the Baphomet monument should be allowed as well.
A Hindu leader in Nevada, an animal rights group and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster have submitted similar applications to erect monuments.
The standing Ten Commandments monument itself is up in the air, since the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit to have it removed. The monument was placed on the north steps of the building in 2012, according to the AP.
Lawmakers in the conservative state say the proposed Satan statue will never be approved.
"I think you've got to remember where you are. This is Oklahoma, the middle of the heartland," Rep. Don Armes, R-Faxon, told the AP. "I think we need to be tolerant of people who think different than us, but this is Oklahoma, and that's not going to fly here."
The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission has said that no new requests for monuments will be considered until a decision is reached on the ACLU lawsuit.
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