In front of the Arkansas State Capitol, a demonstration of supporters of the Temple of Satan organization took place. Reported by KATV. Several dozen protesters gathered in Little Rock with slogans calling for the separation of church from state. The reason for this was the intention of state legislators to establish a monument to the Ten Commandments in the Capitol. In the "Temple of Satan" they believe that in order to observe religious pluralism and freedom of speech, statues of Baphomet, a deity supposedly worshiped by the Templars, should be placed next to each other.
During the rally, five speakers addressed the audience, including one of the founders of the "Temple of Satan". In addition, they were shown the two-meter figure of Baphomet with the head of a goat, a woman's body and hooves, sitting on a throne with a pentagram, surrounded by smiling children. The organization will pursue its claims in court.
Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert of the Republican Party condemned the "Temple of Satan" proposals. “Whatever these extremists might assert, hell would sooner freeze over than this offending statue occupies a permanent place on the grounds of the Capitol,” he wrote on Facebook. The Temple of Satan is an American political organization created in 2014 to fight for the separation of church from state, social justice and equality. Contrary to its name, its members do not worship the devil.
In 2014, the organization proposed placing a statue of Baphomet next to the Ten Commandments monument in the Oklahoma State Capitol. In 2017, the Temple of Satan condemned new rules for the handling of human embryonic remains in Texas, which made it difficult to access abortion, and launched a fight against corporal punishment in American schools.