SPRINGFIELD – Republican Senator Paul Schimpf asked Secretary of State Jesse White to reconsider his approval of a Satanic statue that was added to the Capitol Rotunda's Christmas display this year.
The anti-Christian/anti-Jewish statue should not have been included, because its purpose is to antagonize other faiths, Schimpf argued in a letter sent Friday.
Dear Secretary White,
I am writing to express my disappointment in your approval of a Satanic statue in the Illinois Capitol Rotunda.
As an attorney who evaluated the legality of religious displays in the United States Marine Corps, I appreciate the complexities associated with balancing the First Amendment with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. In this situation, I believe you received poor legal advice recommending approval of the Satanic display.
The Satanic display should not have been approved. It does not celebrate or recognize the observance of a religious holiday. Instead, the display seeks to provoke and antagonize members of the Christian and Jewish faiths. As such, you would have been well within your discretion to deny that display request.
I respectfully request that you reconsider your decision and order the removal of the Satanic statue.
Sincerely,
Paul Schimpf
Senator, 58th Legislative District
Paul M. Schimpf
Illinois Family Institute reported that David Drucker, spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office said the Satanic Temple-Chicago has the right, just like any religious organization, to put up their display in the rotunda. Under the First Amendment of the Constitution people have a right to express their feelings and thoughts, said Drucker.
Illinois Family Institute agrees with Schimpf's position that the purpose of the statue is to ridicule Christmas – sacred to Christians – and Hanukkah – sacred to the Jewish faith:
Whatever they claim, their mission is the denigration and mockery of Christianity. They claim to be on the front lines against “encroaching theocracy,” yet strangely there is no mention of Sharia law. In fact, if they were to publicly oppose Islam instead of Christianity one cannot imagine them being allowed to erect such a monument.
Satanists may have a legal right to do this, but they do not have a moral right. The general silence of Christians and their leaders over the years has clearly emboldened them – to the detriment of us all.
The addition has brought national media attention.
