A worrying bill has been proposed in Arizona which would restrict the freedom of religion.
Arizona Senate Bill 1279 was proposed by Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican. The bill intends to prohibit, “satanic memorials, statues, altars or displays or any other method of representing or honoring Satan,” on public property in Arizona. The bill may also be cited as the “Reject Escalating Satanism by Preserving Essential Core Traditions (RESPECT) Act.”
To me, this bill shows while there may be a lot of talk about freedom from Republicans, their actions and words do not match. Under the first amendment of the United States, no religion is supposed to be given more privileges than another. This means if a Nativity scene can be placed on a public building then a statue of Buddha, Amaterasu or even Baphomet must also be allowed.
Some conservative Christians do not like having to see other religions have equal treatment when it comes to monuments. The Satanic Temple is a religious organization aware of the conservative anger which leads them to use their legal rights to erect statues of Baphomet, their goat-headed symbol, on public property. While this action has generated outrage in the past, things got violent in December at Iowa’s Capitol.
According to NBC, unsuccessful Republican candidate for Mississippi’s state House of Representatives, Michael Cassidy was charged with a hate crime after beheading the statue.
The action taken by Cassidy reminds me of one taken by the Taliban when they destroyed the Buddha of Bamiyan in 2001. Despite there being a lot of hatred between the two, there are unmistakable similarities between Christian nationalists and radical Islamists. This proposed bill may be far from New Hampshire, but I still feel the worrying rise of Christian nationalism throughout the country transcends state borders.
On the brightside, it is very unlikely this bill will pass. It is still frightening to me that this country can allow politicians to be so corrupt they can actively ignore the Constitution.
Whether or not one likes the Satanic Temple or the messages they profess, if Christians have a right to put religious statues on public property, then Satanists must also have this right. The Satanic Temple is not breaking any laws by placing their idols of Baphomet on public property as people of any religion can place what they holy on public property so long as there is no nepotism.
Claiming the bill will “preserve essential core traditions” is quite laughable as well. Even if American law was based on the New Testament, I highly doubt that Jesus would prefer making sure only he can have statues in public buildings over his followers, turning the other cheek or taking the plank out of their own eyes. American law is not supposed to be passed on the New Testament, but enlightenment ideas such as the right to swing your cane ending at the tip of my nose. I find it ironic that ideal aligns more with what the Satanic Temple preaches although I also would not want American law to be based on their religion.
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
