A former Mississippi political candidate is facing criminal charges after a bedazzled statue of Baphomet, a figure associated with the Satanic Temple, was discovered decapitated at the Iowa State Capitol.

Michael Cassidy, 35, a former U.S. Navy pilot, told Fox News that he saw the controversy surrounding the display, which was heavily criticized by Republican politicians like Ron DeSantis, and drove to the Iowa Capitol to see it for himself. He said it hit a “nerve” and went on to destroy it.

According to an archived version of his campaign website, Cassidy pushed for a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who destroys a statue in his own state.

  • zzzz@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

    Or, was that behead your enemies?

    • Pilkins@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      In their minds, this is loving your enemy. Because Christians are right and everyone else is wrong. So forcing your beliefs on people is a good thing because you’re saving their souls.

    • ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      Love your enemies, sure. But when they put a goat statue in a government building, that’s a bridge too far! As a good Christian, you’ve got a right to defend yourself in life-threatening goat statue situations.

          • Setarkus.LW@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Well, maybe not the time energy stealing kind but, we can’t be sure they don’t move just because they didn’t when we were looking at them

      • prole@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        It’s far more than just a goat statue, have you seen it? It’s dope. I’ve always liked the children at his feet looking up to him lol I’m sure that triggers Christians so hard.

    • ours@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      They say they love Jesus but they only talk Old Testament stuff. The Christian far right would have lynched Jesus the second they would have heard of some woke commie bum becoming popular.

    • 52fighters@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      I think it went something like this, “Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan: for it is written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve.”

      • Saxoboneless@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Pretty sure there’s an ocean of difference between Jesus Christ rebuking the literal devil and a politician traveling across state borders to illegally deface a statue as a publicity stunt to fundraise and get an interview on Fox about how he totally “decapitated Satan.” Even if his conviction was somehow driven by religion and not pure vanity (it wasn’t), any form of religious supremacy has no place in society at large, let alone a government building. The law recognizes this, “freedom of religion” is the backbone of this in the US, and I’d hope people understand why it might be a worthwhile and important protection to have and uphold.

        Additionally, I have a suspicion that anyone who favorably compares a person who postures as a Christian supremacist to Christ is less the sort of person with an understanding of their religion and more the sort of person who knows how to search for the word “Satan” in their YouVersion Bible app.

        • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          To this guy’s fans, and possibly him, he did literally rebuke Satan with this act.

          There are people out there who actually believe it, and therefore agree his actions legitimately align with Jesus’ teachings.

          • FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            That’s not Satan, that’s Baphomet.

            A bit of demonology (or culture in general) can go a long way in helping these people avoiding this kind of nonsensical responses.

            It’s like if someone were to deface a statue of the archangel Michael and I went on a tirade about how evil all the cherubims really were. Michael is an archangel, not a cherubim. Similar but not the same.

            • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              Jesus rebuked Satan in the text I quoted.

              I was handwaving on the statue itself, as it’s immaterial to my point. You think they have different reactions to baphoment, even if they are aware? They see baph as an agent of Satan, and therefore Satan.

              • FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Well, the statue will be more than material when he will be judged by the law.

                The most funny thing is that you believe the infernal potentates are all aligned and following a ruler. By definition the hellish powers are independent and individual in their scopes and objectives, Satan fought God exactly because he didn’t recognize its ultimate authority over his own free will. Confusing Satan with Baphomet is like confusing Drumpf and Putin: they both are evil and terrible people supporting one another when their interests collide while also ready to jump at each other throat should the situation require so, but I would never accuse Drumpf of having moved war to Ukraine since it was Putin to do so.

                But I don’t see you as a reasonable person so I presume this distinction will fall flat at your feet. Oh well, nothing bad, the guy will still be judged for his actions and will suffer the consequences (hopefully) for his sensless violence. Keep seething in your ignorance good boy

      • Kalkaline @leminal.space
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        11 months ago

        Was this the guy who didn’t even have the decency to put the world’s population in a sack before he drowned them? “Oh he’s changed now”

      • FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Kinda sure that’s not Satan but Baphomet. Completely different characters if you know what you are talking about; which is not your case since your Christian mindset doesn’t allow for the retaining of useful information as it is normal for a sheep mindset

      • Aniki 🌱🌿@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        Pretty sure it went something in Ancient Greek and that you’re just parroting an interpretation without any introspection of the source text nor the context from which it was lifted.

        Try doing something scholarly next time. Hot-take-Bible-Quotes are worthless.

      • prole@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        Oh neat, can I try?

        "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

        I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

        Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

        – Paul Atreides, Dune - Frank Herbert

        Did I do it right? We’re sharing quotes from our favorite fiction books, right?