Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Monday, December 26, 2016

Satanic pentagram vandalized after it was placed next to a Nativity scene

A 300-pound metal sculpture of a satanic pentagram, erected as an atheist protest to a public park's Nativity scene, was severely damaged on Tuesday when it was pulled to the ground by vandals.

Atheist Preston Smith's 10-foot tall sculpture lay broken in Sanborn Square at noon. Tire tracks led from the twisted metal to the street.

It appeared vandals had attached a chain from a vehicle to the sculpture and yanked it down, dragging it several feet. As local television reporters prepared live broadcasts, two passersby stopped and pushed the sculpture back onto its base before walking away.

The sculpture sits about 20 feet from a traditional Nativity scene of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, and is backed by a banner from an atheist group reading "Keep Saturn in Saturnalias," a reference to the belief that the early Christian church substituted Christmas for a Roman pagan holiday.

More

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes we just shouldnt appease every stupid idiot!! No one wants that crap near a nativity scene, period.

Anonymous said...

Appease? Have you heard of the 1st Amemdment?

Anonymous said...

Ever think there are people that maybe don't want a nativity scene? And if the nativity scene is allowed so is the pentagram. Just fyi, its called equality under the law. Don't like it move to the middle east where there aren't any nativity scenes or pentagrams, just good ole allah and his retarded followers....kinda like those who only believe the nativity scene should be there. Fanatics, radicals, all one in the same. So stfu and deal with it snowflakes.

Anonymous said...

7:36 you are the snowflake.

Anonymous said...

During the third reconciliation of the Voldrani the traveler came as a large and moving Tor. Many Shoves and Zuels new what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day I can tell you!

Steve said...

If you are an Atheist, you do not participate in Christmas.

If you are an Antagonist, you DO participate in Christmas by setting up satanic figures in revolt of adjacent Christmas displays.

If you are a true Christian who wishes to defend your Constitutional right of free speech and freedom of religious practice, you fight for that freedom where applicable, which is where Antagonists erect anti-Christian structures.

True Atheists cannot participate in anything to do with Christmas, lest they become vandals.

They can't have it both ways. Either they are non- participants, or they participate in Christmas.

It's that simple.

Same with public nativity scenes. unless congress enacts a law establishing them, they are completely legal and welcomed by the local communities who wish to have them erected, government property or not.

If Atheists don't want them there, they can just sit there and not want them. There is no action to take but to petition the local Council o put up a display showing Nothing, which is the "Heart" of Atheism, No God whatsoever.

Or, they could elect to put up no display at all.

Never should they be able to put up any display denouncing any religion, as they run the risk of having it removed as a violation of our First Amendment.

Anonymous said...

Ha ha lmao

Anonymous said...

735 stfu..no where does it say every place that has a nativity..needs to accompany it with a barrage if politically correct symbols. And if you stupid liberals can burn flags Christian's can kick over pentagrams & symbols of bullcrap religions...that's my first amendment right oppinion.

Anonymous said...

Vince Corto, Key master of Gozer.

Anonymous said...

Actually, one stands for peace, the other stands for evil. I would never dream of protesting a peaceful religion or taking offense to it! Telling someone to "stfu" does not help you win an argument.

Anonymous said...

Good. Maybe there is hope for this country, after all.
Rejection of Satan will always trump freedom of speech.

Anonymous said...

There is an easy solution to the problem, no religious displays on public property. There are plenty of places on private property for that. Merry Christmas and GOD bless America.

Anonymous said...

@ "STEVE"

Wow. I'm an Atheist, and a conservative. So much to unpack, where to start?

Atheist is simply lack of belief in a God. It has no bearing what holiday someone celebrates. In fact, the ONLY thing that being atheist describes about a person, is that they are unconvinced by the claims of theists. That's it. End of story. It makes no positive claims nor tells us anything about that person.

Christians don't own a monopoly on Christmas. Simple history check will show that the holiday was hijacked by Christians, it was not originally a Christian holiday... but that is beside the point.

Christmas is a mostly secular holiday in American society today. Trees, Santa, Reindeer, Lights, Shopping... it has very little to do with the Christian myths.

Are the people who put up this Pentagram monument world class a-holes? Probably yes. What they were doing, is it legal? Yes. Is it their right to do so? Yes. Was the vandalism to the monument illegal? Yes.

The atheists didn't destroy the Religious monument... and I don't know who vandalized the pentagram... but I'm sure it was someone who was "offended" by it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are asserting that the religious display be allowed, and atheists should shut up and deal with it, and are not allowed/should not put up monuments of their own?

Steve said...

1:16, Your own words answer your question.

"Atheist is simply lack of belief in a God. It has no bearing what holiday someone celebrates. In fact, the ONLY thing that being atheist describes about a person, is that they are unconvinced by the claims of theists. That's it. End of story. It makes no positive claims nor tells us anything about that person. "

So, why put up an "anti" display? Certainly it wasn't put there on the 4th of July! Yes, that is exactly what I am saying! If your lack of belief in God has no bearing, why take action to put up the "anti" display? It's merely there to cause hate which is the polar opposite of what Christmas is all about.

So yes, keep your hate inside, and allow Christians their Holy Days of love and respect for their God.

Steve said...

To add, When you atheists have whatever holiday you wish to celebrate, we Christians would never think of upsetting it with any "anti" displays or negative rhetoric.

It's just what we do/ don't do.

Get it?

Anonymous said...

@ Steve

American Atheist here.

You keep referring to me, as if I was the one who put up the pentagram. I did not. In fact, I referred to the folks who did as a-holes. Did you miss that? Specifically, world class a-holes if I remember right.

You made some wildly inaccurate generalizations about Atheists. I wanted to correct that, I thought that I did.

You assert that I must "keep my hate inside". What makes you think that I have any hate at all? Why would you even suggest that? It makes no sense. Please to explain.

Hey, I DO get it. You associate the Holiday with your faith. And you feel that the people who put up these displays are marginalizing and disrespecting your faith... and disrespecting you. I can see and understand how you feel that way.

Keep in mind, though, Atheists are constantly misrepresented, case in point... what you wrote about Atheists here that is just not true.

I understand why these folks put up this disrespectful display. Did it do any good? I would argue no, and it didn't reflect well on any other person who calls themselves an Atheist. There are any host of other ways they could have put up a Holiday monument that would have put the point across without being so confrontational.

Remember, these reactions are not necessarily "anti" displays per se... rather they are displays of inclusion. A proclamation that this is a free country for all, not just a country for Christians. The bill of rights protects our Religious liberty, no one group gets special treatment. If you want to put up a Christmas tree on public land... well ok. Want a religious symbol?.... well you must be prepared for all religious symbols and expressions. That's the price of freedom.

A manger scene does not offend me... and I associate it with the Christmas Holiday. It's part of the tradition and the mythos of the holiday as we understand it today. Understand though, that it IS a religious display.. and if it is on government land it opens up the flood gates for any and all crazies to insist on their own bit of land for their own bit of whatever crazy they want to display. That is just the way it works.

I think I "get it" as you asked. Does what I posted make sense? Do you also understand?

Anonymous said...

@ Steve

I'm curious... who do you speculate it was that vandalized the monument?

And, the Christian monument was not vandalized....

What sort of commentary or conclusion can be drawn from this information? What does is say about the people who may or may not have been involved?

Speculate as to why one was targeted and the other was not... I am extremely curious as to your conclusions...

Anonymous said...

@ Steve

American Atheist here.

You keep referring to me, as if I was the one who put up the pentagram. I did not. In fact, I referred to the folks who did as a-holes. Did you miss that? Specifically, world class a-holes if I remember right.

You made some wildly inaccurate generalizations about Atheists. I wanted to correct that, I thought that I did.

You assert that I must "keep my hate inside". What makes you think that I have any hate at all? Why would you even suggest that? It makes no sense. Please to explain.

Hey, I DO get it. You associate the Holiday with your faith. And you feel that the people who put up these displays are marginalizing and disrespecting your faith... and disrespecting you. I can see and understand how you feel that way.

Keep in mind, though, Atheists are constantly misrepresented, case in point... what you wrote about Atheists here that is just not true.

I understand why these folks put up this disrespectful display. Did it do any good? I would argue no, and it didn't reflect well on any other person who calls themselves an Atheist. There are any host of other ways they could have put up a Holiday monument that would have put the point across without being so confrontational.

Remember, these reactions are not necessarily "anti" displays per se... rather they are displays of inclusion. A proclamation that this is a free country for all, not just a country for Christians. The bill of rights protects our Religious liberty, no one group gets special treatment. If you want to put up a Christmas tree on public land... well ok. Want a religious symbol?.... well you must be prepared for all religious symbols and expressions. That's the price of freedom.

A manger scene does not offend me... and I associate it with the Christmas Holiday. It's part of the tradition and the mythos of the holiday as we understand it today. Understand though, that it IS a religious display.. and if it is on government land it opens up the flood gates for any and all crazies to insist on their own bit of land for their own bit of whatever crazy they want to display. That is just the way it works.

I think I "get it" as you asked. Does what I posted make sense? Do you also understand?

Anonymous said...

also @ Steve

I'm curious... who do you speculate it was that vandalized the monument?

And, the Christian monument was not vandalized....

What sort of commentary or conclusion can be drawn from this information? What does is say about the people who may or may not have been involved?

Speculate as to why one was targeted and the other was not... I am extremely curious as to your conclusions...

Steve said...

Just because it wasn't you who put up the display is inconsequencisl, you are supporting it, so you may as well be the bastard that did it.It represents a hate of Christianity in a place that is completely in the reserve of Free Speech, and in a place where Congress has made no law. Your baited question of speculation is of no consequence. I was not involved in it, so I cannot comment on it.

Your straw man theorem doesn't work, though because you are defending the vandals. While saying "I didn't do it", it doesn't forgive your support of the action.It just makes you an argumentative fool. Bottom line is, you want it both ways. You claim everyone has the right to publicly display their religious holiday on government land, yet somehow extend that right to the ability to protest, rape and destroy alongside the same.

You can't have it both ways. My advice is to close your eyes while passing a Nativity Scene and drive directly to your "safe space" so your Snowflake Pride will never be bruised beyond all recognition.

Merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

@ Steve

I do not support this monument, I think I made that clear. I do, however, support the right of the people to put it up. That is the way a free society works. The supreme court has backed this up overwhelmingly.

I may be wrong, so if I am please correct me if I am... you want the Christian, and only the Christian displays to be posted and allowed on public land? This would not make us a free society, would it? More like a theocracy... right?

If you postulate that people who don't like the Christian display can just shut their eyes and ignore it, ipso facto, then if you don't like the pentagram display can not you do the same?

I find amusement in your safe space/snow flake ad hominem attacks. Curious how you came to these conclusions. I find social justice safe space folks to be annoying and need a hard real dose of the real world. Couldn't it be argued that the folks guilty of pitching a fit and having their snowflake feelings hurt are the ones flipping out about the pentagram monument, specifically the ones who tried to vandalize it? To my knowledge... nothing has happened to the Christian display... hmmm...

As to your assertion of a "strawman" please expand on this, I don't see where I made one and it is important to me that I not make an error like that, but I don't see where I did. Additionally, I don't support rape and destruction, I'm unsure of where you made that assumption.. can you be more clear?

Think on this Steve, I don't hold all Christians accountable for the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church. That would be absurd. Why then, lump me in with these people?

Have a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to your reply.