Hmm... Here's Your Sign
So, here is an interesting bit of Christmas trivia. Did you know that the first Nativity scene was built in the year 1223 in the Italian village of Grecio by St. Francis of Assisi? Did you also know that the Satanic Temple-Chicago has been granted permission to display a statue called "Knowledge is the Greatest Gift" inside the rotunda at the Illinois Capital? Well, you did if you read the Christian Examiner regularly.
The satanic sculpture will be on display alongside a Nativity scene, a menorah, and a sign from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claiming, "Religion is but a myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds." The statue depicts a woman's hand, holding an apple, and entwined by a snake, and according to the Christian Examiner, represents Satan as the hero, "as a character that represents rebellion in the face of religious tyranny."
So, alongside the Nativity and menorah, two symbols of God's love for mankind, are a sign that condemns half the world for believing in God and a statue that depicts the single most damning moment in human history, claiming the perpetrator of that crime as a hero. Two displays arguably not actually related to Christmas. According to the article, the Satanic Temple-Chicago says the statue "rejects tyrannical authority and advocates for common sense and justice." Hmm... that... sounds... like... "Satan is using 'leaps in knowledge to challenge absolute truth with a moral relativism.'"
Regardless of your religion, that's freedom of speech, folks. That's one of the many things that make this country great.
These great United States of America allow people with differing opinions to voice, display, object, and ridicule, as long as that "speech" is non-violent in and of itself, does not foster violence, and is not hateful. It can be wrong, a lie, even hurtful, but we still allow it, short of a well-established "do not cross" line.
But the First Amendment is not what strikes me about this display. Rather, it is the tolerance and understanding of the Christian community in response. Christians are not gathered around the rotunda shouting down Satanists or legislators. We are not online establishing GoFundMe pages to foot the bill for litigation against the state of Illinois. Nor are we hounding the television and airwaves about the egregious violation of the spirit of Christmas in so blatant a display.
Instead, most of us are in prayer. We are in prayer for the state of Illinois, that the state would realize, as did the followers of Dagon in 1 Samuel 5, that a statue representing an inferior deity poses no threat to the living God. We are in prayer for the legislators of Illinois, that they would learn to stand against the tyranny that this statue represents – an assault on the Christmas season and the celebration of the birth of Christ. And we are in prayer for the Satanists, that they would realize the great lie about which they have become a party.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10, NIV)
You see, unlike the Satanists who claim Jesus is a tyrannical religious figure who never existed, Christians recognize the gift of eternal life and the promise of a life worth living. Unlike Satanists who are misled into believing in an inferior being whose only purpose is death and destruction, Christians believe in the true messiah, the living God, the only deity in history to have sacrificed himself for the sins of the world, and still lives to tell about it.
So, it really doesn't matter that the Satanic Temple-Chicago won the privilege to display their affront to Christianity alongside the humble, loving display we call the Nativity. What matters is that their act has given Christians a platform from which to engage nonbelievers during this most joyous of seasons. What matters is that the mainstream media is giving Christians a chance to show our love for the souls of the Satanists and the FFRF, to contrast their hateful rhetoric with our loving, heartfelt passion for their eternal freedom. What matters is that Christ preached his message of love openly, unlike Satan who deceived Eve in the Garden, as represented by "Knowledge is the Greatest Gift."
–Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/.