Jesus Beats the Devil to the State Capitol

A three-piece Nativity was erected on the state Capitol grounds in Lansing in response to an announcement earlier this week by The Satanic Temple of Detroit, which said it would put up a holiday display. The announcement roiled Michigan Christians. (Screenshot: The Lansing News/MLive video)

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Get back, Satan. Jesus is back in town.

Rick Jones – acting as a citizen, he emphasized, not in his official capacity as a state senator – has stolen Christmas back from The Satanic Temple of Detroit, which this week roiled Christians with an announcement of plans to erect an outdoor Satan-themed holiday display on the state Capitol grounds in Lansing.

Jones, a Grand Lodge Republican, told The Lansing News/MLive he was “a little outraged that a Satanic group has decided to steal a Christian holiday.”

“... As a Christian,” he said, “I think it’s important that we respond to this.”

“This is what Christmas is. It’s not the presents and the food. It’s about God. Period.”

Private citizen Jones’ response was a small Nativity scene depicting the infant Jesus with the Virgin Mary and Joseph.

On loan from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, the three-piece Nativity was put in place Friday on the Capitol’s east lawn as about 20 supporters sang “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angel Sings,” and “Joy to the World.”

“This is what Christmas is,” said Jan Fry, who traveled from Grand Rapids with her husband, Jim, to take part in the ceremony in Lansing.

“It’s not the presents and the food,” she told The Lansing News/MLive. “It’s about God. Period.”

Satanists Prefer No “Religious Iconography”

The outcry against the Satanic holiday display included members of the Michigan State Capitol Commission that approved the request.

Member John Truscott said it was “absolutely disgusting” for Satanists “to hijack a Christian holiday,” but denying the request would have violated their First Amendment Rights, he said.

For all the fiery rhetoric over the planned display, The Satanic Temple’s Detroit chapter wasn’t all that keen on flexing its constitutional muscle and, in fact, thinks “religious iconography” has no place on state land, local church founder Jex Blackmore said.

But because the Capitol Commission had previously approved a plan for a Christian Nativity display – which fizzled out when the sponsor couldn’t find anyone to take it down each evening to comply with Commission rules – Blackmore’s group thought their display provided important balance.

“If there was going to be a singular voice represented, we felt it was best to add to that representation of diversity here in Michigan,” she said.

Lawmakers Better Suited for the Pulpit?

Blackmore told The Detroit News she was troubled by the religious overtones in critics’ remarks. Another state official, Detroit Democratic Sen. Tupac Hunter, said Satanists’ holiday display “is an effort to mock the concept of religious freedom” and “an attempt to scorn Christianity.”

“If our Legislature finds it morally incomprehensible to respect the diversity of differences among Michigan citizens,” Blackmore responded, “then perhaps they are much better served as members of the clergy rather than representatives of the people.”

Related:

• Satanic Holiday Display Approved for Michigan Capitol Grounds

The Satanists’ display, called a “Snaketivity Scene,” will feature a serpent, cross and a secular message that “the greatest gift is knowledge.” It’s scheduled to be displayed on the north Capitol lawn Sunday through Tuesday

“Just as the Nativity is a myth representing the birth of Christ, the snake is representative of the myth of the birth of human enlightenment and liberation,” Blackmore said.

Photo: The Satanic Temple of Detroit Facebook page

Jones and a team volunteers from area churches have agreed to disassemble and reassemble the the Christian display each day to comply with rules governing displays on the state Capitol grounds.

Widely circulated stories about Michigan’s dueling holiday displays have provided material for humorists, satirists and comedians.

For example, the Metro Times took a snarky stab at the Christian Nativity, saying that it features a visibly happy towheaded baby Jesus. “What it certainly lacks in historical accuracy,” the irreverent alternative newsweekly said, “it makes up for in cuteness.”

Screenshot: Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland