LANSING, MI -- State Sen. Rick Jones is attempting to resurrect plans for a Christian nativity scene outside the Michigan Capitol.

Jones confirmed his effort Monday evening after hearing that a Detroit chapter of The Satanic Temple will set up its own holiday display on the Capitol lawn.

"I'm a little outraged that a Satanic group has decided to steal a Christian holiday," said Jones, R-Grand Ledge. "...As a Christian, I think it's important that we respond to this."

The Michigan State Capitol Commission in November considered a request for a nativity scene from an out-of-state resident. Permission would have been granted, according to commissioner John Truscott, but the man did not find local assistance to take down the display each night, as required under pre-existing Capitol rules.

The nativity request prompted a similar application from the Detroit chapter of The Satanic Temple, which plans to set up a display featuring a serpent, cross and secular message on the north Capitol lawn from December 21 to December 23.

Jones said he has reached out to the Capitol Commission, offering to take responsibility for daily maintenance of the nativity scene and to find other volunteers. He had read about the Satanic display earlier in the day and was motivated to act.

"It made me almost as angry as when Jennifer Granholm tried to call the Christmas tree a holiday tree, which she later reversed after much protest," said Jones, referencing the 2006 controversy involving the former governor.

Jex Blackmore, founder of the Detroit chapter of The Satanic Temple, said Monday that her group began planning its display following the original nativity request and supports a firm separation between church and state.

"We would prefer that no religious iconography was displayed on Capitol grounds or on state grounds for that matter," said Blackmore. "But 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."

The non-theistic temple does not worship Satan, rather it seeks to "separate superstition from deeply held religious beliefs," Blackmore explained.

The Capitol Commission approved the group's request because it had agreed to abide by existing rules, including the prohibition on overnight displays. Its display will be limited to three feet by three feet in size.

"We are restricted by the Constitution and bound by the Constitution to recognize their First Amendment rights," said Truscott, who also noted that he personally thinks the Satantic display is in poor taste. "We don't have the ability to reject them if they meet the guidelines of the Capitol."

The Satanic Temple made national headlines last month when it won approval to put up a display inside the Florida Capitol, where it was expected to join a pair of Christian nativity scenes. Its request had been rejected the year before.

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.