'Satanic ceremony' set for Capitol lawn Nativity scene scheduled for same night

Christopher Behnan | Lansing State Journal

LANSING -The Satanic Temple of Detroit will perform a "Satanic ceremony" and reinstall its "Snaketivity" on the Capitol lawn Saturday evening in response to a live Nativity scene sponsored by presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign over the weekend.

The Satanic Temple of Detroit will perform its Ekphrasis Ceremony at 8 p.m. Saturday, the group announced today. The Satanic ceremony will be the first of its kind at a U.S. state capitol, the group said in a press release. The group didn't describe the nature of the ceremony.

This is the second year that the group has placed its "Snaketivity," a statue of a snake slithering around a cross, on the Capitol lawn. The Satanist group doesn't actually worship the Christian devil. Rather, it is aligned with atheist groups in protesting religious displays on public grounds.

"It's a celebration of human spirit, of our own kind of version of the Satanic narrative in the biblical sense where humanity is offered the gift of knowledge and embraces that," said Jex Blackmore, director of the Satanic Temple of Detroit.

The group's overarching goal is to cause state officials to ban religious displays of any kind at the Capitol, Blackmore said.

"We think that it promotes an idea of exclusion to a diverse community," she said. "It's best if none of these displays are placed on Capitol property, but, again, since there’s one we want to be kind of in conversation with those displays."

Jex Blackmore of the Detroit chapter of the Satanic Temple Jex Blackmore of the Detroit chapter of the Satanic Temple discusses what's behind the “Snaketivity Scene" Sunday at the Capitol.

On that same Saturday, state Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, will host a Nativity scene on the lawn from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the state's Capitol Events calendar.

Jones said he refuses to provide the Satanic Temple "a victory" by canceling the Nativity display. State Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, bought the display with his own money, Jones said. The Nativity is scheduled to be on display daily through Christmas day, but has to be taken down daily under state rules, he said.

Jones said other groups approved for display permits this holiday season, including the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and The Humanity Fund, which will install a Gay Pride Festivus Pole, also hope to ban religious displays at the Capitol.

"The Satanic Temple, they can seek the darkness, and we will seek the light," Jones said.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster will host a display 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday. The church, whose members call themselves Pastafarians, believe religion of any kind "does not require literal belief in order to provide spiritual enlightenment," according to its website, and that human beings evolved from pirates.

The Gay Pride Festivus Pole will be in place 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21. The Humanity Fund promotes freedom of speech and religion, and promotes the rights of the LGBT community, according to its website.

The Festivus Pole is inspired by the fictitious holiday "Festivus" celebrated on an episode of "Seinfeld."

Contact Christopher Behnan at (517) 377-1261 or cbehnan@lsj.com . Follow him on Twitter @LansingCB .