Michigan Lawmaker On Nativity Scene: ‘I Cannot Stand By And Allow Satan To Win’

Michigan lawmaker Rick Jones (R) is going to flat-out save?Christmas after a Satanist group attempted to “hijack” the holiday.

Jones, a state senator, will?put up a Christmas Nativity scene on the statehouse lawn in Lansing. The?Satanic Temple?already has?official approval to erect a display on the Capitol lawn.

Jones said this:

“A group wanted to put up a Christian Nativity scene at the Capitol. But the rules are that it must be put up in the morning and taken down at night. No one volunteered,” Jones wrote on Facebook on Monday. “I cannot stand by and allow Satan to win this one. I have volunteered to put up and take down the Christian Nativity scene everyday.”

On?Wednesday morning, he added that a Nativity had been donated by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland shop in Frankenmuth, Frankenmuth is the?town that has?”Welcome to Christmas time all year long” on its website. Jones says that he has also ?received several hundred offers of help with the display?that will be ready to unveil on Friday.

“I will not allow this Satanic group to hijack the CHRISTmas season for their message,” Jones said. “The ‘Snaketivity’ display represents darkness while we celebrate the light.”

From the Huffington Post:

Rules issued by the Michigan Legislative Council Facilities Agency prohibit displays from remaining up at the Capitol between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. According to the Lansing State Journal, an out-of-state group got permission to erect a Nativity scene earlier this season, but it didn’t have local assistance to put up and remove the display each day.

The Satanic Temple, which has a Detroit chapter and does not actually worship Satan, submitted its request to the Michigan State Capitol Commission when it heard about the out-of-state group’s plan. Its display will be up Dec. 21 – 23.

Jex Blackmore, a member of the Satantic Temple’s Detroit chapter and part of the group’s executive ministry, said this:

“Where there is obstinate refusal to keep religious iconography off of public spaces, the least we can do is ensure that the Government is remaining neutral, respecting a diversity of religious views, with preference for, and exclusion of, none.”

You can expect more of this kind of posturing.

The dueling holiday displays could pave the way for even more. The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion organization told The Huffington Post that in light of Jones’ plan, it is working with Lansing members on a non-theist display. Jones also said he had encouraged a friend to get a permit for a Hanukkah display.

The Satanic Temple will also put up a display at the Florida statehouse this year. Last year in Florida, a traditional Nativity scene shared space with a Festivus pole and Flying Spaghetti Monster.

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tiffany willis texas liberal america

Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
 

 

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.