This past Saturday saw the biggest public gathering of satanic worshipers in recorded history. Just before midnight, roughly 700 Satanists got together in an old, industrial warehouse located just a few blocks away from the Detroit River.
The event was marketed as the “largest public satanic ceremony in history”, and many of the participants admitted to being adherents of Satanism, a group known for worshiping the Devil.
Some of the people who showed up did not have any ties to the religion, but simply came because they were curious what such a gathering looks like. For them it was a night out like any other.
But those who expected to witness blood sacrifices and orgies or rapes meant to bring the Devil into our world were sorely disappointed. An abundance of Facebook photos revealed that the vent resembled more of a mix between underground raves and Halloween parties.
The main objective of the event was to publicly unveil a massive bronze statue of Baphomet, a famous goat-headed wraith that has been linked to many movements throughout the years, and currently serves as a religious figure for Satanists.
The satanic statue also incorporated a pentagram around the wraith’s head, another versatile symbol that some myths link to satanic worshipers, and other myths portray as a symbol of protection against evil spirits or entities.
Overall the newly unveiled bronze statue is about nine (9) feet tall, weighs about a ton, and depicts Baphomet sitting on a throne and blessing a couple of children.
Jex Blackmore, the person that organized the unveiling, gave a statement to Time saying that Baphomet incorporates binary elements that symbolize a reconciliation of opposites which serve as an emblem of someone’s willingness to embrace as well as celebrate differences. It’s worth mentioning that Baphomet used a pseudonym when giving the statement. She cited safety reasons.
When asked what Satanism is, Baphomet answered that the movement does not resemble a church as much as it does an affinity group that’s been built around so called “Satanic principles”.
One of the main misconceptions is that Satanists are what one might call “evil”, but a statement on the group’s site reveals that they consider things which cause suffering to be bad and things which reduce suffering to be good. They also consider the Devil to be an abstract or literary entity, not their version of God.
Chapters of the Satanic Temple can be found in Detroit, Florida, Finland, Italy and Minneapolis, but their headquarters is located in New York City.
Image Source: ytimg.com
