Satanic holiday display briefly removed, then returned to Minnesota State Capitol

A Satan-themed holiday display that has created controversy inside the Minnesota State Capitol was restored to its spot on Wednesday after it was apparently knocked over the night before.

The display of the mythical phoenix, its wings of yellow and orange paper spread wide as it freshly emerged from its ashes, sits nearby a Christmas tree and a nativity scene just off the domed building’s main rotunda. Atop its head is a five-sided star inside a circle, a common symbol of Satanism.

“You Are Your Own God,” reads a card in front of the phoenix, which was sponsored by a group that calls itself Minnesota Satanists.

On Wednesday morning, the bird and star were gone, replaced by another card: “This Display is Temporarily Unavailable,” it read. But it was back in its place a few hours later. Asmodeus Sion, who in 2017 founded Minnesota Satanists, told The Minnesota Star Tribune that he was told someone had knocked it over the previous night.

“We wanted to have something beautiful up there for everybody,” Sion said of the group’s motives. “We figured it would cause a conversation, and we’re glad it did.”

Unsurprisingly, the display set off a range of reactions online. Some expressed disgust and confusion while others hailed it as a celebration of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

“We wanted to have something beautiful up there for everybody,” said Asmodeus Sion, who in 2017 founded Minnesota Satanists, the group responsible for the display. “We figured it would cause a conversation, and we’re glad it did.”

Minnesota is not the first state to display satanic imagery in its Capitol – Iowa and Illinois have done so as well – or in public spaces in general. The groups behind the effort are generally nontheistic or atheistic religious organizations who troll religious conservatives and use Satan as a vehicle to promote religious skepticism and satire, civil rights and the separation of church and state.

Minnesota Satanists is similar, although it recently severed ties with a national group, the Satanic Temple. The Minnesota group, which has legal status as a church, does not worship Satan or believe he is real. Were they to worship anyone, according to the group’s website, “we would say we worship ourselves and those we care about.”

“We champion the symbol of Lucifer as representing revolt against arbitrary authority and oppression, advocacy for the pursuit of knowledge and reason, and sympathy with the scapegoat and the downtrodden,” the website says.

The symbol displayed at the Capitol, which is referred to as an inverted pentagram, did not sit well with some Minnesota elected officials.

In a post on the X social media site, Paul Gazelka, a former member of the Minnesota Senate, called it a “huge insult to Christians.” In another X post, Rep. Pete Stauber said it was a “disgrace.” And Rep. Tom Emmer, the majority whip of the U.S. House, asked on the site, “Is there anything [Gov.] Tim Walz won’t do to insult Minnesotans?”

A representative for Walz’s office said the governor “does not agree with the display and did not approve it. But the First Amendment means that he does not police speech in the State Capitol. That’s true whether it’s a religious display, a political protest, or a Minnesotan advocating for a policy.”

A permit for a “holiday display” was issued by the Minnesota Department of Administration, which is responsible for such permits at the State Capitol and grounds, spokeswoman Julie Nelsen said. She added that “a permit for a First Amendment protected speech event does not imply an endorsement by the state.”

Nelsen did not immediately respond on Wednesday to messages seeking information on the display’s temporary removal.

A Christmas tree is set up in the rotunda, a nativity scene was on the front lawn and soon there will be a Hanukkah menorah also on display on the Capitol grounds, Nelsen said Tuesday.

The Satanic display, Sion said, is scheduled to be visible inside the building until Dec. 27.

Sion said a phoenix was chosen for the display for its typical interpretation as a symbol of rebirth, transformation and self-determination, especially with the new year approaching. The mythical bird is also surrounded by black cranes with crescent moons, which “reinforces the power of intention and renewal.”

“So we took all of that together and we found it pretty inspiring, and we wanted to share that with the great state of Minnesota,” he said.

When asked, Sion declined to say how many members are part of his congregation. But he said the group organizes a series of meetings to discuss current events “in the Satanic world, so to speak,” along with board game nights, craft days and charitable endeavors – “real dark stuff,” he joked.

“We do good in the world,” he said. “We do things like charity drives a couple times a year to benefit things like [homelessness].”