In response to a monument of the Ten Commandments being placed on Oklahoma state capitol grounds, the Satanic Temple has released plans for a statue of Satan they want to put there. The group says that since Oklahoma is allowing other religious monuments on capitol grounds, then a statue of Satan should be allowed as well.

The Ten Commandments monument was placed on Oklahoma state capitol grounds in 2012. The matter was brought to the ACLU’s attention by a Baptist minister who doesn’t believe that state property is the proper place for the monument, and the ACLU has since sued to have it removed.

“Our constitution makes it clear you cannot use state property and state resources to support a particular religion and this monument does just that,” says Brady Henderson, Legal Director with the Oklahoma ACLU.

In the meantime, the Satanic Temple wants their own monument erected on state grounds and has submitted an application to the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission. The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission has put a moratorium on new requests until the Ten Commandments lawsuit is settled, but this hasn’t stopped the Satanic Temple from going forward with their planning. The group just released the designs for their Satan statue, which features a 7-foot-tall Satan with children.

Check out the Satan statue design below.

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Lucien Greaves, temple spokesperson, first discussed the matter last month and said that the Ten Commandments statue is opening the door to promoting his religion. “You don’t walk around and see too many satanic temples around, but when you open the door to public spaces for us, that’s when you’re going to see us,” Greaves said.

In a statement Greaves released on the Satan statue plans, he says the monument was “designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond.” Greaves also notes that the statue will “have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.”

Even though some legislators say the Satan monument has no place on capitol grounds because they don’t believe Satanism is a religion, Henderson believes that the monument cannot be rejected.

“We would prefer to see Oklahoma’s government officials work to faithfully serve our communities and improve the lives of Oklahomans instead of erecting granite monuments to show us all how righteous they are,” Henderson said. “But if the Ten Commandments, with its overtly Christian message, is allowed to stay at the Capitol, the Satanic Temple’s proposed monument cannot be rejected because of its different religious viewpoint.”

Image via YouTube