Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis announced that he will contribute to the defense fees of the man accused of criminal conduct for dismantling a satanic altar that was installed inside the Iowa Capitol.
This Friday, the governor of Florida used his X account to express his outrage over the recognition of the Satanic Temple as a religion and to report his willingness to help Michael Cassidy, the former Mississippi House candidate who tore down the satanic display.
“Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a ‘religion’ by the federal government. I’ll chip in to contribute to this veteran’s legal defense fund,” DeSantis said.
Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a "religion" by the federal government. I'll chip in to contribute to this veteran's legal defense fund.
Good prevails over evil -- that's the American spirit. https://t.co/p1vmTcl8c9
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 15, 2023
DeSantis blames Trump for setting up satanic altar
The governor of Florida had already criticized the Satanic Temple display and even suggested that Donald Trump was responsible for allowing the installation of the altar.
DeSantis explained that during Trump’s presidential term, the Satanic Temple was given approval to file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a religion, which made it easier for this group to enter the Capitol.
The altar received government approval
After it came to light that a satanic display was placed at the entrance to the Iowa Capitol, several Republicans expressed outrage and called for the statue to be removed. However, it was soon discovered that the altar had received government approval.
As Republican representative Jon Dunwell explained, the altar was part of an exhibition open to anyone who completed an application process.
Dunwell revealed that the Satanic Temple requested permission for its altar in August and was approved with some modifications, as the exhibition guidelines “do not discriminate on the basis of religion or ideology.”
As many of you have become aware, last week a display was erected at the Iowa Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa. As I have responded to concerns from Iowans about the display, I wanted to share with you how the display came to be and my response.
How did it happen?
• The… pic.twitter.com/8ODJXCxu9Y— Rep. Jon Dunwell (@jdunwell) December 8, 2023
However, considering that the satanic altar is a religious expression remains a matter of debate. In fact, “the legitimization of Satan” was one of the reasons that led Cassidy to enter the Capitol and destroy the altar himself.
“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment. Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water,” he explained after destroying the exhibit.
