Veteran who beheaded Satan statue urges Americans to embrace Jesus
An ex-Navy pilot raised some hell when he decapitated a goat-headed installation at the Iowa State Capitol that was organized by the local Satanic Temple.
Michael Cassidy, a “conservative Christian” from Mississippi, said he was “offended” by the Baphomet altar and responded by taking its head.
Arguing it’s a question between “good and evil,” Cassidy encourages people to defy “such darkness” and instead “embrace Jesus Christ.”
In December 2023, Michael Cassidy – a former Republican candidate for Mississippi’s state House of Representatives – walked into the Iowa State Capitol, and was surprised the legislature allowed the Satanic Temple to display Baphomet, a creepy goat-headed statue.
Baphomet is a winged creature with a goat head, which according to Encyclopedia Britannica is a “deity” the Knights Templar “were accused of worshipping and that was later embraced by various occult and mystical writers.”
The 35-year-old Lauderdale man told Fox News that when he saw the altar, “nobody was there, and it offended me. It touched a nerve. It was, you know, righteous indignation.” Then, he “tore [the head] off” and “put it in a garbage bag.”
Instead of running from the scene, Cassidy – a “Christian conservative” who loves his country – took the head to security and in return he received a citation.
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” Cassidy said, according to the Des Moines Register. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so, I acted.”
Mortimer Adramelech, a minister with the Satanic Temple of Iowa, told NBC affiliate WHO of Des Moines the Baphomet installation was there for the holidays.
“All religions have equal rights in the public forum under the First Amendment of the Constitution. As Americans we have every right to be here just like anyone else,” Adramelech told the outlet.
The Iowa Department of Administrative Services confirmed the group met the application requirements for the display.
Michael Cassidy
@Mike_Cassidy_MS
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Not today, Satan. Pleased to announce the Iowa DA just dropped their absurd felony hate crime charge and instead offered a deferred judgement misdemeanor (a fine, no jail time, nothing permanent on my record), which I accepted. Many thanks to my family, my lawyers, my community,…
