Anti-religion group targets another small town with Satanic statue

A Satanic Temple had plans to erect a monument in the small town of Belle Plaine, Minn., in reaction to the city’s war memorial that showed a soldier kneeling by a cross.

The creator’s family has removed the statue honoring the military from Veterans Memorial Park after a Freedom from Religion Foundation member spotted it. The foundation badgered officials into remove the statue by employing their usual tactic, the threat of a lawsuit, and it may not return.

The city attempted to create a “public forum” area in the park where religious views could be treated equally, but that would have meant allowing the Satanic Temple to erect a monument as well. The temple had planned a black cube with pentagrams and an offering bowl on top.

Belle Plaine City Council seems to be trying to settle the matter by not allowing any religious symbolism on public property at all. The controversy has been going on for more than a year, with people throughout the city protesting for the veterans’ memorial statue to be restored.

On Monday’s “The Glenn Beck Radio Program,” Glenn Beck and the guys talked about the Satanic movement and how atheists and anti-religious groups use it to stop small towns from having any religious symbolism in parks and other public spaces.

“It does seem like this is just an excuse to push atheism on everybody else," Stu Burguiere said.

To see more from Glenn, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Glenn Beck Radio Program” with Glenn Beck, Pat Gray, Stu Burguiere and Jeffy Fisher weekdays 9 a.m.–noon ET on TheBlaze Radio Network.