Concerned citizens are calling on the National Railroad Museum located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to remove a display of The Satanic Temple. The satanic display, part of the museum’s annual Festival of Trees, is unprecedented in Northeast Wisconsin, and is described as an obscene challenge to religion. Protesters say the display is being allowed by a small group of political activists within the railroad museum’s staff and board of directors. They allege the display is pushing an agenda that does not represent the values of the local communities, and is irrelevant to the National Railroad Museum’s purpose.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette spoke with museum CEO Jacqueline Frank, who said organizations participating in the Festival of Trees can “decorate [their tree] however they see fit, so long as the museum isn’t promoting violence, sexual content, and alcohol and drugs.” Frank stated she would not set a “dangerous precedent” of rejecting organizations, and said she would “absolutely” welcome the satanic organization’s displays in future events.
Wisconsin’s U.S. Congressman Mike Gallagher (R), state Sen. André Jacque (R), and state Rep. John Macco (R) spoke at a press conference held December 20 outside the museum.
Jacque stated, “The fact is Newsweek and other media have had the executive director of the railroad museum saying that this tree will be welcomed back in future years.” He said he contacted the president of the museum’s board, David Ward, “because I have such deep concern.”
Macco also expressed concern, mentioning he has attended ceremonies for youth groups at the museum. “I’ve had at least a dozen or so Eagle Scout ceremonies here, and when you talk about what they’re talking about, of God and country, and service, … to see this kind of nonsense here, it’s the opposite of what any of that stands for.”
Gallagher opened his statement saying, “Truly, I love the National Railroad Museum. I’ve been here many times, I’ve looked forward to taking my daughters here, it’s a national treasure that we have right here in Northeast Wisconsin.” He complimented the many great activities and events the museum offers, saying, “All this is just great classic Northeast Wisconsin values in action, which makes it all the more tragic that something like this has happened.”
Conveying the disappointment of local citizens, Gallagher stated, “Here you have people that are not just speaking out because they’re Christians, and because its Christmas, but they’re just commonsense Wisconsinites that don’t want to be assaulted by nonsense like this.” He also expressed the surprise felt by the community, saying, “You expect something like this to happen in San Francisco, or New York, but not here in Green Bay, not in Northeast Wisconsin.”
Jacque stated of the display, “Well, the tree itself is obscene [and a] violation of community standards. Obviously it would have been well within the rights of the Railroad Museum to reject this.” He expressed his constituents’ disappointment, saying, “It really is sad that here we are just before Christmas, [it’s been] weeks now that this tree has been up…. How sad it is that we need to be here to demand that something so offensive be taken down.” The senator also expressed concern that children are being exposed to the satanic display, saying it is wrong “to subject children to an environment where some of the images even can’t really be shown in some media.” He described The Satanic Temple as an “anti-religion,” saying, “What we have with the Satanic Temple is they are not a religion, they are an anti-religion, they are at war against religious belief, not just Christianity.”
Gallagher identified the satanic group as a pro-abortion activist organization, saying, “If you look on the Satanic Temple of Wisconsin’s website they have a kind of a list of their core tenets…. I would argue that these are really a contradiction, because the entire website is really a pro-abortion advocacy website…. The first tenet in their list of things they believe is that you have to treat all creatures with empathy and compassion. Well apparently that empathy and compassion doesn’t extend or apply to unborn babies, right? Who could be more helpless than those babies?”
Jacque agreed with Gallagher’s statement. “Mike really is right about the Satanic Temple; their website actually posits that abortion is an intrinsic, a core part of their religious ritual…. [What we would] call child sacrifice in any context … is being pushed as somehow benign or benevolent by those that would try to re-frame the debate.”
Gallagher closed his statement with a call to prayer: “I would just ask you when you’re home tonight or tomorrow with your family, maybe pray the prayer to Saint Michael and ask for the courage to lead without fear, and the courage to push back against the devil’s work.”
