Lawmaker who prayed against demonic display urges Christians to show God's love to satanists
A Christian state senator who participated in a recent prayer gathering against a satanic display in the Minnesota Capitol last week expressed the need for Christians to show love toward satanists while standing firm against their beliefs.
Republican Minnesota state Sen. Nathan Wesenberg, a Catholic who has represented the state's 10th district since 2023, told The Christian Post that he was among the approximately 100 citizens and legislators who got together to pray and sing Christmas carols around the satanic display last week.
The display, which was erected on Dec. 13 by a group called Minnesota Satanists, features a phoenix, an inverted pentagram and the text of "The Mass of the Phoenix," a ritual that featured in the work of prominent English occultist Aleister Crowley.
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The sign featuring the ritual text is emblazoned with the words, "You are your own god."
Rumors circulated on social media last week that the phoenix display had been removed, but it was put back up after having been knocked over, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
The display, which was approved by the Minnesota Department of Administration, is slated to remain up in the rotunda of the state Capitol in St. Paul until Dec. 27.
"You see these things, and they keep popping up, and at the same time, Christianity is getting torn down, and we need to speak up and say, 'This is not right,'" Wesenberg told CP.
Satanic displays have been placed at multiple state capitols in recent years, including Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire.
This year, a statue of the demon Baphomet was placed on the grounds of the New Hampshire State House in Concord before it was destroyed within 48 hours, which prompted an ongoing police investigation.
Wesenberg emphasized that the gathering last week was "not a protest." After speaking with a pastor, he and others decided to engage in prayer, carol singing and sharing the love of God at the site of the display.
Wesenberg said that Christians at the event attempted to show satanists there the love that God has for them, which he said is absent in satanism.
“These people that do this, they don’t really love Satan,” he said. "We got to talk to them and let them know that God's here for them, and we're here for them."
"And you know, that's what Christianity is: we love them. And let's figure out what's going on. Let's talk with each other. We don't hate you. We condemn Satan, but the people aren't that," he continued.
"People want to be loved, and we need to be together, and that's what we need to do, is we love each other. We've come together to help each other," he added. "That's not what Satan does."
Wesenberg said the opposition to the satanic display has been bipartisan.
"I don't think anyone agrees with this," he said of his colleagues. "This isn't Democrat or Republican. This is good and evil."
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the unsuccessful 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, at first drew criticism for not publicly condemning the display. According to CBS News, his office later issued a statement explaining that while he did not personally agree with it, he wasn't going to police the displays in the state Capitol.
Julie Nelsen, spokesperson for the state, claimed that while the First Amendment protects the display, the permit "does not imply an endorsement by the State."
U.S. Navy veteran Michael Cassidy made headlines last year when he was slapped with criminal charges for dismantling a satanic display in the Iowa state Capitol that drew national attention.
The statue in Iowa prompted a debate among Christian state legislators last year, some of whom argued that the government shouldn't weigh in on such issues.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
