Opinion: Some Iowa conservatives shout at the rotunda devil

As lawmakers say often as they craft bills, “The devil is in the details.”

Now, the devil Is in the first-floor Capitol rotunda. And some folks are plenty ticked.

OK, it’s not the devil himself but a display put in place by the Satanic Temple of Iowa. It features a curious being with a goat’s head I’ve since learned is Baphomet, a pagan idol, which in this case is holding a black and red wreath with a pentagram in the center. There are electric candles and the seven tenants of Satanism.

It seems pretty benign as it sits by a stairwell. But it has the power to spark a fight between Republicans over constitutional freedoms.

State Rep. Brad Sherman, R-Williamsburg, a pastor, called on the governor to have the display removed, wants legislation prohibiting satanic displays and will push for a bill making it legal to put the Ten Commandments in the Capitol, all state buildings and public schools.

Sherman points to the preamble of Iowa’s constitution, which says “We the people of the state of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and depending on Him for a continuation of those blessings … “

“It is a tortured and twisted interpretation of law that affords Satan, who is universally understood to be the enemy of God, religious expression equal to God in an institution of government that depends upon God for continued blessings,” Sherman said in a newsletter to constituents, arguing the display violates the state constitution and offends God.

In the other corner is Rep. John Dunwell, R-Newton, also an ordained minister.

“My observation as a follower of Christ, I certainly find a display from the Satanic Temple objectionable. It stands in direct opposition to my faith and would be classified as evil,” Dunwell posted on X over the weekend.

“My observation as an Iowan and a State Representative, I don’t want the state evaluating and making determinations about religions. I am guided by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” Dunwell wrote.

His commitment to constitutional rights was not well received. “What a pathetic excuse for a Christian,” one person wrote. And that was mild among hundreds of responses.

Then, on Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds weighed in. “Like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple’s display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable. In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech,” Reynolds said, urging Iowans to respond with prayer. And don’t forget the rotunda Nativity!

More speech, unless you’re a LGBTQ author. Remain banned and silent.

But the Constitution gets the final word. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This isn’t a suggestion. It’s the very First Amendment, which every elected official swears to uphold.

Indignation about Christianity being defiled at the Capitol is richly ironic.

This is a Statehouse where Republicans have made it tougher for the hungry to get food and harder for unemployed people to get help. It continues to turn a blind eye as agricultural interests pollute God’s green earth.

The teachings of Jesus have already taken a beating under the Golden Dome. The meek may inherit the earth, but Iowa is run by the wealthy and powerful, the polluters and the exploiters. And Baphomet had nothing to do with that.

(515) 291-1762; todd.dorman@thegazette.com

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