Neal Pollard
Have you heard about a “goat situation” in Oklahoma City that, well, stinks? Members of a Satanic Temple there want a 7-foot Satanists’ statue to be placed at the capitol building right next to a monument of the 10 commandments. The group submitted to a panel with oversight of the capitol grounds “an artist’s rendering that depicts Satan as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard that’s often used as a symbol of the occult. In the rendering, Satan is sitting in a pentagram-adorned throne with smiling children next to him” (via Huffington Post, Sean Murphy, 1/6/14). Temple spokesman Lucien Greaves added, “”The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation” (ibid.).
I first heard about this from one of our local news networks, reporting on the story. They were aghast and appalled at the very idea, especially the thought that this would potentially be a place where children could sit on Satan’s lap. While I wholeheartedly agree that even the idea is disturbing, we as parents need to make sure we do not, in our negligence, allow our kids to figuratively do such.
That means being plugged into our kids’ social media (they are abandoning Facebook for other forms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, by the way), knowing who their friends are and something of their friends’ character, safeguarding our homes from ways Satan gets in (TV, computer, movies, phone, etc.), and modeling proper and biblical values as parents. It also means arming them, encouraging and sharing Bible study, prayer, and Christian service with them. It is about setting our affections on things above, not on things of the world (Col. 3:1-2). It is about being transformed and not conformed to this world (Rom. 12:1-2).
While most everyone would never set their children in that creepy Satan statue, are we, through their wardrobe, activities, friends, priorities, and the like, doing what is tantamount to that? God has entrusted us with an eternal stewardship—our children! Like those in Luke 18:15-17, let us ever be bringing our children to the “lap” of Christ!
The Preacher Pollard Blog 