A controversial statue unveiled by the Satanic Temple at a secret ceremony in Detroit has attracted protests. But who is the goat-headed figure? And what do the elements of the statue symbolise? The bronze statue is nearly 9ft tall and depicts a winged hermaphrodite known as Baphomet, flanked by two smiling children. It cost $100,000 (£64,000) to make and hundreds of Satanists turned out to see it unveiled. Long term, the Satanic Temple wants to move the piece 900 miles (1,450km) south-west and erect it opposite a Ten Commandments monument outside Oklahoma City's Capitol Building. The Baphomet will "complement and contrast" the Christian commandments which include "unconstitutional prohibitions against free speech and free exercise of religion," according to the organisation. "Our statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures," says Lucien Greaves, the group's co-founder. He hopes people of a...
A stampede outside a Hindu temple has killed at least 10 pilgrims in eastern India with others injured in the crush of up to 150,000 people, a police officer said. The stampede at the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple in the state of Jharkhand erupted after pilgrims surged towards the building shortly after the doors opened, the officer told the AFP news agency on Monday. “Many tried to rush to the head of the queue which led to chaos and as some of them fell, the devotees got trampled,” Pradhan said.Those sleeping in the kilometres-long queue were trampled as others pushed towards the doors, SN Pradhan, the additional director general of police in Jharkhand, said. “Ten people including one female devotee are now confirmed dead. Another 15 to 20 people have received injuries,” he said. The temple town is nearly 255km south of Patna, the capital of Bihar state. Stampedes at India’s religious festivals, where a mixture of police and volunteer stewards are often overwhelmed by the s...
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