A Pentagram placed by a nativity scene in Boca Raton, Florida is causing controversy.
They call it the most wonderful time of the year, and for many, it is also the most religious.
In Boca Raton, people who gathered recently to admire the nativity scene in Sanborn Square also saw a large pentagram weighing several hundred pounds.
The man responsible for the pentagram said he works for the national Freedom From Religion Foundation and said in a statement, “All hail Satan! … Love trumps hate. The first amendment must be protected, including the freedom to offend.” The pentagram’s presence caused a clash of public opinion.
Resident Jerry Yeager told 10 News, “I think it’s ridiculous,” asking, ”This is Boca Raton and we put up with something like this?” Lauren Esquivel says she supports the sign but told the man who placed it, “This, to me, can be art, but it’s not in the right setting.”
The display, which someone partially painted over, prompted a response from Boca Raton’s interfaith community, who placed a sign of their own in the area.
It reads: “The interfaith religious community honors our constitutional rights of freedom of speech and worship. We are blessed to live in a country that cherishes and protects these rights. The use of satanic symbols is offensive and harmful to our community’s well-being. We find it a shameful and hypocritical way to advocate for freedom of religion. We stand united for the life-giving values of justice, mercy, and peace at the heart of our religious traditions.”