In a dramatic turn of events, a controversial satanic statue displayed outside the New Hampshire State House was vandalized and left in pieces shortly after its unveiling. The pagan idol, representing the deity Baphomet, was part of a display championed by a leftist lawmaker, sparking outrage among residents and Christians who viewed the statue as a deliberate attack on faith and traditional values.
Photos of the scene revealed the shattered remains of the statue—its torso all that was left standing—after it had been toppled by an unknown individual, likely in protest. Police are actively investigating the incident, which reportedly took place late last weekend. While law enforcement has yet to identify the perpetrator, the act has reignited a broader cultural debate over religious expression, free speech, and the boundaries of decency.
The statue was pushed into public view by State Representative Ellen Read, a staunch supporter of progressive causes. Read invited the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple to erect the display alongside a Christmas nativity scene, claiming it was about “equal representation.” The installation featured a goat-headed idol holding an apple—a supposed nod to science and Isaac Newton—and a tablet showcasing the group’s secularist “values.”
“I approached [the Satanic Temple] as a person who cares about equal representation on public grounds for religions,” Read said, defending her role in the controversy. But many of her colleagues—and a large portion of the public—weren’t convinced, with some calling the statue an intentional affront to Christianity and the spirit of the Christmas season.
Mayor Byron Champlin voiced his opposition to the display, arguing that it wasn’t about religious equity at all. “I opposed the permit because I believe the request was made not in the interest of promoting religious equity, but in order to drive an anti-religious political agenda,” Champlin said. However, city officials ultimately approved the statue, citing First Amendment protections.
Critics online were quick to weigh in on what many see as a natural backlash to an inappropriate and provocative display. “This absolutely was meant to mock the Christian religion,” one user commented on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s holding an apple in one hand and New Hampshire’s state flower in the other, insinuating the state is in Satan’s grip. The First Amendment doesn’t allow one religion to mock another. Thanks to whoever took the trash out.”
Some users even saw the statue’s destruction as a divine echo of the biblical account in *1 Samuel*, where a pagan idol was twice found toppled and broken after being placed beside the Ark of the Covenant. “Maybe it was vandalism. Maybe not. God isn’t a big fan of demon worship,” one commenter wrote, referencing the story of the Philistine god Dagon.
For many Christians, the presence of the satanic statue in such a prominent place during the Christmas season felt like an intentional slap in the face. “Public grounds should not be a platform for grotesque mockery of faith under the guise of ‘equal representation,’” one local resident argued.
While the investigation into the vandalism continues, the shattered Baphomet statue is a stark reminder that Americans remain deeply divided on issues of faith and public expression. For conservatives and people of faith, this incident highlights growing frustrations with efforts to replace or diminish Christian traditions in public spaces—especially during the sacred Christmas season.
As the dust settles, one thing remains clear: the war on faith is alive and well, but many Americans aren’t ready to sit silently while their values are mocked and undermined.
