Christian Beheads Satanic Display in Iowa Capitol, Receives $10,000 Pledge from Charlie Kirk

KCCI & The Sentinel

A controversial Satanic altar in Iowa’s Capitol was torn down and beheaded by a Christian military veteran on Thursday after Governor Kim Reynolds rejected calls from conservatives to remove the display.

The Satanic Temple’s “beautiful holiday display,” which was erected last week with permission from the state, was cut short by Christian veteran Michael Cassidy , who dismantled the goat-headed figure before turning himself into law enforcement.

Cassidy told The Sentinel , “The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment.”

He added, “I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged… My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”

Following the incident, Cassidy also tweeted , “1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Cassidy was reportedly charged with criminal mischief and the Satanic Temple is seeking to press charges.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk announced on Thursday that he would be pledging $10,000 to “Satan Slayer” Cassidy’s legal defense.

Prior to the altar’s destruction, Gov. Reynolds had received backlash from conservatives for refusing to use her power to remove the display.

While Reynolds declared that the display was “absolutely objectionable,” she shot down calls for its removal by arguing, “In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech.”

State Republican officials also came under fire for attempting to justify its inclusion in the Capitol on First Amendment grounds.

During his CNN town hall in Iowa on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis blamed former President Donald Trump for the altar, pointing out that the IRS during the Trump administration had granted the Satanic Temple tax-exempt status as a religion.