Christmas Controversy: Satanic Pentagram Displayed Near Nativity Scene During Holiday Parade In Florida

Controversy over Christmas displays often makes its way to the forefront of public debate during the holidays, with some declaring a “war on Christmas” and others arguing it should be a season more inclusive to all faiths. This year, Satanism has found its way into the discussion. A pentagram displayed alongside a nativity scene had local clergy and community members up in arms in Florida after it was permitted by the local government.

Displayed in Sanborn Square in Boca Raton, the pentagram was placed next to a nativity scene sometime Tuesday by a local man named Preston Smith, a member of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The city gave Smith a permit for the layout and the Foundation provided a sign to be displayed alongside the pentagram.

“Love trumps hate,” Smith said in a statement. “The First Amendment must be protected, included the freedom to offend.”

Smith told Miami’s local station WSVN that he is not a Satanist but displayed the pentagram as an argument to end religious displays. Members of the clergy, however, found it an offensive way to promote First Amendment rights.

“The interfaith community honors our constitutional rights of freedom of speech and worship. We are blessed to live in a country that cherishes and protects those rights,” a group of members said in a statement. “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 from religion.”

The pentagram has since been spray painted over. Smith called it vandalism and a “hate crime” and filed a police report to find the person responsible, according to West Palm Beach Local WPTV. A post on the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s website asks for help in identifying the culprit and offers a $2,000 reward for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible."

Sanborn Park’s holiday displays include a nativity scene, menorah and Christmas tree every year but holiday decorations continue to be a contentious issue throughout the United States. The Supreme Court has heard arguments on holiday displays twice, once in 1984 and again in 1989. The latest case ruled that a nativity scene inside a Pittsburgh courthouse was unconstitutional because it was not accompanied by any other symbols or displays but upheld the display of a Hanukah menorah outside a government building in the city because it included additional items like a Christmas tree.