×

Satanic Temple of Iowa leader explains upcoming reading in Tama County

T-R FILE PHOTO — The Tama County Courthouse lawn, pictured, will be the site of an upcoming reading of John Milton’s classic epic poem “Paradise Lost” hosted by the Satanic Temple of Iowa.

TOLEDO — Members of the Satanic Temple of Iowa will gather on the Tama County Courthouse lawn this coming Monday and Tuesday.

The members were originally going to partake in a multi-day marathon reading of “Paradise Lost” by John Milton at the state capitol in Des Moines. However, in July, a policy change was made limiting organizations to one-day events at the capitol. This created a need for a change of venue, and the temple chose Tama County.

Satanic Temple Minister Mortimer Adramelech said some group members have familial and geographic ties to Tama County and the surrounding area.

“Tama County has also historically had events similar in nature to ours at their county courthouse lawn, such as the Iowa 99 County Bible Reading Marathon,” he said. “The county courthouse building and lawn is beautiful and perfectly suited to the needs of an event of this type.”

Adramelech indicated that there was some misunderstanding after he called the county auditor to make the event request. During Monday’s Tama County Board of Supervisors meeting, attendees said the request was made for a Bible reading.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — The Satanic Temple of Iowa will host a marathon reading of “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. The poem tells a story of Lucifer’s rebellion and fall from heaven, depicted in artwork by Gustave Dore, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

“I said that we would like to hold a ‘Paradise Lost’ reading marathon on the Tama County Courthouse lawn,” he said. “The Iowa 99 County Bible Reading Marathon was brought up, and I said that our event was similar in concept. It was never my intention to mislead anyone about the nature of our event.”

“Paradise Lost” is an epic poem published in 1667. It is a fictionalized story of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the fall of Lucifer from heaven. Milton wrote the poem because he wanted to justify the ways of God to man. The poem was the origin of the Lucifer quote “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.”

After it was published, the piece solidified his status as one of the most influential poets in history — for example, “Paradise Lost” influenced Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.”

“I’m optimistic that Iowans will appreciate the value of classic literature and be accepting of diversity in religious thought and practice,” he said.

Adramelech said the number of people who will gather at the courthouse is not yet known, but will include congregation members, families, friends, supporters of the Satanic Temple of Iowa and fans of classic literature. He said curious onlookers are encouraged to join, as the event is open to the public.

Adramelech encourages attendees to bring family-friendly outdoor games and toys, picnics and other safe outdoor activities for people to participate in during the reading.

Spread through two days, the reading will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday and will continue until sunset, roughly 7:30 p.m. each night. Since “Paradise Lost” is a lengthy read, Adramelech estimates it will take between 13 to 18 hours to finish, depending on potential interruptions, breaks and reader speed.

If there is enough time on Tuesday after the reading is finished, he is open to hosting a discussion.

“We would love to have conversations about the text, romantic interpretations of Satan and the significance that ‘Paradise Lost’ and other classic texts hold to Satanic Temple members and our beliefs, which are outlined in the 7 Tenets,” Adramelech said.

He added that the Satanic Temple of Iowa has been operating a book club for five years, and the group has read through 15 texts so far.

“I’m really excited for this event,” Adramelech said.

——

Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today