Pagan God or Symbol of the American West? Bull Statue Roils State Department

A statue of a bucking bull, chosen by State Department officials to celebrate the American West at an international exposition in Serbia, is stirring up a debate inside the department over concerns it resembles an ancient pagan god of fertility, Baal. America is slated to have a presence at the 2027 international expo at Belgrade. The theme for the 3-month-long event is “Play for Humanity — Sport and Music for All,” which organizers say was chosen “with the purpose of exploring the ways in which humanity can use the power of play for building resilience of individuals and communities in a world full of insecurities.”However, State Department employees developing plans to celebrate the American West have run into opposition from the second-ranking official at the department, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, who has raised concerns that a statue of a bucking bull resembles Baal, according to Axios. In an internal email reviewed by Axios, Mr. Landau said, “I remain somewhat concerned by the Golden Bull imagery!”“Did a quick internet search and don’t want it to become a distraction. The golden calf from the Bible is often portrayed as a golden bull,” Mr. Landau wrote. Mr. Landau’s comment appears to refer to the biblical account in Exodus in which the Israelites melted down their golden jewelry and made an idol in the shape of a calf. Later in the Old Testament, one of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam, erected golden calves. Scholars say there was a connection between calves and Baal because the pagan god was frequently depicted as standing on a bull. Baal has often been associated with child sacrifice. Mr. Landau also said that the “golden bull” is “frequently invoked metaphorically today.”“For instance, critics and commentators sometimes compare modern financial fixations — typified by the famous Charging Bull statue on Wall Street to the ancient worship of material idols,” he said. The idea of the bull statue came after State Department officials threw out plans to feature a mechanical bull that exposition attendees could ride due to concerns about liability exposure, Axios reported. A State Department official dismissed Mr. Landau’s concerns, arguing that he was spending too much time on social media. One official said, “It’s just totally weird stuff and it’s really indicative of the guy.”Another official said, “Literally, no one thinks about Baal unless they’re spending way too much time online, which Landau is.”There have been theories circulating on social media related to Jeffrey Epstein and Baal. Some users on X claimed that Epstein had a bank account named Baal. And a right-wing podcaster, Candace Owens, promoted the idea, with one episode titled, “BAAL SO HARD: The Epstein Files.” However, fact-checkers say the account name was likely the result of a scanner misreading the word “bank” on files related to Epstein. Other State Department officials complained to Axios that Mr. Landau had “hijacked” the planning for the exposition. Amid the debate over whether the bull actually looks like Baal, a State Department official told Axios that they will “have the bull sorted out” by the start of the expo, and said, “It won’t be Satanic.”The State Department did not respond to The New York Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Pagan God or Symbol of the American West? Bull Statue Roils State Department

Pagan God or Symbol of the American West? Bull Statue Roils State Department

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