Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis) is outraged over the state’s museum displaying a Christmas tree from a Satanic temple at its Christmas tree festival.
On Sunday, Gallagher appeared on the Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” and spoke about the controversial tree featured at the National Railroad Museum. He called the tree “offensive to Christians.”
“Conservatives are often accused of launching a culture war or focusing or fixating on cultural issues. But here is a perfect example of how that’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is we’re just trying to defend basic traditions or defend our children in the midst of these basic traditions, from the encroachment of woke ideology or offensive upside down cultural propaganda,” Gallagher said.
The Republican congressman also said he wouldn’t take his children to the museum now as he doesn’t want them to be “surrounded by satanic trees.”
According to Fox News, the tree is decorated with pentagrams, red lights, and beads, along with an ornament reading “Hail Santa,” a holiday twist to the phrase “Hail Satan.”
The museum features 66 trees on display every year for its Festival of Trees event and attracts over 20,000 visitors each holiday season, per its website.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, local Wisconsin pastor Luke Farwell expressed his disapproval of the museum’s decision to include the tree.
“It seemed a little bizarre to me that someone, based on that, would think it was appropriate to have a satanic temple Christmas tree — or tree, I should say. I won’t dignify it by calling it a Christmas tree,” he said.
Although Farwell emphasized Christians’ belief in free speech, he questioned whether the mixing of ideologies was necessary.
“What I think Christians need to do more is exercise their ability to allow these venues to have the freedom — such as the National Railroad Museum — to host different ideologies and different groups that have different viewpoints, but recognize that Christians find these things to be offensive or definitely targeting them in terms of belittling their faith or how they celebrate the holidays,” he shared.
Furthermore, he spoke about what the focal point of Christmas should be.
“Christmas is a time when we celebrate and really rejoice in the fact that God loves this world that we live in and God cares for us. But it also reminds us that we, as adults and parents, remember the Good Shepherd,” he said.
He added, “The shepherd has two voices — one for his sheep and the other for the wolves. And we need to exert that voice.”