Your Opinion: Most prominent position on Capitol reserved for pagan goddess

Bert Dirschell

Centertown

Dear Editor:

My wife and I are relatively recent transplants to Missouri. We were shocked when we first heard that the most prominent position in the Capitol building was reserved for a Roman goddess. I mistakenly thought Missouri was in the "Bible Belt." It never occurred to us that we were moving to a state where gods and goddesses were revered to the point that one had adorned the top of the state Capitol for nearly 100 years.

We have lived in six Midwestern states. To the best of my recollection, Missouri is the only state where residents chose to adorn their Capitol building with a pagan god or goddess.

Just curious, how do Missourians choose to revere the pagan goddess on their capital? Do many celebrate the three annual festivals of Ceres?