Satanists Volunteer As Counselors In Florida Schools After Gov. DeSantis Signs Law Pushing For More Religion In Education

Satanists have been volunteering as counselors in Florida public schools after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a law pressing for more religion in education.

Members of the Satanic Temple stated that they are ready to act as volunteer chaplains under state law HB 931, which had taken effect earlier this month, opening campuses to more “counseling and support to students” from outside organizations.

Even though the law leaves the implementation of chaplain programs to different school districts and only needs schools to list a volunteer’s religion, “if any,” DeSantis made it clear that it intends to restore the tenets of Christianity to public education.

Without the bill, DeSantis declared during its signing in April at a Catholic household, people are “basically saying that God has no place [on campus].”

“That’s wrong,” he added.

The Satanists view the law, which comes during a vigorous drive into education by the religious right nationally, as an opportunity. If Christian chaplains are allowed access to students, often at very vulnerable and impressionable stages of their lives, then so are they, they argue.

The Satanic Temple does not advocate Satan as a literal, omnipresent demon but instead as a symbol of rebellion and resistance to authoritarianism. 

It states that its strategy here is to emphasize flagrant violations of the constitutionally protected separation of church and state.

The organization declared that it does not believe in God or the devil. It stated that it considers itself “nontheistic” and campaigns against the encroachment of religion on public life.

“Proselytization is not our goal,” it said in a statement. “The program focuses on science, critical thinking and the creative arts, with ‘no interest in converting children to Satanism.'”

“You have theocrats pushing further and further, signing unconstitutional bills into law, and they realize there’s no consequence,” said Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the Satanic Temple, told The Independent.

“And they also realize that when people see these laws passed, and the outrage comes, they’re not even necessarily going to recognize or realize when those laws are later overturned by the courts,” Greaves added.

“They’re giving everybody the impression that these types of things are legal; this is just the environment we’re living in,” he mentioned. “And in that way, they’re really numbing people to when these things actually do take effect or when they are upheld by a corrupt judge who’s just playing partisan politics.”

The Satanic Temple’s co-founder stated that his organization includes members prepared to volunteer if school districts in any of Florida’s 67 counties or charter school governing bodies announce they’re signing up for DeSantis’ chaplain program. 

The Florida governor promised the state that he was not going to allow Satanic Temple members in public schools.

“Some have said that if you do a school chaplain program that, somehow, you’re going to have satanists running around in all our schools,” he mentioned during the signing. “We’re not playing those games in Florida. You don’t have to worry about that.”

While the Satanic Temple is considered a church by the federal government, DeSantis stated that satanism “is not a religion” and, therefore, “not qualified to be able to participate,” a comment which seemed to contradict a fundamental premise of the bill.

“It was advanced with promises that public school chaplain positions would be open to everyone, and that chaplains would provide spiritual counsel to students who wanted it, but would not proselytize or coerce students into religious activities,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a statement. “When Florida school districts consider this new law, they know those promises were false.”

Satanism has a long history in U.S. public schools.

In 2016, the Satanic Temple sought to add elementary schools to their new Afterschool Satan Club, petitioning school officials to let them open once the academic year started.

They sought to counter faith-based groups that work with schools – and start an ASSC in “every school where the Good News Clubs, or other proselytizing religious groups, have established a presence.”

In 2022, a proposal for an afterschool Satan Club was proposed by The Satanic Temple and one local student’s parent to make a chapter in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania public schools. It was denied by the Northern York County School Board after an outcry by residents and other parents.