The Satanic Temple Targets Elementary Schools, Introduces After School Satan Club

The Satanic Temple, a religious organization that uses the symbol of Satan to inspire civil justice, introduced elementary schools to their new Afterschool Satan Club on Monday.

The Satanic Temple Introduces After School Satan Club

“Across the nation, parents are concerned about encroachments by proselytizing evangelicals in their public schools, and are eager to establish the presence of a contrasting voice that helps children to understand that one doesn’t need to submit to superstition in order to be a good person,” the organization’s website says.

The Satanic Temple introduced its After School Satan Club to public elementary schools, petitioning school officials to allow them to open immediately as the academic year starts.

The group’s goal is 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.”

“It’s critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think,” said Satanic Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves.

“We are sure that the school districts we’ve approached are well aware that they are not at liberty to deny us use of their facilities,” Greaves added.

The ‘Good News Club’ fought a legal battle in New York in 2001 after they were denied access to renting district facilities after school hours. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that to exclude an after-school program on account of their religious views amounted to a violation of free-speech rights.

The Good News Club describes their meetings as ‘action-packed’ and include songs, scripture memorization, and games — with an emphasis on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Satanic Temple would like their after school clubs to follow the same format, but with a focus on ‘free-inquiry and rationalism.’

“It’s important that children be given an opportunity to realize that the evangelical materials now creeping into their schools are representative of one religious opinion amongst many,” Greaves declared.