Satan may be coming to school in Greensboro, North Carolina. Hosted by the Satanic Temple, the After-School Satan Club has applied to begin meeting in the cafeteria at Greensboro’s Joyner Elementary School. Unsurprisingly, some parents are upset and are seeking to block the club from meeting at the school.
In a flyer — circulated widely on social media — the club is described as “a safe and all-inclusive alternative to other religious programs.” It is an attempt on the part of Satanists to compete directly with Good News Clubs — a Christian after-school club that meets in schools. The Satanic Temple’s website claims the club is not about “converting children to Satanism,” stating:
Proselytization is not our goal, and we’re not interested in converting children to Satanism. After School Satan Clubs will focus on free inquiry and rationalism, the scientific basis for which we know what we know about the world around us.
We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of everlasting other-worldly horrors.
The site also states:
The After School Satan Clubs meet at select public schools where Good News Clubs also operate. Trained educators provide activities and learning opportunities, which students are free to engage in, or they may opt to explore other interests that may be aided by available resources. The environment is open and parents are welcome to participate. While the classes are designed to promote intellectual and emotional development in accordance with TST’s tenets, no proselytization or religious instruction takes place.
With “trained educators” providing “activities and learning opportunities” focused on “free inquiry and rationalism” and an attitude of pooh-poohing the idea of an afterlife where all will answer for their actions in this world, one could get the impression that “converting children to Satanism” is actually the goal.
Consider a statement from June Everett, campaign manager for the After-School Satan Club. She told WFMY News:
So, the Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion, meaning that we don’t believe in an actual, literal Satan. What we do believe is Satan as a symbol to standing up to tyrannical authority, asking questions, and, you know, like, bringing, bringing the hypocrisy of our laws really, you know, forward.
By viewing Satan as “a symbol to standing up to tyrannical authority,” it is clear that Satanists — who may or may not “believe in an actual, literal Satan” — see the God of Christianity and Judaism as a tyrant. And that philosophy is central to the after-school club.
After all, they claim to be a “non-theistic religion” — which is more than a little like claiming to be a single married person or a pedestrian driver. Religion — by its very nature — has three essential elements: a god or gods, people, and the relation between that god/gods and those people.
Satanism may or may not be about virgin sacrifices and blood and demonic visitations. While those elements are certainly present in some circles of Satanism, the version of Satanism offered by the Satanic Temple is about following Satan’s lead in attempting to overthrow God and exalt self to the place of worship.
The flyer advertising the club makes that clear, stating, “The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that views Satan as a mythical figure representing individual freedom.” The flyer also promises that attendees will gain “benevolence and empathy,” “critical thinking,” “problem solving,” “creative expression,” and “personal sovereignty.”
Part of the club materials is the After School Satan Handbook, available as a download from the temple’s website. The handbook addresses the question, “Why Satan?” and answers:
To call our club any alternative such as “science club” or “atheist club”, which has been suggested by many, would be disingenuous and akin to hiding.
Satan, to us, is not a supernatural being. Instead, Satan is a literary figure that represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny over the human mind and spirit.
It is clear to see that — whether or not Satanists “believe in an actual, literal Satan” — they are certainly following him in his rebellion against God. And while the handbook claims, “We are not offering any materials or lectures to your child about Satanism,” the truth is that the entire philosophy of the club is based on the same lie Satan told in that garden of old — “You shall be as gods, knowing good from evil.” But one could hardly expect Satanists to be truthful; their “god” is — according to Our Lord — “the father of lies.”
Along with claiming that Satan is a warm, fuzzy feeling of freedom and individual sovereignty, the temple also claims protection under the First Amendment. And sadly, they have modern interpretation on their side. As WFMY News reported:
Back in 2001, the Supreme Court decided that a school district cannot prohibit the First Amendment free speech rights of groups seeking access to a school district’s limited public forum.
That means the After-school Satan Club, along with other religious clubs, has the right to hold meetings after school.
And while these Satanists hide behind the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom, no thinking person would believe that Satanism was even part of the Founding Fathers’ original intent when the First Amendment was written and ratified.
And their hope — such as it is — has not always panned out for them. The temple has had mixed success with such clubs. As WBTW reported:
The state of Pennsylvania has rejected Satan clubs, but they have popped up in Illinois and Ohio. However, it’s the first time the idea has found its way to North Carolina.
And WAVY’s report quoted Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, as saying that there are a total of four clubs in the country including Illinois and Ohio, averaging about four students in each club. So not exactly a raving success. But that means that in a nation founded on Christian principles, roughly 16 children in four states are being guided in the poisonous philosophy that God is an enemy tyrant and Satan represents freedom from God’s tyranny.
No wonder parents are upset.
As the flyer made its rounds on social media, some parents — drunk on the spirit on indifference — seemed to accept Satan in schools, with replies such as, “Either all religions or none.” Other parents, though, replied with posts such as, “This is wrong, just all wrong.”
One mother, Tempee Moore, said, “A lot of people said ‘is this a hoax? Is this real? How can a Satan club be realistic?’” Moore called for Christians to show up at the school to make their opposition known. “Even if the club is not going to happen, there will be other times people want this to happen. It’s a way to say the Christian community here in [Greensboro] is not allowing this to go into their schools.”
And perhaps it won’t be. As WAVY reported, there is a review process taking place that may keep Satan out of Joyner Elementary School. But the rub is that Jesus may not be allowed, either. From that report:
Chief of Staff with Guilford County Schools Dr. Rebecca Kaye released the following statement:
“The requests for rental of GCS facilities by the Good News Club and the After School Satan Club are under review and neither is authorized to use GCS facilities at this time. Neither of the two clubs are sponsored by Joyner Elementary nor were they solicited by the school.
GCS is currently reviewing with its legal counsel how fliers for non-school sponsored clubs and events are distributed, as well as the district’s obligation to grant organizations equitable access to our public facilities.”
“The requests for rental of GCS facilities by the Good News Club and the After School Satan Club are under review and neither is authorized to use GCS facilities at this time. Neither of the two clubs are sponsored by Joyner Elementary nor were they solicited by the school.
GCS is currently reviewing with its legal counsel how fliers for non-school sponsored clubs and events are distributed, as well as the district’s obligation to grant organizations equitable access to our public facilities.”
It is a sad commentary on the state of public religion that indifference has gained such a stronghold in the public mind that public policy cannot — is not allowed to — differentiate between God and Satan, between good and evil.
