In Theory: School districts weigh Satanic Temple’s plan

A number of school districts across the country have indicated that the Satanic Temple’s plan to open after-school clubs would be in line with their policies.

This month, the Satanic Temple contacted several school districts proposing to open after-school clubs in elementary campuses that would “focus on teaching reason and science,” the Washington Post reports.

While one Maryland school district said it was reviewing a request to open a club, Temple leaders are making a point “that religion should not be taught in public schools,” according to the Post, specifically pointing out the Good News Club, a Christian program sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Jay Howard-Brock, a former PTA president of a Washington-area elementary school, told the Post that while she considered the Good News Club a “positive thing,” when she learned of a possible Satanic club, she said religious groups should be removed.

Q. Should school districts allow the Satanic Temple to establish after-school clubs? Or should religious clubs be removed from schools altogether?

Religion has no place in public schools except sociology or anthropology classes and only in the context of an analysis of all world cultural traditions and superstitions. If parents want to inculcate their children with blind faith as truth, they are free to do so and there are plenty of options, including home, places of worship and private schools. The only reason we are having this discussion is because of the desire of the religious community, and specifically the Christian community, to force their beliefs onto the rest of the country. How much more transparent could this be than the admission by some that it’s a good thing for certain religions to be present but unacceptable when other belief systems are represented?

Reason and science, on the other hand, belong in the mainstream curriculum of all public schools. Clubs that promote them would be a welcome addition to supplement classroom instruction. The idea that religion is somehow an alternative to teaching reason and science is irrational. It’s a sad state that we are even entertaining this notion.

Joshua Lewis Berg
Humanist Celebrant
Glendale

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If one faith-related organization is allowed to conduct after-school clubs, then it seems unreasonable to deny a different faith-related club to do so. But then, if the Satanic Temple’s objective is really only to keep any semblance of religious contact out of schools its purpose isn’t the betterment of children but rather vengeance upon and discrimination against religious groups — which is hardly the kind of motivation we’d like to see in groups that want to influence our children. I’d put them in the same ranks as drug pushers or gangs — up to no good. I believe the vast majority of people will see through this group’s nefarious motives. Who in the world would hand their child over to the hands of a group committed, at least in name, to the tempter, the adversary, the deceiver, the evil one? Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross to save humanity. Satan has done everything he can to steal from, kill and destroy humanity. It’s time to see through this group’s not-so-hidden motives and shut them down.

Pastor Jon Barta
Burbank

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There is a discrepancy between what the Satanic Temple says and what it does. The real issue is whether its actions make it an organization that shouldn’t be entrusted with the care and teaching of children.

The Satanic Temple website declares that the group’s purpose is to encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyranny and undertake “noble pursuits.” Yet its accomplishments so far include building a statue of a goat-headed idol, desecrating the grave of Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps’ mother, and creating a ritual in which nude acolytes are doused with wine. The organization’s leaders operate under pseudonyms, keeping their actual identities secret.

These aren’t allegations made by the temple’s critics, but are drawn from largely sympathetic articles about the Satanic Temple published in not-so-conservative publications like the Village Voice, Vice and the Daily Beast.

So the Satanic Temple’s track record doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in its claim that its after-school Satan clubs will provide children with a positive, beneficial experience. In interviews, Satanic Temple leaders talk of engaging in serious debate about the role of religion in society, child abuse and other important issues. Yet its actions consist largely of vulgar pranks. For example, according to the Village Voice, the temple’s national spokesman exposed himself during the protest against Westboro, posing for photos while standing over the tombstone of Phelps’ mother. Regardless of the disdain most people feel the late Phelps and his followers, stunts like that make it difficult to see the temple as an advocate for kids.

Personally, I don’t see a great need for school-based religious clubs, but given that they are allowed, we have to accept the right of all faiths to establish them. However, this doesn’t mean that anyone and everyone must be given access to the minds of our children just because they want it.

Michael White
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
La Crescenta

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It is tragicomic that a Satanic cult would establish an after-school children’s program, let alone one to promote reason and science (as if clubs that focus on history and psychology are at odds with these). And I say “history and psychology” because the Bible is a recorded history which Christians gather to study and discuss, and the word “psychology” means “soul study.” That’s the purpose of Good News Club, to connect the historic text with the young human soul and inculcate good moral living and right relationship with God (the creator of reason and science). How is it reasonable or scientific for a group to exist only as a thorn to that good endeavor? Has anyone seen the promotional video put out by Satanic Temple regarding their elementary school intentions? It’s twisted and frightening and hardly beneficial to any American good.

Satanism is hateful at its soul and should be opposed, and this may be a time to start evaluating what we mean when we talk about freedom and equal access in this country. We are established as One Nation Under God. So God is our default American belief which we affirm in myriad ways. I think we may have reasonable cause to deny a satanic club because it inherently denies this fundamental American affirmation. It could be regarded as treason, perhaps, as it undermines what has kept us relatively good in a sinful world and what has fostered charity and safety for our people. It seems to me that a Satanic Club would fall into the same category as an ISIS club, a pedophile club or a KKK club. Would these also be allowed, if “free” America is so open now to the symbolic master of all evils? I don’t mean that Satan is merely a symbol, as the satanists are wont to assert, but that he is a symbol because he is evil’s epitome, and it’s the Holy Bible that first informs of him and the truth of this. There would be no Satanists if there were no Bible.

While I think a Satanic club and a Christian club are at opposite ends of the spectrum, it is likely that our nation has so lost its moral compass that it can’t distinguish between right and wrong and will thus allow evil to prosper in this case. What will be the result? Foolish parents, ignorant and lost educators, and politicians hoping for their votes, will rubber stamp their children’s membership and further lead our nation down the primrose path, and there will be hell to pay, literally.

Rev. Bryan A. Griem
Tujunga

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When “In Theory” respondents previously discussed the Satanic Temple (Feb. 16, 2016), Phoenix, Ariz., had ended prayers at City Council meetings rather than allow the group to participate, a good outcome in my opinion. There is no justification for officially sanctioned prayers in government proceedings in the U.S. The Satanic Temple has also forced jurisdictions to remove religious statues and other displays from government property by requesting that devil imagery also be included. Again, good for them.

The Child Evangelism Fellowship is a national group whose adult members have successfully made religion part of children’s public school experience in at least nine states. It is efforts such as the Fellowship’s that have directly led to the Satanic Temple seeking to maintain U.S. church-state separation. What an unfortunate waste of everyone’s time and energy!

Good News Clubs could easily meet somewhere else, or they can accept that groups with divergent views will also be allowed space. Better still, school districts should do their job of providing secular education without allowing themselves to be co-opted and distracted by religious fanatics. Part of that job is to eliminate religious clubs in public schools.

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose