The Satanic Temple started its After School Satan program in 2016 as an alternative to Christian Good News Clubs. According to the group at their formation they focused on cities in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Pensacola, Washington D.C., Seattle, Portland and others. Locally in PA, little has been known about the group until a state resident attempted to form an After School Satan Club at Northern Elementary School in York.
After School Satan Club denied
On Tuesday the board denied the request, with one board member in favor of the club. A mother of a student, Samantha Groome proposed forming the group as an alternative to Joy El Christian Club. That group provided faith based activities off campus during the school day.
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Parents in favor of the club mention that it is a constitutional right and with the Supreme Court’s decision in 2001 in the case of Good News Club V. Milford Central School it was ruled that a school cannot discriminate against speech or a view point expressed that takes place by programs not run by the school.
A spokesperson for The Satanic Temple explained that they do not believe in hell or a “personal Satan” , to them Satan represents “the rejection of all forms of tyranny over the human mind.”
Information provided by the After School Satan director explains there are currently four clubs operating in the country.
What’s Next
Lucian Greaves of The Satanic Temple said the group will likely pursue legal action against the school. For the group, they feel such litigation is necessary for people to understand the Constitution and what religious liberty means.
It is expected that this will continue and that more pressure will be put on schools to adopt alternatives to faith based clubs.
