According to a WFSB-TV report, Lebanon Elementary School will be the first school to have an ASSC. The club was founded by members of the Satanic Temple based in Salem, Massachusetts. The ASSC plans to plans to hold monthly meetings at the school to provide an alternative to religious after-school clubs.
The club also plans to focus on activities such as science projects, community services, puzzles, games, nature activities and arts and crafts. According to the Temple, the ASSC seeks to encourage children to think for themselves and promote a scientific, rationalist, non-superstitious worldview. In contrast with Good News Clubs in schools that focus on the Bible, the ASSC makes use of the Temple's Seven Fundamental Tenets.
"The Satanic Temple does not advocate for religion in schools," it claims on its website. The Temple also clarified its non-theistic stance in a Facebook post, claiming that Satan is a "literary figure" who represents a rejection of tyranny and a supporter of the human mind and spirit.
Moreover, the promotional video for the club features a catchy, semi-animated song encouraging children to embrace Satan as an imaginary friend. The video also repeatedly states that there is no hell, contrary to what Christianity espouses.
But the ASSC's entry into the school did not sit well with parents. "If you look at their website and the different things they're handing out, there's [the] symbolism of the devil – and I think that's inappropriate," concerned parent Kate Prokop said.
Amy Bourdan, a member of the religious freedom advocacy group Parent's Choice, criticized The Satanic Temple, accusing it of operating deceptively under the guise of a religious organization.
"I liken it to the [advertisements for] Camel cigarettes used to entice the youth and children," Bourdan said, suggesting that the group seeks to recruit children and steer them away from traditional religious beliefs.
2001 Supreme Court ruling favors ASSC
In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools should provide equal access to their facilities for both secular and religious groups, including organizations with contrasting ideologies like the Good News Clubs and ASSC. (Related: ACLU sues Pennsylvania school district on behalf of after-school club that worships Satan.)
Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves also reiterated their right to access public spaces without discrimination based on religious and philosophical beliefs. "We're not changing the politics here," he said. "This is something people should've recognized from the start."
ASSC Campaign Director June Everett explained that a parent had requested that ASSC be allowed to hold meetings at the school.
"We do not worship the devil. We're not sacrificing goats or babies," she clarified. "We are simply having equal access to the space that we have a right to."
Even Andrew Gonzalez, superintendent of the Lebanon Public School District (LPSD), released a statement confirming the elementary school's obligation to comply with the law under the 2001 Supreme Court ruling.
"[LPSD] allows outside organizations to use [school district] facilities, in accordance with Board Policy 1007. As such, LPS must allow community organizations to access school facilities without regard to the religious, political, or philosophical ideas they express," he stated. According to Gonzalez, denying access based on perspective could violate the First Amendment and other applicable laws.
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Watch Katie Petrick and David Fiorazo discuss the growing trend of After School Satan Clubs in America.
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