An elementary school in Tennessee may soon create an After School Satan Club (ASSC) on its grounds, provoking outrage among religious and educational leaders in the US state. According to CBS News, the organization intends to provide activities for children following the Christmas holiday. It will begin on January 10 in the library of Chimneyrock Elementary School and will last until the spring semester, according to the source, citing an announcement posted on several social media sites on Tuesday. Satanic Temple, a new religious movement headquartered mostly in the United States, runs ASSC. The Satanic Temple, according to a club flier, is a non-theistic church that regards Satan “as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit”.
Other school districts have objected to the club’s presence on their campus
The leaflet also said it doesn’t attempt to convert children to any religious ideology but offers activities that “emphasise a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview”, as reported by CBS News. Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said in a statement that the district would rent out the space to the organization per its policy. “As a public school district, we’re committed to upholding the principles of the First Amendment, which guarantees equal access to all non-profit organizations seeking to use our facilities after school hours. This means we cannot approve or deny an organization’s request based solely on its viewpoints or beliefs,” it said. But parents and religious leaders in Tennessee expressed outrage at the news.
“Satan has no room in this district,” The Guardian quoted district board chair Althea E Greene as saying at a meeting with more than 40 pastors and other religious leaders. “I’m about to come unglued right now. I cannot believe … this is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school and they’re letting a satanic club come in here?” said Jenny Kincaid, a grandparent of a student. According to the outlet, Chimneyrock would be the club’s fifth chapter in the country. Other school districts have objected to the club’s presence on their campus. The Satanic Temple explicitly states that its members do not worship the devil or believe in Satan or the supernatural. Satan, on the other hand, is employed as a symbol of free choice, humanism, and anti-authoritarianism. In response to the presence of religious clubs, such as the Christian evangelical bible group, they establish clubs in schools.