Community members in a Tennessee school district want to banish Satan from their children’s halls after the formation of a new club was announced.
The After School Satan Club (ASSC) wants to establish a branch in Chimneyrock elementary school in the Memphis-Shelby county schools (MSCS) district.
The ASSC is a federally recognized nonprofit organization and national after-school program with local chapters across the US. The club is associated with the Satanic Temple, though it claims it is secular and “promotes self-directed education by supporting the intellectual and creative interests of students”.
The Satanic Temple makes it clear its members do not actually worship the devil or believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. Instead Satan is used as a symbol of free will, humanism and anti-authoritarianism.
The outrage these assholes are feeling is what the rest of us feel every time we see them trying to force their dogma into every facet of society.
Except ours is actually justified.
Way to miss the point and misunderstand it in terms of polarized politics. There is no “ours” and “theirs”.
Not everything is a debate with multiple valid points of view. The notion that your right to a belief somehow encompasses a right to inflict that belief on everybody else isn’t an ideological position; it’s a declaration of violence.
Fuck dishonest moral relativism. 2+2=4 and one person’s religious freedom ends where another person’s begins. Those are facts, not opinions, and if you disagree you’re just wrong.
Me and my wife are both members of TST and we LOVE the work they do. The Tenets they promote are loving, self-respecting, and do justice towards an ideal world of Individualism, anti-authoritarianism, and critical thinking - i.e. everything that Christianity and modern conservatism in general are eager to suppress. We regularly donate to them, and we constantly purchase stuff through their store to help support them.
Same, also a member of TST and a practicing romantic Satanist. It’s brought a lot of strength, clarity, and confidence to my life.
Satanists: No no no we don’t actually worship Satan. We just picked that name to be antagonistic towards christians.
Christians: That’s creepy either way.
Satanists: SEE? SEE? I told you they would complain.
Satanists: We picked the name to bring attention to all the things you can get away with if you call yourself a religion
Conservative: I’m not listening! THEY WORSHIP THE DEVIL!
Satanists: See? It’s working.
The “After-school Humanist Club” would not be having articles written about it.
Things you can get away with such as starting a club? That’s never been against the rules.
So why are people concerned that The Satanic Temple is starting a club? Are they concerned that they are indoctrinating children and teaching them about Satan? Because that’s the After School Christian Club doing that.
Why are christians concerned about a group who’s stated purpose is to be hostile to them? One reason jumps out at me.
That definitely shouldn’t be allowed no more than Christian clubs. (This seems much worse than a Christian club)
Why is a Satan club worse than a Christian club when we know both belief systems are bullshit?
Well for one I pray for you if you think so poorly on Christianity or other religions for that matter.
Anyway worshiping the devil is just silly at best and has no place in society. We have religious freedom but that shouldn’t apply at a school. Especially since these people sound completely nuts.
What if God’s real test is being able to think critically for yourself, not giving into idolatry (ie the church), and actually appreciating the message that Satan was trying to provide us? It’d be real awkward if the true entrants into heaven end up being not devout Christians, but free-thinking Satanists. 😁
You can be a free thinking Christian as well. It really depends on your denomination. We are not all devoted Catholics you know.
