15 December 2023 , 01:47
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Parents have been left horrified by a proposed Satanic Temple after-school club set to start at an elementary school in January.
The club, planned for Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova, Tennessee, is causing fear among parents who worry it could turn their children into devil worshippers. The Satanic Temple, described as a non-theistic religion that views Satan "as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit", has advertised the club as a fun after-school activity.
It claims it's "not attempt to convert children to any religious ideology, but offers activities that 'emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview." However, Memphis-Shelby County Schools board chair Althea Greene, also a pastor, voiced her concern saying: "Satan has no room in this district." Bill Adkins, a pastor at nearby Greater Imani Church, said he believes in the First Amendment, but his "liberality is being challenged", according to the Mail.
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A flyer advertising the club (Twitter)He said: "We cannot allow any entity called Satanic Temple to have private time with our children. 'I can't go into the school building and pray. But yet we can rent a facility to the Satanic Temple and they can give a party for children. It's ridiculous. It's absurd."
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Reggie Carrick, a parent at the school, claimed the school system was failing kids to avoid a lawsuit. He warned: "This is gonna spread like wildfire. If they are able to get into one school, how many other schools are they plotting to do?."
Memphis-Shelby County Schools, who run Chimneyrock, stated that they would rent out the space to the organisation as per their policy. They explained that Satanic after-school clubs usually pop up in response to religious clubs, like the Christian evangelical bible group the Good News Club. The temple says it "does not believe in introducing religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are operating on campus".
The Satanic Temple After School club is planned to start in January (No credit)Jenny Kincaid, a grandparent of a student at Chimneyrock, told local news station Action News 5: "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?"
MSCS interim superintendent Toni Williams reportedly said the club can keep going in the district. "I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of recent headlines," Williams said. "I do, however, support the law."
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