A Satan club is set to get started in an elementary school in Cordova, Tennessee, and parents are up in arms about it.
Despite the name, the Satan club won’t actually have children worshiping the devil or have leaders informing them about the Satanic Temple’s teachings but parents are furious all the same.
After the Christmas break, Chimneyrock Elementary School will begin offering the after-school club to students, according to reports.
It's set to commence in the school's library on January 10 and run through the spring semester.
A flyer, that was handed out, attempted to clarify that the goal of the club is not to convert kids to any religion or into worshiping Satan but rather to offer activities that ‘emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview’.
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Parents have continued to condemn the move and argued that if God isn’t allowed in schools, this club shouldn’t be either.
Despite the objections, the school board has said that Satanic Temple would be granted access just like any other non-profit organization that wished to use the school out of hours.
"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,” Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said in the statement.
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"This means we cannot approve or deny an organization's request based solely on its viewpoints or beliefs."
Campaign Director of the club June Everett said it started after she was contacted by MSCS parents showing their interest.
She has addressed the concerns of parents and explained the Satan Club can only operate in schools that have other religious clubs.
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Attendance to the club is also not mandatory and all students must have signed permission from their parents to take part in Satan club activities.
Interim MSCS Superintendent Toni Williams has also addressed the concerns by families and religious groups.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday (December 13), she said: "I want to assure you that I do not endorse, I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of the recent headlines. I do, however, support the law. As a superintendent, I am duty-bound to uphold our board policy, state laws and the constitution."
"I challenge you not to push away in fear, but to push in with support," Williams said. "We can support the First Amendment and our students at the same time."
Gerrard Kaonga