'After-school Satan club' voted down at York County elementary school

[sl8]

https://katv.com/news/nation-world/after-school-satan-club-proposed-at-york-county-elementary-school

'After-school Satan club' voted down at York County elementary school

by WHP StaffTuesday, April 19th 2022

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — Could an after-school Satan club be coming to an elementary school near you?

On Tuesday evening, the Northern York County School Board members voted down the approval of the program.

The program, designed for children as young as 5, says it doesn't worship Satan, but what exactly does it teach?

[...]

According to the Satanic Temple — a couple of parents from the district asked for the program — in response to the board green lighting a bible study group during school hours.

“The school board does not have the authority to decide which religious organizations they prefer holding after-school clubs and which one[s] they don’t," said Lucien Greaves, the cofounder of Satanic Temple. Greaves stresses the club doesn’t support worshipping Satan or any religion.

[...]

[Karadeniz]

1. Bad name for the "church," which we've heard of before and seems innocuous based on that.

[Scrivener7]

3. The name is kind of the point.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. Well, I hope they get sued for discriminatory policies.

[thucythucy]

4. A better way to deal with this

would be to ask for sessions on the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tibetan Book of the Dead....

All of them religious texts as valid as the Bible.

The "Christians" of course would oppose them all, and this would be more likely to prevail in both federal court and the court of public appeal.

I appreciate the work these folks do, but it hardly seems calculated to win the day.

[Girard442]

6. The point is to make obvious the hypocracy.

They will weep bitter tears about the little fundy boys and girls deprived of their right to cuddle up to Jesus, but clearly don't give a rat's ass about anyone else's rights.

[thucythucy]

9. Well, we know they're hypocites

and the hypocrites themselves most likely know it and don't care.

But if you're actually trying to prevent this sort of religious favoritism, arguing for the right to preach Satan--which the name of the group implies even if that isn't their intent--isn't going to sway anybody who might actually be swayed.

I get the point--it's our equivalent to "owning the libs." What fun!

It just doesn't accomplish anything of value toward prevailing in the struggle to keep the country out of the hands of the fascists.

[Thunderbeast]

7. Do NOT leave out the Pastafarians!

Spaghetti is a favorite after school snack.

Kids can wear their holy colander on their heads in class all day as their religious obligation.

STOP allowing these fairy tales to be taught anywhere NEAR schools. Kids are traumatized enough with active shooter drills.

[thucythucy]

10. I agree.

I'm arguing strategy, not disputing the goal.

I saw an excellent documentary by Canadian Broadcasting on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Serious, scholarly, fairly easy to understand. Bring that to the school board and say, "We parents want this to have equal time with the Bible."

The Christians of course would object. And have to explain why, which could only be: "Our religion is better than yours."

Another possibility would be to insist on offering a discussion on atheist ethics, using for instance Julian Baggini's "Atheism: A Very Short Introduction." Again, a serious alternative which would beg a serious response. What the Church of Satan does--in this case anyway--is trolling. Good for a laugh, maybe, but not very effective in the long run.

This sort of fundamentalist religious infiltration into the public schools is a serious threat. As satisfying as it may be to respond with ridicule and sarcasm, it's hardly the best way to deal with this. As I said in another post, it's basically our equivalent to "owning the libs." Worth a chuckle in progressive discussion boards, but unlikely to do much in the real world.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

13. The Pastafarians sounds like a fun group to join.

I take it they are funded by AYCE pasta dinners?

[Thunderbeast]

14. They have a web site so they are legit

https://www.spaghettimonster.org/

[Eko]

11. I find this interesting.

"All of them religious texts as valid as the Bible."
Who gets to decide what religion is valid?
And since they all believe in a different god how can they all be valid?

[NCjack]

5. Satan will be provoked!

[msongs]

8. bibles in elementary schools is grooming nt

[OldBaldy1701E]

12. Yes, it is. (n/t)

[3Hotdogs]

15. Some of yiz are missing the point. It is not about teaching Bible stuff in classrooms. It is about

the school allowing after school clubs.

There would have to be Pastafarians or Buddhist kids (or more likely their parents) wanting a club. The satanists want their petition to be rejected so they can sue. The Bible humpers want to proselytize. Neither group is out to "Own the libs."