A disturbing report from The Hill has shown that After School Satan clubs have begun gaining popularity “and are not likely to slow as their supporters rack up media attention and legal wins fighting for free speech.”
The clubs are associated with the Satanic Temple and are currently only offered in primary schools — though the Hill reports that they are looking to expand into high schools.
The Satanic Temple began these clubs in early 2020 — marketing them as an “alternative to religious clubs,” according to June Everett, a campaign director for the After School Satan Club.
“That’s kind of when things started blowing up. And I anticipate that every year moving forward is going to get busier and busier,” she said.
Recent legal victories have added to the momentum of the satanic clubs, including a May 1 ruling from a district court that sided with the Satanic Temple and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The two organizations sued a school district in Northampton County, Pennsylvania for not allowing the club to meet on school grounds.
Pennsylvania school district must allow after school “Satan Club” after judge ruling. pic.twitter.com/rh51gZ3Bf2
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) May 2, 2023
On its website, the Satanic Temple states that it seeks to “encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority.”
However, according to reports from Breitbart News, the Satanic Temple is engaged in a “pro-abortion crusade,” repeatedly coming “to the aid of America’s largest abortion provider.”
The Satanic Temple has filed numerous lawsuits against states that have restricted or banned abortion, claiming that pro-life laws violate the supposed rights of an “involuntarily pregnant woman” to engage in the “Satanic Abortion Ritual.”
According to The Hill, while the After School Satan Club is associated with the Satanic Temple, students “are not actually getting proselytized or instruct[ed] in devil worship.”
Rose Bastet, who has been involved with the Satanic Temple for four years, says that the children’s satanic clubs are “not interested in having children identify as satanists” — claiming that her club focuses on learning about different animals.
Meanwhile, Everett has stated that the clubs are “considering teaching some of the seven core tenets of the Satanic Temple in the clubs,” according to The Hill. However, that decision has not been finalized.
She went on to note that they have created a “children’s version” of the tenets of Satanism.
“We just came out with a book that is like the children’s version — or I should say a very sweet way to interpret — the tenets in a very understanding way that children could understand,” Everett said. “So we might start actually using this book to talk to the kids about our seven tenets.”
She also discussed the plan to expand into high schools but noted that it was more difficult because high school clubs require more student engagement. The Satanic Temple is reportedly hoping that their new partnership with the Secular Student Alliance will help with that.
“[Secular Student Alliance’s] specialty is really college level and high school kids. So with their partnership, we hope to use them to help us get into more high schools and colleges,” Everett said.
