Satanic Temple brings after-school club to elementary pupils

[doggie]

keep portland weird great job.

http://bigstory.ap.org/4d2cf846d61d42b3be452b7e1d7e79e2

Quote

The Portland chapter of The Satanic Temple has succeeded in its efforts to bring an after-school program to a Portland elementary school.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/MUIRrA ) the organization has been approved to begin a program on Oct. 19 at Sacramento Elementary School.

Finn Rezz, one of the group's leaders, says their program focuses "on science and rational thinking," and it will promote "benevolence and empathy for everybody."

The Satanic Temple has been targeting schools that have a Good News Club.

That club is put on by the Child Evangelism Fellowship, "a Bible-centered organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living."

 

[Terrie]

No sure how many kids they'll get with a name like "After School Satan Club" but just getting permission makes their point, I suppose.

[December]

Good on them. It reminds me of similar attempts by groups in other areas to get permission to put up religious displays alongside Christian/Christmas ones in public buildings. Also, good on the school for realizing if they're going to let any religious groups use the facilities they have to open it up to groups of all beliefs (which don't infringe on others' rights, safety. etc.)

Frankly, I don't understand why there are religious clubs in a public school in the first place. Kids are there to learn and make friends, not be evangelized. 

[Cleopatra7]

22 hours ago, December said:

Frankly, I don't understand why there are religious clubs in a public school in the first place. Kids are there to learn and make friends, not be evangelized. 

The TL;DR version is that the SCOTUS case Good News Club v. Milford Central School ruled that public schools are a "limited public forum" and that its unconstitutional to ban speech within that forum simply because it is religiously based:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_News_Club_v._Milford_Central_School

[AlwaysExcited]

23 hours ago, Terrie said:

No sure how many kids they'll get with a name like "After School Satan Club" but just getting permission makes their point, I suppose.

Honestly, if there was something called "After School Satan Club" in my old high school it would be quite popular just because of the rebellious-sounding name.

[FrumperSeamstress]

I would definitely join After School Satan Club. Sign me the fuck up

[DaisyD]

The Satanists are really doing a fabulous job of beating the evangelicals at their own game aren't they? Every time I here about their various efforts I giggle. 

[Cleopatra7]

29 minutes ago, FrumperSeamstress said:

I would definitely join After School Satan Club. Sign me the fuck up

If any of my K-12 schools had an After School Satan Club, I think I would have enjoyed school a lot more than I did.

[lulumama]

I'm surprised Erica hasn't said anything about this.  There is going to be an after school  Satan club at a school in Mt. Vernon, WA where Erica lives.  The powers that be decided not to fight it because they knew they'd loose.

[feministxtian]

I'm enjoying the freak-out on this topic on the Christian boards...poor idiots don't realize that when it's a constitutional issue that EVERYBODY gets to play.  I swear those people are dumber than a box of rocks in general, and certain posters barely have enough brain power to blow their noses. 

[Alicja]

Sounds like a fun club! Hope all goes well.

[CyborgKin]

Welp, there goes Satan, promoting rational thinking again...  The sheer evilness of it!

[NotALoserLikeYou]

It's only fair. Every year I get a paper sent home about the good news club but I don't know anyone who sends their kids to it. My high schooler's school has a bible club at lunch, which I stalked its Instagram and I was kinda touched to see such an ethnically diverse group of kids seemingly embracing peace and love. I looked up the pastor that comes once a week and he runs an IFB church - which, by the way, I feel like more and more of these IFB churches are popping up. I'd love to meet with him to find out his views on Steve Anderson etc.