Planned Satan Club At Elementary School In US Sparks Controversy

An elementary school in Tennessee will soon see opening of an After School Satan Club (ASSC) within its premises, causing uproar among religious and education leaders in the US state. According to CBS News, the club plans to offer activities to children after the Christmas break. It will hold a meeting on January 10 in Chimneyrock Elementary School's library and run through the spring semester, the outlet further said, quoting an announcement posted on various social media platforms on Tuesday.

ASSC is run by Satanic Temple, a new religious movement primarily based in the United States. However, a flyer about the club describes the Satanic Temple 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".

The leaflet also said it doesn't attempt to convert children to any religious ideology, but offers activities that "emphasise a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview", as reported by CBS News.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said in a statement that the district would rent out the space to the organization per its policy.

"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. This means we cannot approve or deny an organization's request based solely on its viewpoints or beliefs," it said.

But parents and religious leaders in Tennessee expressed outrage at the news.

"Satan has no room in this district," The Guardian quoted district board chair Althea E Greene as saying at a meeting with more than 40 pastors and other religious leaders.

"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?" said Jenny Kincaid, a grandparent of a student.

Chimneyrock would be the club's fifth chapter in the country, the outlet further said. Other school districts have pushed back against the club's presence on their campus.

The Satanic Temple makes it clear that its members do not actually worship the devil or believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. Instead Satan is used as a symbol of free will, humanism and anti-authoritarianism.

They establish clubs in schools in response to the presence of religious clubs, such as the Christian evangelical bible group.