The Satanic Temple, a group of nonbelievers who push for the further separation of church and state, wants evangelical Christianity out of public schools. But since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian student groups in 2001, the Satanists want their place in schools, too.
The group launched "After School Satan," a program that's also a protest against popular, evangelical Christian Good News Clubs. The Satanic Temple plans to contact every school district where the Good News Clubs are active or have been present before, The Washington Post reported.
"The group's plan for public schoolchildren isn't actually about promoting worship of the devil. The Satanic Temple doesn't espouse a belief in the existence of a supernatural being that other religions identify solemnly as Satan, or Lucifer, or Beelzebub," the article said.
Instead, the group will focus on science, literature and art projects and assure participants that religious practice isn't essential to being a good person.
"We think it's important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings," said the head of Satanic Temple's Utah chapter to The Washington Post.
Okay now does everybody get it?
The Satanic Temple really has NOTHING to do with Satanism and instead is simply an organization who uses Satanism to troll Christians.
Specifically those Christian who try to shove their religion down the throats of our children by proselytizing in public schools, or demanding that we allow them to place their superstitious icons and statues in the public square.
While I was fun watching the knew jerk reactions the other day, I was a little disheartened to realize that we really have some of the dumbest trolls on the internet.
All anybody had to do was Google the Satanic Temple to realize that they were wasting perfectly good freakouts and pants wetting.
By the way check out the video they are using to promote their after school programs.
Now see I kind of want to go now.
Ooookaaay.....THAT was creepy ;) While I loved the video I somehow do not think it will be in any way helpful in their campaign to open clubs in schools. Unless the school boards understand satiric humor (or should that be satyric humor?) they will truly believe that the temple is recruiting....after all, isn't that what the Good News Club is doing?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/satyr
Kerry, that's the very point - the theocrats opened the door, and the Constitution requires EVERY religion gets a shot at those young minds, not just the locally preferred ones. It would be a violation of their 1st Amendment rights to block ASS (lovely acronym they found).
DeleteRob, understood the point and yes the acronym was part of the humor I mentioned. What I also know....after years of catholic indoctrination and now living in the bible belt? If they really want to do this and are not just trying to make the point? The video does not help. The boards will not read the words on the screen, they will just focus on the backwards soundtrack, the insects and the red. Whether they're serious or not, I do understand what they are trying to do and hope their point gets across. I just think the positive message of the group - that superstition is antithetical to a well rounded education - is lost in the satire.
DeleteI accept your concern.
DeleteI agree with Katie. Plus, certainly they must realize on some level that you catch more bees with honey...
DeleteKatie who?
DeleteThe point has nothing to do with being pleasant or catching bees. It's as if y'all don't get what they do. Their successes are when local authorities realize they have no choice but to permit the satanists, and then they axe the entire program.
It will only freak the parents out.
DeleteEven if they do allow it, most parents wouldn't allow their children to attend and the local news shows will "get it wrong" and make more problems.
The school boards aren't stupid and they wouldn't object or block it due to content. They would do so due to the misunderstanding and disruption it would cause.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/01/14/after-satanists-planned-to-give-away-coloring-books-florida-school-board-halts-religious-distributions-entirely/
DeleteNo worries Rob. I'm from a big family and am used to answering by any name tossed in my direction. As for 7:53, not looking to catch flies. Looking at optics. Yes the authorities will have no choice but, thanks to the optics of that video, they will come out looking like martyrs to the cause. They didn't want to let the evil into the children's schools but the over reaching government is making them do it.
DeleteLike I said before, understand their position but not sure if the video is going to backfire on them....meaning the religious wrong gets to keep looking down from their immoral high ground.
7:53 - the phrase you're looking for is catching more flies with honey, not bees. Bees make honey, no need to catch it elsewhere.
Delete"meaning the religious wrong gets to keep looking down from their immoral high ground."
DeleteI can't imagine there's a world where they won't do that. And I don't think it matters how they feel about it. I think results matter, and I don't really care how butthurt theocrats are.
Wow, Racer Rob, I think you have a hard time accepting anyone else's point of view. Kerry expressed herself/himself very well and made very good points. You just can't admit he/she might be right.
DeleteWell it was nice to have these sessions with you, doctor.
DeleteDoes Kerry seem to accept my opinion? Looks about even to me. And I don't really think the satanists give a hoot about opressive christers and their hurt feefees. The goal is more important than impressing people who reject them anyway. If you don't get that they aren't really interested in anything but stopping religious infiltration into our public resources, you don't grok them - wether or not you approve of their methods
I love the idea of arts, science and literature being the focus of the Satan After School clubs, but the video doesn't do them any favours...
ReplyDeleteSee that building over there?
ReplyDeleteThat's a school.
That's where we teach WHAT WE KNOW TO BE TRUE.
Empirical knowledge.
Provable facts.
Science. Mathematics. Literature. History. Geography. Civics. Languages.
See that building over there?
That's a church.
That's where a group of people get together to talk about stuff they believe that has no bearing in the real world.
Superstition. Things that can not be proved.
There is a huge difference between the two.
And that's why they should be separate.
Smack me in the face with your logic-cock, Randall!
Deletewas that really necessary? not at all helpful.
Delete"To have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings" that isn't forced because they are afraid of getting spanked by the sky monster. Morality for morality's sake.
ReplyDeleteAs an agnostic, I cant begin to understand how disheartening and frustrating it must be for a genius and atheist like Gryphen to live in this world and constantly deal with stupid people. You poor guy! I do take comfort in knowing you'll be around to let me and others know what to think about religion and politics. Or perhaps someday, you'll be like Einstein (what a dummy he was) and have a little humility about what you don't know. Nahhh, that'll never happen.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think atheist means?
Delete6:12, at least your comment made it through. Any time (this morning on this thread included) I post a comment that disagrees with or chides the site, it never gets posted. Yet, if I bleat along with the rest of the flock-that will post. So much for the "no censorship" baaing.
Delete7:51
DeleteMy comment didn't make it through either. Mine had nothing to offend anyone. I suspect it might be a problem with blogspot. What's up with comments not appearing, Gryphen?
11:52, sorry, but my comments only fail to post when I am critical of the boss. Whether it is a slow thread or a heavily trafficked one doesn't matter, either.
DeletePlenty of posts critical of the boss make it through, so that can't be it.
DeleteI've made many posts critical of Gryphen that were blocked. He lets a few through so thst people will think he hates censorship. You absolutely cannot criticize Levi ir Sunny Johnston!
DeleteThat video was seriously creepy. It's not going to win them any students for their program--which, by the way, seems like a good thing if it focuses on rationalism.
ReplyDeleteThey might want to put together a second video that throws together more reason-symbolic images, like images of our universe, paintings, various figures in literature, science and philosophy that the kids might actually be exposed to in their club.
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with it, it's what makes America great, you can choose to believe in anything you want or choose not to believe at all. If you play it backwards, it's the theme song to "Guilligan's Island".
ReplyDeleteAlthough Anton Lavey may have thought it's a great film, it's a bit too odd and looks more like a movie trailer than a recruitment film.
Y'all realize they aren't interested in running these, right? I mean, really, so many compaints about tone, when it's from the Church of SATAN. Do you think if it was more like an after school special the targeted evangelicals would accept the Church of SATAN? Really?
ReplyDeleteIt looks to me as though the Satanists are just having fun trolling the hyperreligious, versus actually trying to enlighten these theocrats. I think it may end up backfiring on the Satanists. The idea of removing religion is good but the way they're going about it seems childish and foolish.
ReplyDelete