‘After-School Satan Club’ Alarms Residents in This Connecticut Town

According to the NBC Connecticut website, an after-school organization called the 'Satan Club' has some residents in the Connecticut town of Lebanon concerned. Satan is an after-school program project of The Satanic Temple, not to be confused with The Church of Satan.

The 'Satanic Temple' rejects supernatural beliefs and views Satan as a literary symbol of rebellion against authority, not as a supernatural entity. According to Merriam-webster.com, Satan is defined as "the angel who in Jewish belief is commanded by God to tempt humans to sin, to accuse the sinners, and to carry out God's punishment and "the rebellious angel who in Christian belief is the adversary of God and lord of evil." 

A club organizer said, "We do not worship the devil. We're not sacrificing goats or babies." According to nbcconnecticut.com, June Everett, the campaign director for the after-school program of the Satanic Temple, said, "We look at Satan as a symbol of being the ultimate rebel and standing up against tyrannical authority. We do not teach about Satan. There's no proselytizing that takes place at all with our club," she said.

Can someone tell me why a committee thought it was a great idea to incorporate the word "Satan" into the name of the club even though 'Satan' is NOT the central theme of what the club is all about? That word, to many, is an immediate alarm bell! The 'After-School Satan Club' aims to encourage empathy, reject tyrannical authority, and look at Satan as a symbol of the ultimate real-life terrorist.   

If your middle school student came home from school and asked if they could join 'The After-School Satan Club,' what would you as a parent say? It should be made clear that according to newsnationnow.com, the After School Satan Clubs “provide a safe and inclusive alternative” to Christian-based groups that may seek to “convert school children to their belief system.” For more information on this club, click this link. So tell me, would you let your middle school student attend an After Hours Satan Group meeting?