STIRRING THE POT

Elementary School’s ‘After School Satan Club’ Sparks Backlash

The club was set up to combat The Good News Club, an evangelical Christian organization.

Parents in one California community are reportedly outraged after an “After School Satan Club” was set up at a local elementary school. The group is affiliated with The Satanic Temple, a nontheistic organization that rejects “tyrannical authority” and advocates for “practical common sense,” according to its website. The provocative club was launched to combat The Good News Club, an evangelical Christian group, at Golden Hills Elementary School in Tehachapi, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “The Satanic Temple does not advocate for religion in schools,” the group says on its website. “However, once religion invades schools, as The Good News Clubs have, The Satanic Temple will fight to ensure that plurality and true religious liberty are respected.” Lauren Mae, a volunteer with The After School Satan Club and a mom in the community, said the club isn’t actually about worshiping Satan. Although the group exists to balance out the existence of religious groups in the school, some parents are disturbed by its presence. “I think it's disgusting,” one parent told TV station KBAK. Mae said at least three kids have signed up for the club and she hopes more parents open up to its existence once understanding its message.