1330
Uproar as after-school Satan club forms at Tennessee elementary school (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/news@lemmy.world
243 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Community members in a Tennessee school district want to banish Satan from their children’s halls after the formation of a new club was announced.

The After School Satan Club (ASSC) wants to establish a branch in Chimneyrock elementary school in the Memphis-Shelby county schools (MSCS) district.

The ASSC is a federally recognized nonprofit organization and national after-school program with local chapters across the US. The club is associated with the Satanic Temple, though it claims it is secular and “promotes self-directed education by supporting the intellectual and creative interests of students”.

The Satanic Temple makes it clear 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.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[+] -109 points 2 years ago (16 children)
[removed by mod]
  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 32 child comments
    •
  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    You do know that people are allowed to use names from things they don't actually believe, right? If someone called their club The Zeus Club, would you think they believed in Zeus or just that they thought it was a cool name?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [+] -31 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    If they were called "The Zeus Worshippers" I would indeed believe they worship Zeus.

    It's called "Satanic Temple". This isn't a vague reference to atheism.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
    •
  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Did you know that Cub Scouts isn't compromised of bear cubs?

    Did you know that the only baseball teams that take part in The World Series are North American?

    Did you know that Dr Pepper is neither a doctor nor a pepper?

    So what's really up your craw?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [+] -13 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    In both your examples at least half the name is relevant to what it is about.

    This club is not about Satan nor about a Temple.

    I understand that atheists have to be really edgy but there are actual Satanic temples and people who worship Satan so using that name is plain misleading as it's stealing a different religion.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    Really? I mean maybe think about it in a different context, what if you saw an album from a band called The Zeus Worshippers, would you think "ahh yes, religious music" or would you think "ooh, sounds like an interesting metal band"

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    I mean anything will sound insane once you stripped all meaningful context from the situation. Clearly you can see the difference here now, right? Like even if these people did worship satan who cares? They should have religious freedoms right?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago*

    What? It's sad watching people do what you do on both sides.

    Just say your words, man. Make your own arguments. Don't be like "THEY REALLY MEAN THIS: XXX" and then it's a bunch of bullshit just to support your agenda.

    It's a tell-tale sign that someone is reddit-brained beyond belief.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    And the worshippers of the flying noodlemonster believe in the noodlemonster too? No of course not. These are political groups that exists to point out the hipocrisy in the understanding and application of the first amendment or similar laws in other countries (mostly favorably to christianity, disfavorably to other religions).

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago*

    So should we put in jail kids from the cited Christian Evangelical Bible Club because they believe in a book which exalts sexism and rape, or are they allowed to play the “well, actually” card because they’re a majority?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent