Parents Beware: After School Satan Clubs Are Meant to Undermine Christian Clubs

As students head back to school this fall, Christian parents across the country are concerned about the spread of after school clubs that promote Satan.

The clubs gained national attention during the 2016 school year. 

The Satanic Temple has been targeting schools as a counter to after school clubs offered by Christians called Good News Bible Clubs.

A statement on the Satanic organization's website says, "Currently, the number of After School Satan Clubs (ASSC) is limited, as the program is very new. However, ASSC has generated a massive wave of interest immediately upon being announced. Across the nation parents are concerned about encroachments by proselytizing evangelicals in their public schools, and are eager to establish the presence of a contrasting voice that helps children to understand that one doesn't need to submit to superstition in order to be a good person. Our goal, ultimately, is to place an ASSC in every school where the Good News Clubs, or other proselytizing religious groups, have established a presence."

The group says it now has After School Satan Clubs at schools in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Pensacola, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Tacoma and Springfield, Missouri.

Satanic Temple of Seattle spokesman, Tarkus Claypool said that a parent brought the Bible club to their attention and was concerned that the club was teaching children to evangelize to other kids. 

According to Claypool, the Satan Club curriculum teaches children logic, self-empowerment and reasoning. 

The Satanic Temple website also says the group does not believe in a "personal Satan" or advocate evil, though it does embrace blasphemy as a legitimate form of expression.

Jordan Lorence with Alliance Defending Freedom says the creators of the clubs are just plain "jerks."

"The people running new Satan Clubs to compete with Christian school school clubs don't actually believe in Satan. They just want to be jerks to people who do," said Lorence.

Meanwhile, Lorence believes that by using the inflammatory name "Satan," creators are trying to provoke some school officials to close schools to all outside clubs in an effort to eliminate evangelical Christian groups.