After School Satan Club sparks controversy at Tennessee elementary school

An After School Satan Club plans to begin offering activities to children at a Tennessee elementary school following Christmas break, officials said.

The Satanic Temple plans to host the club at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova, news outlets reported.

It will begin meeting on January 10 in the school’s library and run through the spring semester, according to an announcement Tuesday posted on social media.

A flyer about the club says the Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that views Satan “as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit.”

It says it does not attempt to convert children to any religious ideology, but offers activities that “emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview.”

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) said in a statement that the district would rent out the space to the organization per its policy.

The statement said: “As a public school district, we’re committed to upholding the principles of the First Amendment, which guarantees equal access to all non-profit organizations seeking to use our facilities after school hours.

“This means we cannot approve or deny an organization’s request based solely on its viewpoints or beliefs.”

The announcement immediately sparked controversy in the community.

Interim MSCS Superintendent Toni Williams said at a news conference on Wednesday: “I want to assure you that I do not endorse, I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of the recent headlines."

Williams continued: “I do, however, support the law. As a superintendent, I am duty-bound to uphold our board policy, state laws, and the constitution.

“I challenge you not to push away in fear, but to push in with support. We can support the First Amendment and our students at the same time.”

The club intends to hold activities including science and community service projects, puzzles and games, nature activities, and arts and crafts, WREG reported.

It is also the organization’s fifth active club in the country.

The club is not mandatory for students at the elementary school, and it is not sponsored by the MSCS.

Students must also have signed parents’ permission to take part in Satan Club activities.

Other members of the school community were alarmed by the club announcement.

MSCS School Board Chair Althea Greene, who is also a pastor, said: “Satan has no room in this district.”

Rev. Bill Adkins, pastor at Greater Imani Church, said: “We cannot allow any entity called Satanic Temple to have private time with our children.

“I can’t go into the school building and pray. But yet we can rent a facility to the Satanic Temple and they can give a party for children. It’s ridiculous. It’s absurd.”

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