A school district in Pennsylvania is threatened with being sued by an after-school Satanist club after allegedly refusing them access to school grounds for religious activities, a report from the Guardian has revealed.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to the Saucon Valley school district on behalf of the club, asking them to allow the After School Satan Club (ASSC) to access school facilities in line with the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the ACLU issued a letter today to the Saucon Valley School District, warning officials that their recent decision to deny the After School Satan Club access to school facilities is in violation of the First Amendment. https://t.co/Ub4oQddDT4 pic.twitter.com/jpELcBTDnF
— The Satanic Temple (@satanic_temple_) March 3, 2023
According to the ACLU, the ASSC was initially allowed to use facilities for their activities but then prohibited after backlash from the community members, causing their requested meeting dates to be denied.
In contrast, an organization dedicated to spreading the word about the Bible called the Good News Club was allowed to access public school grounds for hosting meetings. This organization is sponsored primarily by the local Evangelical church in the area.
This is not the first time "Satanists in America have waged war against the religious far-right. The Satanic Temple [...] has a long history of advocating on issues such as abortion rights, prayer in classrooms and the distribution of Bibles in schools."https://t.co/c9FWzTtmzg
— Lucien Greaves (@LucienGreaves) March 9, 2023
The ASSC says its members do not worship or believe in the Devil. Instead, they are a secular organization that “does not believe in introducing religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are operating on campus.”
“The district has intentionally opened up its facilities for general community use and, in so doing, may not limit access to this forum based on the content of our client’s speech, their religious identity, or their viewpoint – even if some may find their beliefs ‘controversial or divisive.’ Nor may the district restrict our clients’ access to this forum based on others’ animus toward our clients’ religion or based on the anticipated or actual reactions to the content or viewpoint of our client’s speech.” the ACLU said in their letter to the school district.
If the discrimination continues, the ACLU threatened to file a lawsuit against the school district on behalf of the ASSC and the Satanic Temple. The Saucon Valley school district did not reply to the Guardian’s request for comment.
"Saucon Valley School District doubles down, won’t let After School Satan Club meet in schools despite ACLU threat"
...we'll see how this goes...https://t.co/lTGhyshF9h— Lucien Greaves (@LucienGreaves) March 8, 2023
“It’s unfortunate that the school district is doubling down on its unconstitutional and discriminatory action against the club and The Satanic Temple. We are consulting with our clients as they carefully consider their next steps.” Sara Rose, the deputy legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, told the Guardian.
This incident wouldn’t be the first time the Satanic Temple or related organizations have conflicted with the religious right in the United States. The Massachusetts-based secular organization had a long history of advocating for abortion rights and opposing policies such as mandatory prayers in classrooms and distributing Bibles and other religious texts in public schools. While the Satanic Temple does not literally believe in Satan or Lucifer, they see him as a symbol of resistance against authoritarianism and the religious right.
Freedom of religion is crucial to multicultural society hail Satan!
— Adam Baker (@rekab_mada) March 5, 2023
This case also represents a more significant debate surrounding religious freedom in the US. Christian Nationalism is increasingly injected into politics, despite a growing number of religious “nones” among the American public. It also comes as the debate regarding abortion only intensified after the revocation of Roe v. Wade.
