Florida Satanists are volunteering to fill school counselor roles after Gov. Ron DeSantis ® signed a law allowing religious chaplains into public schools amid staffing shortages.
“Nothing in the text of the bill serves to exclude us, and no credible interpretation of the First Amendment could. Should a school district now choose to have chaplains, they should expect Satanists to participate as well,” Lucien Greaves, cofounder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, said in a statement to The Hill on Monday.
Back when DeSantis signed the bill in April, he described Satanism as “not a religion” and said its members would not be allowed to participate in the program.
…
The Florida move allowing chaplains to serve as public school counselors comes as more states are aiming to inject Christianity into public school environments, including by mandating that the Bible or Ten Commandments be taught in classrooms.
The Satanic Temple has increasingly leaned into the fight over freedom of religion in public schools, including through the establishment of After School Satan clubs.
The temple, founded in 2014, says its mission is to “encourage benevolence and empathy, [and] reject tyrannical authority.”
They are not Satanists. Chaplains of the Satanic Temple are atheists. Members of the Church of Satan are Satanists.
THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF THE SATANIC TEMPLE
I
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
II
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
III
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
IV
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
V
Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
VI
People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
VII
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
They’re doing the Lord’s work.
As an atheist. Honestly any rational view of the role satan played in the story.
Actually questioning an authoritarian leader. And punished for doing so. Blamed by that leader and all future followers as the director of evil. Because he is put in charge of all people who question the word of that autocratic leader.
Yeah doing the Lords work because the Lord is to narcissistic to do the job. Hmm makes the Christian right voting trump a little more understandable.
Mfw “do not kill people” and “do not rape children” is “authoritarian”. If God was really a tyrant, He’d just vanquish all of us immediately instead of giving us free will, then dying for us to pay the price for our sins.
Do not invent my arguments to satisfy your own stupidity. The story in no way indicates Satan objected to the rules. If fact, he objected to the very thing you are giving god credit for.
God punished Satan for questioning him. Not for killing or rape. Just for asking why humans were given free will, but angels were not. As much as you like to read the story in a way that makes you feel better. You are talking from the wrong orifice. The story of Satan is in no way accused of breaking the commandments. Only asking why humans are given so much freedom and his own kind not.
They can volunteer for it all they want, but no school is going to actually let them fill the role. No school administrator is prepared to deal with the fallout that would come from it. Huge props to any principal that attempts it though.
When are we going to ban religion, spirituality, and other superstitious crap?
Seriously, EVERY time any of that comes in the news, its always about abuse, coercion, and violence.
Sorry, NOTHING good comes from believing in things like you’re a 5 year old. If you’re one of those sweet old grandma’s that uses their religion to do good in the world, then congratulations, you are being abused by your church.
You can do good without a church. If you want to help people, start a foundation, attract volunteers, and do good. You don’t need stone age superstitions to be able to do any of that.
Grow up, because you’re ruining this world
Man these people really watched the Handmaid’s tale and thought it was a documentary / instruction video