The leader of The Satanic Temple (TST) says the First Amendment protects his organization’s right to host events at a Pennsylvania high school. On behalf of the TST, the After School Satan Club at Northern High School in Dillsburg will be allowed to meet after approval by officials with the Northern York County School District. Steve Kirkpatrick, superintendent of schools for Northern York County School District, said in a statement released that the school board approved an application from TST to use school facilities for the event. The organization will be required to pay all security, custodial and other fees as stated in board policy, Kirkpatrick said.

“As a public school district, the use of our school facilities must be permitted without discrimination,” he said. “We cannot and do not arbitrarily pick and choose which organizations may or may not use our facilities.” The district “does not endorse the activity of any outside organization that rents our facilities, nor are those entities permitted to use the school district’s name or logo,” added Kirkpatrick.

Lucien Graves, the co-founder of TST, stated that allowing a prayer event at the school while rejecting a satanic event could pose “a serious problem.” “We don’t decry or begrudge anybody having a prayer event or anything like that,” Greaves was quoted as saying. “It does become a problem, a serious problem, when you allow a back-to-school prayer event, but you don’t allow any other religious representation. We’re talking about upholding fundamental pillars of democracy and the First Amendment,” added Greaves.

According to its website, TST claims abortion is a “central part of a religious ritual that encourages self-empowerment and affirms bodily autonomy.” The TST website also claims that waiting periods and mandatory counseling for abortions is “akin to demanding a waiting period and counseling before one can be baptized or receive communion. Clearly, that would be a violation of religious liberty,” the statement reads.

However, Pennsylvanians are concerned about any group espousing satanic doctrines being allowed near students. Speaking in opposition, Jennifer McAllister, a parent, said: “They already took God out of schools, now they’re going to let Satan in. It’s just crazy.” Laura Vangeli echoed the sentiment, explaining that with all of the “evil already in the world,” it is abhorrent “to allow it to come into our school and our community.” And, in April, the Northern York County school district voted against a parent’s request to launch the After School Satan Club in an 8-1 vote.

However, other school districts in the country have embraced the extracurricular programs sponsored by the Satanic Temple.

Earlier this year, Jane Addams Elementary School in Moline, Illinois, received criticism for handing out flyers promoting the After School Satan Club. Defending its decision to allow the club to operate, they issued a statement saying it “does not discriminate against any groups who wish to rent our facilities, including religious-affiliated groups.” The district pointed to the Good News Club, described as “an after-school child evangelism fellowship group,” as an example of a religious organization allowed to use its facilities while not endorsing its message.

The Lebanon City School District in Lebanon, Ohio, also faced intense pushback for allowing the Satanic Temple to host an after-school activity for elementary school children.

According to the Satanic Temple’s website, Satan Clubs “meet at select public schools where Good News Clubs also operate.” The website features the song “My Pal Satan,” which includes lyrics such as, “Satan’s not an evil guy ... there is no Hell ... He’s an imaginary friend who can teach us how to live.”

Biblical Connection: Satan has always been after children. The god Molech made child sacrifice a regular practice. When Daniel and his friends, mere teenagers at the time of their capture, were taken to Babylon, they immediately went through brainwashing efforts to worship pagan gods. We must protect our children from demonic influences that attempt to influence them at such a young age.

PRAY: Pray that the forces of darkness will be restrained and that children will be safe from satanic attacks in our schools.