A Pennsylvania school district must permit After School Satan Club meetings, a federal judge ruled Monday, citing the organization’s First Amendment rights.
The Hill reports in a Monday filing, issued in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a judge found that “although The Satanic Temple, Inc.’s objectors may challenge the sanctity of this controversially named organization, the sanctity of the First Amendment’s protections must prevail.”
The Saucon Valley School District must allow the After School Satan Club to meet during the school year on three previously agreed-upon dates at Saucon Valley Middle School. It won’t have to distribute permission slips for the club for students to take home, according to court documents.
The first club meeting is set for next week, WFMZ-TV reported.
The New York Post reports the club, which is sponsored by the Satanic Temple (TST), had its official approval revoked earlier this year after its promotional flyers caused a stir in the Lehigh Valley community.
The national ACLU, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Dechert LLP subsequently sued the school district on behalf of TST in March, The Hill reported.
RELATED: PA School District OK’s Satanic Temple’s Request to Host Back-to-School Event at Public School
Founded in 2013, TST says it doesn’t believe in Satan but describes itself as a “non-theistic religious organization” that advocates for secularism. On its website, under the question “Do You Worship Satan?” in the Frequently Asked Questions section, TST answers: “No, nor do we believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural.”
As CBN News has reported, After School Satan Clubs have drawn headlines and national attention in recent years, targeting public schools that have already approved Good News Clubs to host meetings during after-school hours.
In a scattering of communities from California to Virginia, parents have protested the Satan clubs, asking their districts to not approve their applications to meet. That’s left school administrators with a difficult decision: accept all clubs no matter the viewpoint or shut down after-school clubs altogether.
The After School Satan Club (ASSC) has not hidden its agenda. Organizers say they will only open a club if religious groups are already meeting on a school’s campus.
Its website explains: “ASSC exists to provide a safe and inclusive alternative to the religious clubs that use threats of eternal damnation to convert school children to their belief system.”
READ: 6 Things to Know about ‘Satan Clubs’ in Public Schools
The After School Satan Club says its mission is to promote rational thought, not Satanism. But a promotional video the group created includes the following lyrics sung in a catchy, semi-animated video that’s aimed at encouraging young children to embrace Satan as an imaginary friend:
“Satan’s not an evil guy,
he wants you to learn and question why,
he wants you to have fun and be yourself,
and by the way, there is no hell.
Science is important,
so we understand the world,
Satan looks for truth,
Let’s help him, boys and girls…
…Everyone is different,
And that’s ok with Satan,
He’ll always treat you equal,
Whether you’re black, white, or gay.”
The video repeatedly states “There is no hell” and goes on the claim that “Satan doesn’t actually exist, he’s an imaginary friend…”
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