“RELIGIOUS FREEDO-No, not like that!”
You have the freedom to be a Christian, but anything else and you’re not a Real American TM.
ps: And if you’re the wrong variety of Christian we’ll be watching you.
At this point, Christians aren’t Real Americans. Those protestors are traitors who hate the Constitution and the rule of law.
Those kids are very brave. School bullying is no joke. My daughter was bullied so harshly in her middle school that we had to pull her out of school and put her in online school. The school administration did nothing for her and they’ll do even less than nothing for kids in this club that get bullied by religious students. I feel really bad for them in that regard and I hope they make it through without too much scarring.
The school administration did nothing for her and they’ll do even less than nothing for kids in this club that get bullied by religious students.
I think part of the purpose of the club is to create a sense of shared identity and form a collective defense mechanism against bullying by aggressive students and administrators.
Of course, this gives the administration one big target to smash rather than a bunch of little targets. But that’s the nature of organizing in defiance of a violent and oppressive authority.
Maybe, but as kids found out who formed a Gay-Straight Alliance group in my high school back in the 90s, being united doesn’t really stop the bullying.
The Gay-Straight Alliances formed back in the 90s were critical to establishing the LGBT population as a real and recognizable social cohort in need of a distinct codified set of legal rights. Prior to the formation of these groups, it was entirely too common for kids to be taught in school that gay relationships were a sign of physical and sexual abuse, a mental illness, and a moral perversion. Having a community in the school of out-kids who could testify to the contrary made a huge difference in how the subsequent generation of students (and their parents - I got to watch in real time family friends go from implicit bigots to LGBT advocates) perceived of the LGBT population.
Being united doesn’t stop the bullying immediately. But it brings bullying into sharp relief and turns it into a conflict between groups rather than a social stigma against individuals.
I don’t disagree with you, but these are the first group of kids doing this club, so they’re going to face the brunt of the bullying, which is why I said they were brave and why I hope it doesn’t scar them.
they’re going to face the brunt of the bullying
They likely already were facing a lot of bullying. I’m old enough to remember people claiming that being gay meant you could give people AIDS from a toilet seat. I had a Health textbook that described “gay bowel syndrome” as a chronic condition caused by intimacy. Nevermind the teacher-sponsored religious groups that talked about how sinful it was to express any kind of affection towards one another. Just enormous amounts of misinformation, fear, and hate. And if you were a singular Out voice, it all got directed at you.
Clubs like this are as much an immediate defensive measure and emotional support group as a long-term progressive spearhead.
Which isn’t to say that spearheading the project doesn’t take an immense amount of bravery (and hard work and some exceptional social skills). But I think it mistakes the pre-organized LGBT community as somehow enjoying security through obscurity, rather than a population that simply suffered in silence.
No, but it gives them a community to support them in the face of that bullying and shows others that it’s not just “the one weird kid”
Kids like these give me hope for the future, no matter what disasters we have to suffer through!
https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us
I highly recommend reading the tenets. Good stuff.
Always amusing that people protest this stuff based on some made up fear of their “soul”, that can only be “saved” by preaching HATE for others different than you, instead of inclusion like the Temple. Hopefully these kids see the protesters for what they are and go on to have a more positive impact on society instead of trying to bring us all backwards.
Edit - Holy who taught me how to spell Batman!?
Idk seems like you spelled Batman fine
Unless it was supposed to be Bateman
Jason Batman is fine with it 🤷
Meanwhile, another protester, Samantha Harmon, said, “There is no reason that Memphis should have ever allowed an after-school Satan club to come in. It’s time to revise policy and it’s time for parents to get on their post and pray and protect their kids.”
Speaking to WMC, ASSC’s national campaign director pushed back against criticisms, saying: “We don’t go to a school unless there is another religious club operating.”
Oof. Nice rebuttal. I wonder how many kids attended; being in elementary school, I would imagine a lot of parents told their kids they couldn’t go. I’m glad it was successful but I’m honestly surprised they had any kids attend, given Tennessee and all.
Meanwhile, another protester, Samantha Harmon,
said, “There is no reason that Memphis should have ever allowed an after-school Satan club to come in.told on herself about her seditious, anti-American attitudes and ignorance of the First Amendment.FTFY, article writer.
It’s after school, which is a smart move - there are probably some working single parents who are delighted to have a couple of hours of free child care.
It’s Memphis, right? There a probably tens of thousands of atheists in Memphis, and basically any big city. Not every person in Tennessee is a Maga christofacist.
Just got done celebrating malicious compliance on another thread. So this one I’ll just give a big cheer and thumbs up for The Satanic Temple and all the good it’s doing in this country!
It’s crazy how these Satanists are indoctrinating children. It’s not like a child just naturally chooses to be a Satanist- their parents put them up to it.
Ain’t gonna have none of that shit in our home- we take them to church every weekend and make sure they believe exactly what we believe or I’ll tan their hides.
My eyes are so far apart…
Did you forget the /s ?
Didn’t need it ;)
Let’s enjoy this period of lemmy’s growth where we don’t need Poe’s Law. It might not last.
Wonder what they talked about at the meeting. Seems like everything is going to plan.
Community outreach, learning how to be informed and make educated decisions, etc.
Well, they didn’t allow cameras. But an attendee leaked this drawing.
I love A.S.S meetings so much, haha. Go Satanists!
ASSC keepin’ it classy!
Not today Jesus, not today
Satanists don’t believe in Satana btw, they’re mostly atheists, but adhere to the rule of Satan who happen to be better than the “all-loving all-good” God who brutally kills everyone opposing him
Love using kids as political pawns
Thankfully, intellectual dishonesty doesn’t cause searing abdominal pain, as you’d probably spend a lot of your waking moments curled up in fetal position.
The kids formed the club themselves with TST’s approval. Should they not be allowed to form a club if they want to?
Do you think elementary school kids woke up one day and decided to spontaneously join together with other elementary school kids to reach out to the local Satanist chapter to invite them to bring more schoolwork?
Come on. Kids just want to play. The Christians, the Satanists and especially the kids parents are all complicit in using children for political gain.
My daughter has been an outspoken atheist since she was six years old since she told her grandmother, “grandma, when I stay over at your house on the weekends, I don’t want to go to church with you, because I don’t really believe in god.” And none of it has been at my prompting in any way. I haven’t been quiet to her about what I personally think, but I also have made it very clear to her that other people think other things and it’s up to her to figure out what she believes. She’s still an atheist at 13. She’s far too shy to open such a club. If my shitty private elementary school existed now and I knew about those clubs by the time I was in fifth or sixth grade, I would have formed one because I wasn’t shy. You do not give kids enough credit.
So you’re agreeing that the kids probably didn’t start an after school Satanists club by themselves?
The article says that it’s elementary school, so we’re not talking about 13 year olds. These kids are much younger.
I’m glad to hear that your daughter is living her truth.
No, I’m literally saying the opposite. I have no idea how you got that from what I said.
You said that your daughter didn’t start a special interest group because she was shy. Similarly, 8 or 9 year old kids probably didn’t seek out the local chapter of the Satanists. Someone told them to do this.
I don’t think that any religion should be doing that.
Got it. You didn’t read my entire post. I’ll help you out:
If my shitty private elementary school existed now and I knew about those clubs by the time I was in fifth or sixth grade, I would have formed one because I wasn’t shy.
Who? Christians?
Yes. And Christians.
The Satanic Temple only goes to schools that have other relgious groups opening after school programs. They preach the belief to follow science and reason and find the best/most logical answers instead of listening to absurd unproven beliefs (such as dinosaurs not being real). They do NOT believe in Satan or preach that any such thing is good.
The name is a little tongue/cheek with the whole idea that some Christians would call any who don’t act as sheep and act as part of the heard that follows the lord, their shepherd is satan or guided by satan in disguise.
Yeah, that’s my point. Their whole organization is trolling and I don’t think that they should use kids for publicity. Nor do I think that they should attempt to influence kids at all, just like every other religion.
Imagine being such a terminal simp for anti-American thuggery that you think standing up for civil rights is “trolling.”
I’m standing up for the kids right to live in peace and not be coerced to fulfill the insecurities of any religious group.
No one is forcing any kids to join this club. It is an entirely optional after school activity.
I can see what you’re driving towards. It’d be far more ideal for us adults to hash this out, yeah?
I wish they’d remove Under God from the damn pledge of allegiance, but it seems schools are the next major battleground (sometimes literally) for all things political.
You mean bring the pledge back to its original form pre 1954? It wasn’t there before, it was added incase people don’t know or forgot.
It was written in 1892 without religion
Should get rid of the pledge completely tbh… Having children pledge allegiance to the country (or, bizarrely, a symbolic piece of cloth) is some North Korea type shit on par with Trump’s military parade…
Frankly I think the pledge should be gone altogether. It’s fuckin weird.
That’s exactly my point. Insecure religions (including the Satanists) use schools as a battleground for their political goals. It shouldn’t be allowed.
Religion should be something that’s between the kids and the parents (for better or for worse) until the kids are matured, maybe 16 years old at least.
It’s generally been the case that the parents are the most unbiased wellwishers of the kids, something that religious organizations often cannot do.
Insecure religions (including the Satanists)
It’s a non-religious group that chose an ironic name. The name is the only part that is even close to “trolling”, everything else is dedicated to science and reasoning.
It’s generally been the case that the parents are the most unbiased
Hahahahaha. You actually think parents are unbiased? That’s hilarious.
You’re confusing Satanists with Pastafarians. The latter ones are indeed grumpy, annoying, one-trick pony trolls, while Satanists are an inclusive, rational, social movement which has understood that levity is serious business.
How are they influenced, and they aren’t used being used for publicity from what I can tell from the article. One of the first posts here does a pretty good summary of the article that it centers more around the outrage than actually the after-school program itself.
There’s no “and” here. It’s only the Christians exploiting the children and anybody who claims otherwise is a motherfucking liar.
Well, there’s whoever keeps paying to get rid of child labor laws
I wish that I could be so simple. My personal experience is that all humans are prone to hypocrisy and the tendency to exploit others. The Satanists are not exceptional.
The fascists are the ones doing that. Complain to them, not us.
“Love using kids as political pawns”
Are you a republican?
No, I’m not. I don’t even know what this has to do with Republicans…
By teaching them science and critical thinking? Those poor children…
They have classes for science and critical thinking in school. Do you think the Satanists are more qualified than the department of education?
They also have classes for reading, but that wouldn’t rule out a book club. I’m sure they have gym classes too, and are allowed to have after school sports “clubs”. This may surprise you, but some kids are more intelligent than average, or have a higher level of interest in a subject than is taught in classes. After school, optional clubs allow them to explore those interests.
Some kids are sexually mature at 9, 10, or 11 years old. But we don’t allow them to procreate because we know that they’re not emotionally and intellectually developed enough to understand the repercussions of sex.
Similarly, in my opinion, religion is something that should not be pushed onto children, especially in a public school setting, until they are mature enough to contemplate the issues. It’s categorically different from other special interests like sports.
Though there are also many sports fanatics who use kids and sometimes damage their well-being, but that’s another subject…
Similarly, in my opinion, religion is something that should not be pushed onto children, especially in a public school setting, until they are mature enough to contemplate the issues.
THIS CLUB IS NOT RELIGIOUS!
You have seen nearly a dozen posts pointing this out and you still ignore it and continue to spout blatantly false statements.
It’s also not being pushed on anyone. It is an optional after school club. Enough with the lies and blatant misrepresentiation of the facts already.
I’m pretty sure that the Satanists claim to be a religion. That’s their whole thing. That’s how they get the right to do their trolling.
I’m totally cool with their religion, just as much as anyone else’s.
I don’t believe that elementary school children sought out the Satanists on their own volition. Someone coerced the kids into doing it.
You would be wrong.
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