The group says it wants to offer an alternative to organised religion

The organisation known as the Satanic Temple is getting ready to send its chaplains into Florida schools, as a bill edges closer to adoption that allows volunteer chaplains in schools.

The religious group, which does not actually believe in Satan, encourages “effective and artful protest”, according to its website.

In the ten years since its conception, the group has advocated for First Amendment rights, as well as religious freedom, across the United States.

  • moistclump@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    9 months ago

    Are they advocating for religious freedoms or challenging what “religious freedom” means when christian nationalists just want to use it for their own benefit. I get the sense they’d be just as happy to have a real separation of church and state or church and education but because Christians want to blur that line satanists are happy to remind them that religious freedom applies to all religions.

    • kiku123@feddit.deEnglish
      29·
      9 months ago

      They really want a clear separation of church and state.

      Normally, when these kinds of laws or rules are created, it is with the intention to be solely utilized by the Christian faith.

      While the same approach could be done with Judiasm or Islam, invoking Satanism is a much clearer signal for Christians. “Why is the school promoting Satan?” becomes a leading question to start the discussion that maybe government shouldn’t advocate or promote any religion.

  • zarkanianEnglish
    171·
    9 months ago

    That’s their solution for mental health?! School chaplains??! Man, this country is so fucked.

    • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      14·
      9 months ago

      No, their solution is to threaten school chaplains, that way the Satanic Temple trains some secular counselors in reflective listening and developmental psychology in response to the call for religious volunteers Since the Satan Chaplains are working for an activist cause, they’re cheaper than actual counselors. And all the school has to do is admit that an active Satanist works in the school.

      It’s chess on a five-dimensional manifold, man.