Satanism. Many people don’t know what it actually is. They think that it is full of devil worshiping, baby sacrificing, evil, and bad people. Now with any group of people, there will be a fair share of bad people. But Satanism is nowhere near what is described above. The After School Satan Club is no different. 

Before we get into what the club is, formulate your own opinion on if you would like the club to be in Wentzville schools. I asked a couple students to do the same and here is what they said:

“I wouldn’t really care because it doesn’t have anything to do with me and people can follow whoever they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone,” said Addison Craven, Junior & Catholic.

“We already have a Christian club so it’s not breaking or bending any rules,” said Rage Putzler, Senior & Satanist.

The Satanic Temple have introduced their own after school club to combat the preexisting religious clubs in school. On the official TST (The Satanic Temple) website, they say “The After School Satan Club does not believe in introducing religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are operating on campus. 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. Unlike our counterparts, who publicly measure their success in young children’s “professions of faith,” the After School Satan Club program focuses on science, critical thinking, creative arts, and good works for the community. While engaged in all of these activities, we want clubgoers to have a good time.”

After hearing about what this club actually is, here is what those same students had to say about the possibility of having it in Wentzville schools:

“I would attend a meeting to see my peers views because I love to learn about how others view the world” said Craven.

“I would go to it, just as long as it doesn’t conflict with any of my other commitments,” said Putzler.

Many people wonder why the religion is called “Satanism” or why the institution is called “The Satanic Temple” even. According to the official website, “Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds,” and when asked the question of “Why Satan?” TST responded with “To call our club any alternative such as ‘science club’ or ‘atheist club,’ which has been suggested by many, would be disingenuous and akin to hiding. Satan, to us, is not a supernatural being. Instead, Satan is a literary figure that represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny over the human mind and spirit.”

Members of the Satanic Temple follow the seven tenets. Those tenets are listed on their website as follows:

1. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
2. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
3. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Now those of which who actually do believe in Satan and worship the devil are called just that, Devil Worshippers. They may be labeled as “Satanic,” but they are not Satanists. Satanists advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, bodily autonomy, compassion/empathy, scientific reasoning, and much more.