Does Johnson County student have the right to start a Satan club? Protesters raise hell

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An Olathe Northwest High School student’s attempt to start a Satan club has ignited a firestorm in Johnson County, with parents and students petitioning to stop it.

An 18-year-old senior has been collecting signatures and filling out paperwork to start the club, affiliated with The Satanic Temple, a non-theistic religious organization that does not support supernatural explanations, but instead promotes humanism. Members say they don’t actually believe in Lucifer, but instead use Satan as a metaphorical figure for rejecting tyranny and grounding beliefs in rationalism and science.

Before the Olathe club has even gained approval, it’s already causing an uproar, with many students and parents protesting it. As of Friday, more than 6,000 people had signed a Change.org petition titled, “Stop The Satan Worship Club At Olathe Northwest.”

“This deeply troubles me and many others in our community as we believe that schools should be places of education and growth, not platforms for satanic indoctrination or controversial practices,” the petition reads.

June Everett, a campaign director with The Satanic Temple, said it would be the organization’s first such club led by students at a high school. After School Satan Clubs have been cropping up in elementary and middle schools across the country, bringing outrage from community members with them.

“A lot of people think we’re devil worshipers. We’re clearly not,” Everett said. “People are very upset when they hear the big ‘S’ word. But anyone who takes a minute to look into what we are will see we are atheists. We do not believe in God or Satan, and those who align with The Satanic Temple don’t worship any deity.”

The student starting the club, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of the public backlash, said the Satan club is needed because of “the lack of representation for non-majority religious beliefs” at Northwest.

Christianity is by far the most popular religion in Kansas, representing 76% of adults in the state, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center. In its survey, 20% of Kansans said they were not affiliated with any religion.

“There is currently a Christian club on campus called AWAKE Student Ministry that posts their flyers around the schools, and were advertising their club with ‘free donuts,’ which felt like a bribe, to me,” the student said in an email. “Since many students on campus don’t align with the beliefs of Christianity, I was inspired to start a student-led club for those students and myself.”

About 20 students have signed on in support of creating the club, the teen said.

Leaders of The Satanic Temple say they do not believe in bringing religion into public schools, and will only open a student club if other religious groups are already present.

The organization has been known to stir controversy as it promotes secularism in government by highlighting the presence of religious symbols in public spaces.

The group in recent years, for example, placed a statue of Baphomet, a winged-goat creature, on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol because a Ten Commandments monument had been put there. And in the Illinois Capitol rotunda, the organization placed a much smaller, “Snaketivity” statue beside a Christmas tree, nativity scene and menorah.

Many parents and community members are calling on Olathe Northwest officials to prohibit the proposed Satan club, calling it inappropriate and dangerous, and casting the idea as different than the founding of other religious clubs.

“Whether you believe in God, are a Christian, Catholic, Mormon, Hindu, Buddhist or even atheist you should see that ending this club is not just because it opposes Christianity but because what they stand for and the actions they will make are wrong and immoral,” the Change.org petition says. “This isn’t an argument over religion and Christianity but of right and wrong.”

But Erin Schulte, spokeswoman for the Olathe school district, said the school must follow federal law, with the Equal Access Act prohibiting public schools from discriminating against student-led groups based on religion.

“In other words, if the school allows one student-initiated club, it allows all — providing the application process is completed and the group meets the guidelines for their recognition,” Schulte said. “This right is protected under the First Amendment.”

Earlier this month, The Satanic Temple reached a settlement with the Saucon Valley School District in Pennsylvania after the district blocked an After School Satan Club from meeting at a middle school. After The Satanic Temple argued the district had violated the First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union said the district agreed to pay $200,000 in attorney’s fees and to provide the group the same access to school facilities as provided to other organizations.

Everett said of the petition fighting the Olathe club that, “They could get two million signatures, but that doesn’t trump constitutional First Amendment law.

“It’s a good reminder for everyone that we can wholeheartedly disagree on beliefs, but everybody has the same right to the same access and civil rights granted,” she said. “Sometimes we’re just as offended as others are when we find out different Christian clubs are taking over our schools. They’re not the only ones who are scared about what’s going on.”

This week, parents and faith leaders also are protesting in Tennessee over a planned After School Satan Club at an elementary school in the Memphis-Shelby county district.

At elementary and middle schools, Everett said the organization’s clubs have focused on science, art and doing good works for the community. Students in the clubs have painted kindness rocks, built Lego sets and participated in nature or science-based activities, she said.

She expects high school-level clubs to focus more on sharing movies, books and music, and having topical debates.

The Olathe student said the goal is that classmates can “learn about the deeply held non-theistic beliefs of The Satanic Temple, in an inclusive environment free from threats of burning in hell.” The organization’s tenants include striving for empathy and justice, respecting other’s freedom and relying on scientific facts.

“I was not surprised to see that a large number of students are strongly opposed to the club, but a fair number of students are more or less neutral about the club or showing support for the club and plan on attending club meetings,” the Olathe teen said. “This student-led club will welcome students of all beliefs and non-beliefs, and I hope everyone can learn something about diversity and not be so fearful of a subject once they learn more about it.”

Everett said she’s been communicating with the school principal and hopes the club will be approved before students leave for winter break next week.