Conservatives in Florida and Texas won the right to permit religious chaplains in public schools, and now the Satanic Temple wants in.
The temple describes itself as "nontheistic" and would prefer no chaplains in schools, NBC News reported. However, it's prepared to settle for equal representation.
The Florida and Texas laws require schools boards vote on whether to appoint the chaplains in their specific districts. Similar bills are being pushed in 13 other states.
"If they pass these bills, they're going to have to contend with ministers of Satan acting as chaplains within their school districts," said Lucien Greaves, a co-founder of the Satanic Temple. Greaves is a pseudonym he uses to protect him against threats.
"We think the public should know in advance that that's what the outcome of these bills can be," he added.
The Satanic Temple, founded in 2013 and recognized by the IRS as a religion, is known for trying to goad the religious right.
When Arkansas put up a statue of the Ten Commandments outside the State Capitol, the Temple installed its own statue of Baphomet, a goat headed figure.
And it offered the Hellions Academy as an alternative to Christian studies during school hours. It also named a telehealth abortion clinic after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's mother, according to the network news.
On its website, the Temple notes: "The benefits of joining depend on what you want to do with your membership. Joining on our website will put you on our mailing list so you can stay up-to-date on our activities and campaigns. If you want your membership to be even more rewarding, consider becoming active in a congregation or contributing to the mission of The Satanic Temple in other ways."
Joseph Laycock, a religious studies professor at Texas State University, who wrote a study about the group, said: "It definitely started with a kind of humorous or satirical element to it, but this is a movement with hundreds of people that's been going for 10 years now — they're quite serious about it.
"They're willing to put up with death threats. They're willing to wear bulletproof vests because Neo-Nazis have threatened to kill them if they give a public speech. People don't normally take those kinds of risks for a joke.
"The real fear of Christian nationalism is driving people into the arms of groups like the Satanic Temple. And then the fact that there are now Satanists taking to the streets of America is causing the Christian nationalists to double down, too, and making them even more determined to cling to power for as long as they can."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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