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No, Satan isn't coming to your classrooms. A judge's ruling allowing an after-school 'Satan Club' is all about free speech.

May 3, 2023, 02:37 IST
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Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of The Satanic Temple.Josh Reynolds for The Washington Post via Getty Images
  • A judge ruled that a Pennsylvania school district must allow an "After School Satan Club" on campus.
  • The federal judge's decision in the case centers around the First Amendment.
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Don't worry, these kids aren't going to be worshiping Satan anytime soon.

A Pennsylvania school district must allow an "After School Satan Club" — which does not believe in or praise Satan — to meet on campus, thanks to a federal judge's Monday ruling centered around the First Amendment.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of the sponsor of the club, The Satanic Temple, after it was barred from meeting at the Saucon Valley School District. The organization cheered the judge's decision as "a victory for free speech and religious freedom."

The Satanic Temple launched the After School Satan Club in 2016 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," as it states on its website.

The club "focuses on science, critical thinking, creative arts, and good works for the community," the website says.

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The Saucon Valley School District had argued that it booted the Satan Club because it failed to make clear on a permission slip that the club was not sponsored by the district.

But Judge John Gallagher said in his ruling that "the record indicates the District engaged in viewpoint discrimination by rescinding approval" of the club's application "based on the controversial nature" of the club's "viewpoint, and the negative community reaction thereto."

"This is welcome news for Saucon Valley students and families seeking to participate in the supportive and inclusive community provided by ASSC meetings," said June Everett, the director of The Satanic Temple's After School Satan Club programming.

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