So, Satan has invaded our public schools under the disguise of atheists-who-want-rights-to-influence children-same as evangelical Christians do.

The After-School Satan Club has developed an extra-school curricula for public schools, stating on their website “to counter evangelism in public schools,” most notably The Good News Clubs.

This Satanic Temple sponsored program identifies its mission: “While the Good News Clubs focus on indoctrination, instilling them with a fear of Hell and God’s wrath, After School Satan Clubs will focus on free inquiry and rationalism, the scientific basis for which we know what we know about the world around us. We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of everlasting other-worldly horrors.”

And just how does my child reading and participating in The Satanic Children’s Big Book Activities help her “appreciate the natural wonders surrounding her?”

Concerned about “encroachments by proselytizing evangelicals in their public schools,” these misguided atheists use the image and concept of Satan—a representative not of un-believers, but the standard religious symbol for the epitome of evil, darkness, and horror.

Everything bad is not good for our children.

A child turned into a proselytizing pawn by a de-railed zealot is not free to think freely. And, I am curious if those brains on school boards allowing After-School Satan Clubs are thinking for themselves or even know how to?

To School Board Directors everywhere: Just because something is legal, doesn’t mean you have to allow it. Please read your job description or step down.

Back when I was involved in after-school programs in a suburban public school district, we vetted potential programs carefully and promptly dismissed those that were self-serving or clearly propaganda. If they had an agenda beyond serving kids, out they went.

My colleagues and I considered it a sacred trust to recommend after-school programs with our community in mind. So local programs like the near-by Boys and Girls Clubs got priority over any national standardized package—as did that retired Boeing engineer who wanted to begin a robotics club and the high school chess champion who proposed to start a chess club for the elementary students, and the acclaimed mountaineer who began high school hiking clubs.

There are plenty of ways to bring free inquiry and appreciation of natural surroundings to our children’s activities without involving Satan. For starters, involve the people you know who respect the kids.

With lots of various enriching experiences, not dependent on Satan, youngsters and teens, will learn how to critically think, discern for themselves, weigh options and experience themselves as creative learners.

And…Not having been branded as “Satan’s Children” our kids will know their better selves because we took the time to care enough to give them our best.

Copyright, Gloria DeGaetano. 2016. All rights reserved.