Florida lawmakers are proposing two bills that, if passed, would allow Satanic priests to serve as volunteer chaplains in public schools.
Companion bills, Senate Bill 1044 and House Bill 931, would allow schools to select volunteer chaplains who can provide counseling services to students.
Under the bill, schools could adopt policies that would authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide support services and programs to students. The bill would also require principals of schools with volunteer school chaplains to notify all parents about the service and provide written parental consent before a student attends or receives services. Consent is also required.
Schools will be required to provide parents with a list of volunteers who have undergone complete background checks. Parents will be able to select their preferred pastor from a list.
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The logo of the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts. (Getty)
Under the U.S. Constitution, states are not allowed to decide which religious groups can volunteer, potentially opening the door to groups like the Satanic Temple to allow clergy to serve students. be.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, told Fox News Digital that as long as the Florida government wants to blur the line between church and state by allowing chaplains to attend school, The Satanic Temple said it was willing to participate in hopes of upholding the government’s position. In addition to its neutrality, it also serves as an alternative to “conversion evangelism.”
“In order to allay concerns about bringing religious viewpoints into schools, proponents of the chaplaincy bill say their concern is simply to provide additional “emotional support” to young people who may be having trouble. “They are reacting in a scripted way, claiming that their goal is to provide a ‘self-care service’,” he said. “If that’s true, they might just be putting out a call for volunteers who are certified counselors to provide their services in local schools.”
Satanic Temple leader touts after-school club as alternative to religious clubs to ‘proselytize’ students
Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, told Fox News Digital that the organization started the after-school program as an alternative to other religious groups that are “proselytizing” children. Told. (Josh Reynolds of The Washington Post, via Getty Images/File)
Florida Sen. Erin Goulart, who introduced the bill, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The bill is currently moving through the state Legislature and, if passed, would go into effect on July 1st. fox 35 Orlando.
Still, Mr Greaves suggested MPs had big fish to fry.
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Baphomet statue at the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images/File)
“It is a demonstration of incompetence on the part of the signatories of the Pastor Bill for lawmakers to support an ill-conceived and dishonest model bill backed by faulty arguments when there are so many issues to address. “It clearly shows that,” he said.
The Satanic Temple is well-versed in First Amendment religious rights and has worked since 2016 to bring after-school programs to schools in states such as Virginia, Tennessee, and Kansas.
The temple is recognized by the IRS as a public charity.
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Greaves describes the types of activities the after-school program promotes as a self-directed learning process that involves playing games, solving puzzles, activities and other things that are educational for the children. You can choose what you want. work together.
The Satanic Temple initially consulted with educators to build a complex curriculum, but they realized it had become too complex and changed it.
