Satanic Temple thanks Ron DeSantis for the Florida School Chaplaincy Act

On Monday, a new law went into effect allowing volunteer military chaplains in Florida public schools. The Satanic Temple was ready.

“Thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis, Satanic Temple ministers can now serve in Florida’s public schools!” the church posted on its social media accounts on Tuesday.

DeSantis said that won't happen.

“We don't play these games in Florida,” DeSantis said when he signed the law in April. “This is not a religion.”

The new law was one of nearly 180 new laws in Florida that went into effect on Monday, July 1, 2024.

Under HB 931, volunteer school chaplains may “provide assistance, services, and programs to students as assigned by the school district council or charter school governing board.” Parents must consent and may choose from a publicly available list of chaplains and their religious affiliation (if any).

However, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the establishment or promotion of a particular religion. And this is where the Satanic Temple comes in.

“In any opportunities that exist for clergy or chaplains in the public sector, there must be no discrimination based on religious affiliation,” the Satanic Temple's ministry director, who calls herself Penemue Grigori, said in an email to USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida while the bill was being considered. “Our clergy look forward to participating alongside clergy of other religions in opportunities to do good in the community, including the opportunities this bill creates.”

The church – which is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt religious organization – regularly fights for religious freedom and the First Amendment by interfering with any rules and laws that allow religion in government or the public sector.

“Are you a Florida parent interested in learning more about Satanic Temple ministers serving public schools?” the church's social media posts asked. “Log on to http://tinyurl.com/thanksron for more information.”

A similar bill in Utah, HB 514, failed this year. Georgia's SB 379, which also failed, would have allowed volunteer clergy to work alongside or replace school counselors, but explicitly defined that a “clergyman” does not include someone “who is a Satanist.”

What if “someone was a Satanist”?Florida lawmakers pass controversial bill allowing military chaplains to serve in public schools

What is the Satanic Temple?

Founded in Salem, Massachusetts in 2013 by Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jerry, the Satanic Temple gained national attention after holding a rally in Tallahassee praising then-Governor Rick Scott for signing a law the previous year allowing public school students to pray and read inspirational messages at assemblies and sporting events.

The Satanic Temple counters religious-based school programs in public schools across the country with its After School Satan Clubs, which offer science projects, community service projects, arts and crafts, puzzles and games, with an emphasis on rationalism, according to the organization.

“The After School Satan Club opposes the introduction of religion into public schools and will only open a club if other religious groups are active on campus,” the church's website states. And they are suing to be allowed to stay there.

The Satanic Temple also campaigns against hate groups, corporal punishment in schools, abortion restrictions, and other issues it believes are based on evangelical Christianity, often using imagery and references that appear to mock religious beliefs. The church uses a cartoon version of the Christian devil in its logo as a symbol of rebellion and intellectual questioning, but explicitly rejects the idea that Satan is a supernatural being.

The Temple promotes seven tenets that focus on compassion, empathy, personal freedom, bodily autonomy, scientific facts, and the fight for justice. The organization also offers addiction recovery support groups without the involvement of religion, exposes misconduct and pseudoscience, runs a campaign against corporal punishment in schools, and provides statewide telehealth support for reproductive information and telehealth abortion services in New Mexico.

The Satanic Temple:Satanic clubs and pagan statues have been popping up after school all over the US. What's going on?

What is Florida's School Chaplaincy Bill HB 931/SB 7044?

HB 931/SB 7044 authorizes school districts and charter schools to allow volunteer school chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs to students as assigned by the school district board or governing board of the charter school.” It also requires districts to screen volunteers and requires parental consent before a student can use their services. Parents can choose from the list that each district must post with the names of volunteers and their religious affiliation.

Various amendments that would have prohibited school districts from favoring certain religious affiliations, mandated sexual harassment and assault prevention training, required military chaplains to belong to a faith recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and hold at least a master's or bachelor's degree in a theological subject, or required the creation of an oversight committee and the establishment of a grievance and termination process all failed in the House of Representatives or were withdrawn.

The Satanic Temple in Florida

The Satanic Temple maintained a presence in the Sunshine State after the Tallahassee rally. The Satanic Temple's 2013 request to put up a display in the Florida Capitol Rotunda — which already featured Christmas decorations, a menorah and a Festivus pole made from empty Pabst Blue Ribbon cans — was denied. Their second attempt the next year was approved, and they put up their own: a diorama of an angel falling from heaven into the flames of hell, beneath the words “Happy Holidays from the Satanic Temple.”

Within a day it was devastated.

Other measures have met with outraged opposition. In 2015, the Orange County School Board voted to ban the distribution of religious or political materials in schools after the temple distributed satanic coloring books that emphasized sanity and anti-bullying messages and featured cartoon children performing what appeared to be satanic rituals.

In 2019, the West Florida Chapter of the Satanic Temple “adopted” Hitzman-Optimist Park in Pensacola, but within a week their sign and parts of the park were vandalized.

DeSantis commented on other vandalism cases in Iowa last December when he was running for the Republican presidential nomination.

A Satanic Temple altar containing a statue of the pagan idol Baphomet that was allowed to be placed next to the nativity scene at the Iowa State Capitol last December sparked widespread outrage, criticism and debates about free speech before Michael Cassidy, a former Republican candidate for the Mississippi House of Representatives, destroyed it and was later charged with a hate crime.

DeSantis appeared on CNN and stated that access to the Capitol in Florida would not be allowed and that the blame lies with former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

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Satanic Temple thanks Ron DeSantis for the Florida School Chaplaincy Act

Anna Harden

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