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In late July 2016, the Washington Post and other mainstream media reported that a New York-based group called the Satanic Temple was petitioning public school administrators around the U.S. to allow the introduction of After School Satan Clubs in elementary schools. The Temple's co-founder, Doug Mesner (aka Lucien Greaves), an atheist, said the group's agenda is to promote multiple points of view and was conceived of in response to the proliferation in schools of Good News Clubs, which promote evangelical Christianity: Some on social media reacted to the news by expressing their fears about children being taught to worship the devil and participate in Satanic rituals, but the Satanic Temple — whose activities are described as a blend of political activism, religious critique and performance art — does not subscribe to or promote a literal belief in the devil, the Washington Post explained: Those who do subscribe to a literal belief in Satan may find the group's promotional video somewhat disturbing, however, in that it incorporates well-known tropes associated with devil worship in pop culture, such as Satanic symbolism, demonic music, backmasking and horror film sound effects: In case it isn't sufficiently obvious, there's a political dimension to the After School Satan Club campaign, namely spotlighting the encroachment of religion into public schools in the form of the Good News Clubs, of which there are thousands across the U.S.: The Satanic Temple's seven fundamental tenets, which include One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason, and The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend, are listed on the group's website.
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