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‘That Is Not a Religion’: DeSantis Bars Satanists From Florida School Chaplaincy Program
The Daily Signal ^ | April 21, 2024 | S.A. McCarthy

Posted on 04/26/2024 2:04:38 PM PDT by Twotone

The Sunshine State is now welcoming chaplains into public schools, but Satanists need not apply.

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a bill into law allowing chaplains to volunteer to offer counseling at public and charter schools. However, the Catholic governor warned that Satanists would not be accepted into the program, as some Christian and conservative groups had feared.

“Now some have said if you do a school chaplain program that somehow you’re going to have Satanists running around in all our schools,” DeSantis said in a press conference. “We’re not playing those games in Florida. That is not a religion. That is not qualifying to be able to participate in this. We’re going to be using common sense when it comes to this, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

The Florida Senate version of the bill was approved in February and the House version was approved early last month. The legislation’s text states, “Each school district or charter school may adopt a policy to authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the district school board or charter school governing board.”

The new law requires volunteer chaplains to pass a background check and would require school administrators to publicize each volunteer chaplain’s religious affiliation and obtain parental consent before a student begins counseling.

“Any opportunity that exists for ministers or chaplains in the public sector must not discriminate based on religious affiliation,” said The Satanic Temple’s “Director of Ministry” Penemue Grigori in February. “Our ministers look forward to participating in opportunities to do good in the community, including the opportunities created by this bill, right alongside the clergy of other religions.”

Ryan Jayne of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s Action Fund added, “I think there is a 100% chance you see satanic chaplains, and also of course other religious minorities that the majority-Christian population might not be a fan of. The Satanic Temple is a church, whether people like it or not.”

“It is wonderful to have such a strong statement denying the legitimacy of Satanism as a religion or church from Governor DeSantis. But I worry that appeals to common sense will not hold in the most ideological school systems, even in Florida,” Meg Kilgannon, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for education studies, commented to The Washington Stand. “Regardless, this is an important step in acknowledging the role that faith plays in our lives and how important it is that the big questions students have about morality, life and death, and God’s plan for their lives are best answered by a parent or priest, pastor, or chaplain.”

DeSantis has criticized Satanism in the past, arguing that it is not a religion. In December, after military veteran and outspoken Christian Michael Cassidy toppled and beheaded a Baphomet idol erected in the Iowa State Capitol Building by The Satanic Temple, the Florida governor declared, “Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a ‘religion’ by the federal government. … Good prevails over evil—that’s the American spirit.”

On its website, The Satanic Temple responds to the question “Do you worship Satan?” The organization states, “No, nor do we believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural.” The Satanic Temple adds, “Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds. … Our metaphoric representation is the literary Satan best exemplified by Milton and the Romantic Satanists from Blake to Shelley to Anatole France.”

Now that it has been signed by DeSantis, Florida’s new law goes into effect on July 1.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: fakeoutrage; ffrf; ffrfaf; florida; grigori; jayne; lookingforattention; penemuegrigori; religion; rondesantis; ryanjayne; satanism; thanmaybe; willnotbepresident
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1 posted on 04/26/2024 2:04:38 PM PDT by Twotone
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To: Twotone

They’ll just do what demonRATs in Oklahoma do, viz. run as Republicans and corrupt from within.


2 posted on 04/26/2024 2:15:12 PM PDT by LouAvul (DEI = Didn't Earn It. )
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To: Twotone

This will be an interesting test case.


3 posted on 04/26/2024 2:16:14 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Twotone
Governor Ron DeSantis...

Bravest and most Conservative Governor of this millennium...

...perhaps the greatest Governor of all (USA) time.

4 posted on 04/26/2024 2:20:44 PM PDT by Seaplaner (Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never...in nothing, great or small...Winston ChurchIill)
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To: Twotone

I don’t think he’ll win this one. I’m not even sure he should win - the principle of the government deciding what religions are valid/real is problematic. But it’s good politics for him.


5 posted on 04/26/2024 2:21:05 PM PDT by monkeyshine (live and let live is dead)
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To: monkeyshine

Tomorrow some California governor could say Evangelical Christianity is not a real religion. It is just right wing politics.


6 posted on 04/26/2024 2:33:22 PM PDT by nwrep
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To: monkeyshine

There’s more than one viable argument here.

One is that satanism is not a religion as is claimed here. This is strong in that satanism opposes the universal moral principles found in every other religion.

Another argument is that satanism is the enemy of God, on which the Constitution is based and therefore satanism is the enemy of our Constitution.


7 posted on 04/26/2024 2:33:55 PM PDT by reasonisfaith (What are the personal implications if the Resurrection of Christ is a true event in history?)
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To: nwrep

Post #7 above points out that satanism can’t be a religion because its principles oppose the universal moral values of all religions.


8 posted on 04/26/2024 2:35:09 PM PDT by reasonisfaith (What are the personal implications if the Resurrection of Christ is a true event in history?)
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To: monkeyshine

I should have said:

“Satanism opposes the universal moral principles found in all religions.”


9 posted on 04/26/2024 2:36:21 PM PDT by reasonisfaith (What are the personal implications if the Resurrection of Christ is a true event in history?)
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To: monkeyshine

In this case the Satanists themselves say they aren’t worshipping anything...in other words, they admit they aren’t a religion by stating they don’t worship..

That’s not to say unaffiliated Satanists groups aren’t...

I think the late Judge Bork addressed this type of issue in his book Slouching Towards Gomorrah and had some very interesting legal arguments against lawfare style extremism and their “living constitution” that changes with the winds.


10 posted on 04/26/2024 2:39:10 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: monkeyshine

Agreed.


11 posted on 04/26/2024 2:41:31 PM PDT by Fuzz
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To: reasonisfaith

God is not mentioned in the constitution.


12 posted on 04/26/2024 2:42:08 PM PDT by Fuzz
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To: Twotone

I call it anti-religion.


13 posted on 04/26/2024 2:42:23 PM PDT by Revel
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To: reasonisfaith

“Satanism” is just secular humanism for Drama Club kids. They don’t actually believe in any diety.


14 posted on 04/26/2024 2:45:59 PM PDT by Mr. Blond
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To: Seaplaner
Bravest and most Conservative Governor of this millennium...

He has come a long way in my eyes in making up for his Presidential run gaffe. He needs to be certain his ties are severed of any even slightly globalist connections. My hope is that he is the Conservative we're going to need in '28. I give my utmost respect for some of the stuff he has done since refocusing on Florida.

15 posted on 04/26/2024 3:11:43 PM PDT by dware (Americans prefer peaceful slavery over dangerous freedom)
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To: monkeyshine

If that is the case, then this is an example of why “religion” should not be promulgated at all in gov.

Besides satanism, it begs the question of allowing Moslem principles in the gov sphere. No thanks.

As with everything else, communists will use these principles against the republic’s proper government. Make it so they can’t.


16 posted on 04/26/2024 3:13:09 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs.)
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To: reasonisfaith

Better read your constitution again.


17 posted on 04/26/2024 3:35:33 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: Mr. Blond

I don’t believe in a diety either.


18 posted on 04/26/2024 3:37:12 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: Twotone

We don’t accept Druids who worship trees, nutty students who worship ‘Mother Earf’, and spiritualists who talk with the dead... among many others,


19 posted on 04/26/2024 3:49:05 PM PDT by GOPJ (.Has Nancy Pelosi called for the leader of Hamas to step down yet? If not, why not?)
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To: Seaplaner

DeSantis doesn’t let anything the left throws out there get past him. The guy is conservative gold.


20 posted on 04/26/2024 5:50:40 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn (“Giving money & power to government is like giving whiskey & car keys to teenage boys” P.J. O’Rourke)
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