A Tennessee father is expressing outrage after learning the Satanic Temple will host an "After School Satan Club" at a Memphis elementary school.
"I can't say that I was shocked because I wasn't shocked," parent Reggie Carrick said on "Fox & Friends First" Friday. "[They] have already taken God out of school and prayer out of school and they invited the devil in."
"Right now, we don't have any covering over our school system. And what I mean – covering – we don't have God protecting us anymore."
The Satanic Temple plans to host its first After School Satan Club (ASSC) club in the state of Tennessee on January 10, 2024, at Chimney Rock Elementary Library.
A flyer for the event describes the Satanic Temple as a non-theistic religion recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a Church. The church views Satan as a literary figure who represents a "metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit."
ASSC was running at eight schools last year, and currently four schools are running ASSC this school year with active clubs in California, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and now Tennessee.
The ASSC in Memphis was requested by a parent at the school.
Carrick criticized Memphis Shelby Schools, who preside over Chimney Rock, for allowing the program to continue, saying leadership "failed us."
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"They failed the community. They failed our children because, again, they [would] rather dodge a lawsuit than actually protect our children," he said.
In a press conference, Memphis Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Toni Williams said she had no choice but to allow a partnership with "all faith-based organizations" under law.
"I want to assure you that I do not endorse, I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of recent headlines," Williams said Wednesday. "I do, however, support the law. As a superintendent, I am duty-bound to uphold our board policy, state laws and the Constitution."
ASSC added in the flyer that the "Satan Club" will not attempt to convert students to any religious ideology. Instead, the Satanic Temple encourages "children to think for themselves."
In a statement to "Fox & Friends First," "After School Satan Club" campaign director June Everett wrote, "The Satanic Temple established After School Satan Clubs as an alternative to prevalent proselytizing religious after school clubs focused on indoctrination. Those clubs still exist, and now so does ours."
"If you want to exercise the First Amendment right, do like any other proper 501(c)(3). You go to your building and give people a choice to," Carrick responded. "But when you are forcing and demanding yourself in a school system, especially with our children, we're talking about babies, five through nine years old. You're forcing yourself into the school… that's what I have an issue with."
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"We will not compromise with evil at all," he continued. "We are going to stand for righteousness and truth. We've got to protect our children by any means necessary."
Fox News' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
