The Satanic Temple of New York City has been granted permission to pass out its literature to students in public schools in the Orlando, Florida, area after district officials declined to prohibit distribution of religious materials.
So will there now be a huge new interest among students in the pentagram, the goats-head emblem and devilish rituals?
Maybe not, according to one columnist.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Daniel Vasquez wrote Tuesday that while Satanists may be allowed to give out their material to students, it’s an entirely different question whether they will pay attention to it.
Vasquez explained that students are busy enough that they likely will reserve little time for the handouts.
“But don’t tell that to the Florida Satanists. Or to our homegrown atheists or Bible-thumpers for that matter. All are descending upon Orlando-area schools demanding the right to hand out religious materials to school children,” he wrote.
“As I write this a New York-based group called the The Satanic Temple is printing up copies of ‘The Satanic Children’s Big Book of Activities.’”
Vasquez said he’s “all for free speech, whether it comes from the heavens or down below.”
“But leave our kids out of the crossfire. They’re busy. Real busy,” he said.
The Washington Times reported the planned effort by the Satanic Temple follows a decision to allow the distribution of Bibles and atheist materials as well.
See the collection of Bible products available in the WND Superstore.
Temple spokesman Lucien Greaves told the Times: “We think the responsible thing to do is to ensure that these students are given access to a variety of differing religious opinions, as opposed to standing idly by while one religious voice dominates the discourse and delivers propaganda to youth.
“I am quite certain that all of the children in these Florida schools are already aware of the Christian religion and its Bible, and this might be the first exposure these children have to the actual practice of Satanism. We think many students will be very curious to see what we offer,” Greaves added.
District officials say they reserve the right to review materials, but they already have allowed the World Changers of Florida to hand out Bibles, and a team of atheists gave out material a year ago.
Temple members say they are preparing to distribute the “The Satanic Children’s Big Book of Activities.”
In a related development, the school district recently banned chaplains from high school football games.
WND also reported Tuesday two petitions have collected nearly 180,000 signatures of people opposed to a Satanic “Black Mass” in Oklahoma City.
Promoters of the satanic ritual say they have “sold out” all 88 tickets to the event scheduled for the municipal Civic Center Music Hall Sept. 21.
But tens of thousands of people have signed two different petitions calling for the cancellation of the controversial activities. TFP Student Action, which works to defend “moral values on campus,” has announced a public “act of reparation” at the city building at the time of the “mass.” Its petition had collected more than 80,000 signatures.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin summarized the general reaction to the plan in a statement: “This ‘Black Mass’ is a disgusting mockery of the Catholic faith, and it should be equally repellent to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. It may be protected by the First Amendment, but that doesn’t mean we can’t condemn it in the strongest terms possible for the moral outrage which it is.
“It is shocking and disgusting that a group of New York City ‘satanists’ would travel all the way to Oklahoma to peddle their filth here. I pray that realize how hurtful their actions are and cancel this event.”
WND previously reported the events are organized by a satanic group called Dakhma of Angra Mainyu, which has leased space in the Civic Center Music Hall.
The petition by TFP Student Action, which will hold a prayer meeting at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Oklahoma City prior to the protest at city hall, is directed to Civic Center Music Hall official Stephen Sharpe, Mayor Mick Cornett and Fallin. It states: “With my whole heart and soul, I express full, complete and vehement rejection of the satanic ‘Black Mass’ scheduled at the Oklahoma City Civic Center on September 21, 2014. I urge you to cancel this event which offends 1 billion Catholics worldwide, 200,000 Catholics in Oklahoma and countless more God-loving Americans. Sacrilege is simply NOT free speech.”
Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the devil but were too afraid to ask, in Joe Kovacs’ autographed bestseller, “Shocked by the Bible.”
A second and separate petition to city officials, at CitizenGo.org, already has collected 88,784 signatures.
It states: “We write you in order to voice opposition to the Black Mass scheduled to take place Sept. 21 at the Oklahoma City Civic Center. A Black Mass is intended as an attack on another religious group, namely Catholics. The ceremony revolves around the desecration of the Eucharist, which requires that a Host be stolen from a Catholic church. The organizer of the event admitted to stealing a consecrated Host. Although he has now returned the stolen Host, after facing a lawsuit on behalf of the archdiocese, it is clear that his intention to defile stolen property in a government facility should raise questions of basic appropriateness. While the Constitution protects freedom of expression, it does not protect stealing property from others and desecrating it. We implore you to take a stand in favor of public decency by canceling the Black Mass.”
Credit to WND
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/1235485/#a1I7CO0EK1DOdhGt.99
No comments:
Post a Comment