This distribution day happens yearly for an event called National Religious Freedom Day, which is Jan. 16. In high schools, every faith is invited to lay out materials — copies of the Bible, Quran, Book of Mormon and other religious writings — that students can pick up without any prompting.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation had applied to include its pamphlet, "An X-Rated Book: Sex and Obscenity in the Bible," and the School Board initially censored the atheist material but then reversed its decision. However, it was not distributed. Now The Satanic Temple has submitted "The Satanic Children's Big Book of Activities." Both handouts mock other faiths.
Now the School Board is considering changing its policy to prohibit any outside groups from distributing religious materials in high schools. While the board has every right to cancel the day, would that be the best solution?
The Satanic Temple calls itself a religion. Pull it up on the Web, and see how comfortable you feel reading about its "benevolence and empathy" and "common sense and justice." It's Satan. He's a deceiver. He's about evil.
Let's use our own common sense. There is no Satanic Temple in our community; nor would we want it here. Neither The Satanic Temple nor the Freedom From Religion Foundation has any right being a part of Religious Freedom Day because neither are true religions.
32 comments
I actually sympathize with Troy here, even if I don't agree with what he said. If every faith is invited, and able to come, there's no reason to troll them with that sort of pamphlet. Something positive like "The Demon Haunted World" would be more appropriate. I feel the Freedom From Religion Foundation really went too far here.
The pamphlet FFRF went with was going too far. Not exactly age appropriate.
That being said absence of religion should be represented on National Religious Freedom Day. You can't have freedom of religion with out freedom from religion.
While I don't agree with the blatant trolling FFRF is engaging in at all and would rather they put in something positive about atheism rather than something negative about Christianity, we can't start banning atheist or Satanic pamphlets. If you want to include religion, you have to include them all. Even Satanism. And yes, it IS a religion. Granted, many Satanists are just atheist trolls but some people treat it as a philosophy of life (like Buddhism) and there are even theistic Satanists who think Yahweh was the bad guy and Lucifer was the good guy (given the track record of those two, can you blame them?). There are genuine Satanists in the world and that means you have to allow them to present their religion, too.
@ Nemo
The FFRF pamphlet, I don't think, was necessarily "mocking" "other faiths", so much as pointing out some inconvenient facts that Christians don't want to acknowledge. Saying that somebody's house has termites (when that person insists on denying it), isn't a slight against that person's house or their character - it's a simple fact that they don't want to hear.
As for the Satanic coloring book, I've actually looked at the contents of it, and I see little wrong with it. Sure, I think it's hokey and promotes a mild form of amateur objectivism, but at the end of the day, it's harmless and is far from insulting other belief systems. In fact, it's contents kinda promote critical thinking - something religion actively discourages.
And if you ask me, the FFRF didn't go FAR ENOUGH.
@Nicholas Krizov
There's a line between legitimate criticism and purposely trying to annoy people. Yeah, you can point out that someone's house has termites but don't do it with a pamphlet entitled "Our Dirty Neighbor's House: How Negligence Can Lead to an Infestation". By all means, make a pamphlet listing the problematic parts of the Bible but call it "What You Didn't Know Was in the Bible" and make it about more than just sex and obscenity. The sex is hardly even the worst part of the Bible (except the rape, that's just horrible).
...seriously? you guys object to somebody pointing out that there is SEX in the bible? what would you resort to if somebody were to point out the VIOLENCE AND MURDER in the bible, pray tell?
geez, sexually repressed puritanical overly-violent Americans, sometimes i don't understand this country i chose to immigrate to...
1) That's not what the Constitution says. The Constitution doesn't give a toss whether you consider them "true religions" or not.
2) I am a Satanist. The Satanic Temple represents me. Since this is my faith, you cannot legally prevent the Temple from distributing it's literature.
3) I have a copy of the book. It's completely innocuous.
@ dionysus:
I'm a theistic Satanist and yes, I believe that Yahweh was the bad guy, Lucifer was the better guy and choose to side with Lucifer. Thanks for mentioning us.
My feeling is that there is a difference between saying "This is what I believe, and why, and I'm right" and saying "Everyone else is wrong, and they are idiots to boot".
FFRF is clearly in the wrong, and if I were the school I would risk a legal challenge by applying the condition that materials distributed "Must not directly refer to other religions".
"National Religious Freedom Day,"
These "days" are invented to specifically promote religion, especially the christian religion within schools. Anything or anyone that opposes such blatant promotion in supposedly secular institutions I'm all for. More power to them.
Well, I don`t want christians in my community but somehow I HAVE TO put up with you fucks so stove it and accept everyone or you won`t have your little fair at all.
Also, the only people giving poor ol` Stan a bad name are you and your book. Getting any info about the guy and his buddies from you, would be like getting a class in semitic studies run by certain Adolf.
"Neither ... has any right being a part of Religious Freedom Day because neither are true religions ."
Yet you have no problem with the Bible, Quran, or Book of Mormon. Obviously, these three cannot all be true.
What the freak did you just flipping say about me, you little Apostate? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in Seminary, and I’ve been involved in numerous splits with the Elders, and I have over 300 confirmed baptisms. I am trained in the Commitment Pattern and I was the top converter in the entire Church. You are nothing to me but just another unfaithful servant. I will dust my feet at you with precision the likes of which has never been seen before upon the face of the Earth, mark my freaking words. You think you can get away with saying that "anti" stuff to me over the Internet? Think again, brother. As we speak I am contacting my sacred network of Danites across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the brimstone, maggot. The brimstone that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re flipping dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can cast you out in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in the laying on of hands, but I have access to the Signs and Tokens of the Holy Temple and I will use them to their full extent to smite your miserable kiester all the way to Kolob, you little turd. If only you could have known what holy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would not have spoken ill of the Lord's Anointed. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you stinking idiot. I will let Satan's water wash over you and you will drown in it. You’re flipping dead, kiddo.
Let's take a look at The Satanic Temple's premises, shall we?
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.
Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Yeah, that's one evil religion...
Neopagan friends, now is the time to flood the schools with literature.
FSM fellows, prepare to board the schools, yarrr!
Oh the denseness of these people is incredible.
YES, the best solution would be to simply keep religion, all religion, out of the public schools. That's the whole point the FFRF and Satanic Temple are making.
...if I were the school I would risk a legal challenge by applying the condition that materials distributed "Must not directly refer to other religions".
Then the Bible would be banned on the basis of the First Commandment: 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me'.
School board claims Islam is a "true religion"!!
Didn't see that headline anywhere. Tsk, our spiritual guardians are slipping.
I disagree with many of the commenters here; the FFRF did not go far enough and the Satanists should get the same oppertunities as the other religions. In fact, there should also have been FSM material and material about just about every other fairy tale because one of the problems with religions is an unjust demand for respect. If you demand your bullshit is respected that you should be forced to respect all other bullshit as well.
> > ...if I were the school I would risk a legal challenge by applying the condition that materials distributed "Must not directly refer to other religions".
> Then the Bible would be banned on the basis of the First Commandment: 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me'.
Not a direct reference. Now, the ordeal with Elijah and the Baal worshippers, on the other hand...
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register . Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.