After School Satan Club announces first gathering at Tacoma elementary school

Organizers of an after-school Satan club at Point Defiance Elementary School in Tacoma have the green light to proceed, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

The club would be the first after-school Satan club in Washington state, according to Seattle chapter head Lilith Starr. An earlier request to start a club in Mount Vernon was withdrawn because of scheduling issues with the school district there, she said.

After-school Satan clubs are being formed in nine communities around the United States, Starr told the Tacoma News Tribune.

>> Related: Lawyer: School district must allow after-school Satan club

KIRO 7 News heard from pastors from all over the city who packed Shiloh Baptist Church Tuesday night, frustrated that the Satanic Temple of Seattle wants to establish an after-school program at Point Defiance Elementary.

“We want to cut this off and defeat it before it ever gets a chance to take root,” said one pastor.

“We are the taxpayers here and we ought to stand up and let them know they are not welcome, they don’t pay taxes here,” said another leader.

STS had targeted a school in Mount Vernon, but shifted focus to Point Defiance to provide a counter-point to the school’s already established Christian-based “Good News” club.

The Satanists bill themselves as all about scientific and critical thinking, not as devil worshipers.

Religious leaders feel this attitude is a gateway to introduce anti-religious ideology.

The Satanic Temple is a national organization headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts.

Volunteers sponsored by The Satanic Temple of Seattle will host an open house for Point Defiance parents, students, teachers and staff members Dec. 14, two days before the start of winter break, according to the News Trubune.