SALEM, Mass. – There is an organization that claims it rejects the existence of God and Satan.

Its leaders say its sole mission is to promote and protect the separation of church and state.

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But the organization is called the Satanic Temple. And it’s planning to establish “After School Satan Clubs” in elementary schools across the nation where Christian clubs already exist, according to the Washington Post.

There are apparently chapters of the Satanic Temple in New York, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, San Jose, New Orleans. Pittsburgh, Utah, Arizona and Florida, eager to bring their message to local schools, according to the Post.

It will be interesting to see how many school boards allow access to an organization that embraces the name of a Biblical figure who is identified with the promotion of evil.

If some schools allow the Satan clubs, how many parents will actually allow their children to participate?

And perhaps most importantly, can we trust that this group is really what it claims to be, and not true followers of the Prince of Darkness? There are real Satan worshipers in the world, after all.

Leaders of the Satanic Temple insist that their approach is purely satirical in nature.

They say they’re upset that a 2001 Supreme Court ruling allowed evangelical after-school “Good News Clubs” to meet in public schools across the nation, spreading the Christian faith to children. They say they want to counter religious influence in schools – but not really through Satanism.

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“The Satanic Temple doesn’t espouse a belief in the existence of a supernatural being that other religions identify solemnly as Satan, or Lucifer, or Beelzebub,” the Washington Post reported. “The Temple rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality.

“According to (Satanic Temple founder Doug) Mesner, who goes by the professional name of Lucien Greaves, Satan is just a ‘metaphorical construct’ intended to represent the rejection of all forms of tyranny over the human mind.

“The curriculum for the proposed after-school clubs emphasizes the development of reasoning and social skills. The group says meetings will include a healthful snack, literature lesson, creative learning activities, a science lesson, puzzle solving and an art project. Every child will receive a membership card and must have a signed parental­ permission slip to attend.”

If the group really exists to promote separation of church and state, and convince children that rational thought is more legitimate than religious thought, why doesn’t it simply call itself the “Non-believers Temple” or the “Constitutional Temple?”

Why does the website “AfterSchoolSatan.com” feature a logo with a sketch of a smiling figure with horns and a tail, include the slogan “Educatin with Satan” and promote a book titled “The Satanic Children’s Big Book Activities?”

And why isn’t the organization interested in spreading its purely constitutional message to all schools, instead of just focusing on the approximately 3,500 schools where Christian “Good News Clubs” exist?

RT.com reports that “The Satanic Temple is not interested in operating After School Satan Clubs in school districts that are not already hosting the Good News Club.”

Is the goal to promote free-thought, or specifically to attack the Christian message?

The members’ willingness to adopt the Satanic theme to such a great extent – with apparent enthusiasm – should make any school board member or parent wonder how atheist they really are.

Do they really reject the existence of God, or simply prefer to follow the figure described in the Bible as the arch-enemy of God?

They adopt creepy aliases, like Lucien Grieves and Chalise Blythe. They have a website – SatanicTemple.com – featuring all sorts of Satanic symbols. And their preferred forms of entertainment seem pretty ghoulish.

The Post story describes a recent meeting of Satanic Temple members in Salem, Massachusetts:

“It’s a hot summer night, and leaders of the Satanic Temple have gathered in the crimson­-walled living room of a Victorian manse in this city renowned for its witch trials in the 17th century.

“They’re watching a sepia-toned video, in which children dance around a maypole, a spider crawls across a clown’s face and eerie, ambient chanting gives way to a backward, demonic voice-over. The group chuckles with approval.”

And even if the Satanic Temple folks are not true followers of Satan, will school children be sharp enough to understand the satire involved, and realize they are not really joining a Satan admiration club?

“We think it’s important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings,” Blythe, head of the Utah Chapter of the Satanic Temple, was quoted as saying by the Post.

Empathy? Benevolence? Those are not qualities traditionally associated with Satan. If the organization wants to teach children to be good to each other – but from an atheistic perspective – why doesn’t it embrace the name of some well-known atheist philosopher, instead of the figure whom Christians believe is the source of evil in the world?

Christians will argue that the Satanic Temple is really what its name suggests, and its claim to be metaphorical in nature is just a clever excuse to gain access to impressionable children for recruitment purposes.

Can school board members and parents be sure that’s not the case?

If the Satanic Temple’s members are just putting on a show to make a political point, they are truly great actors. They sure seem like the real deal.