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After School Satan Club logo

(The Satanic Temple)

The first meeting of the After School Satan Club has been set for November 16 at 11:45 a.m. According to a press release from the Portland Chapter of The Satanic Temple, the first session will be an open house for Sacramento Elementary School parents, students, teachers and staff.

The meeting will be held at the same time and place as the Christian Good News Club, Bible-based after-school program "whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living," according to their website.

"Unlike the Good News Club," said the press release, "After School Satan Club does not try to convert children to one religious ideology. Instead, it exposes children to different belief systems and encourages them to think for themselves."

Finn Rezz, one of two heads of the Portland chapter of the national organization of the Satanic Temple, told us in August that his organization is "non-theistic" Satanists, saying, "We're focused on science and rational thinking."

The Satanic Temple is headquartered in Salem, Mass. and says it "sees Satan as a mythical figure representing individual liberty and freedom from obedience to tyrannical authority."

The club was set to begin in October but the date was pushed back to November.

According to the press release, "The Portland Chapter of The Satanic Temple has received about a dozen messages from parents who are interested in having their children attend the After School Satan Club."

The club will include "healthy snacks and creative learning activities." It will be free.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker