The Satanic Temple will begin offering a religious program at an Ohio elementary school in response to parent requests for an alternative to a Christian “release” program.
Release time religious instruction programs began in the early 20th century to allow students religious instruction for a short period in the middle of the school day. At the Edgewood elementary school in Marysville, Ohio, where the Temple will start a program, the evangelical LifeWise program removes students for 55 minutes each week.
The program is known for the “big red bus” which transports students from school to offsite locations for instruction, such as local churches or community centers.
In recent years, release time programs have experienced a revival, particularly in Ohio. LifeWise began with two districts in 2019, and by 2023 the program grew to 325 programs in 12 states, its CEO told Fox News. Its growth coincides with a conservative movement against “woke” education, which has resulted in book bans and activists papering school boards with open records requests.
That growth has come with controversy. Religious release programs have concerned other religious groups, including Catholics, and at least one school board in Ohio rescinded permission for the program after concerned parents came out in force.
“We aren’t trying to shut the LifeWise Academy down,” June Everett, an ordained minister with the Satanic Temple, told Cleveland.com. “But I do think a lot of school districts don’t realize when they open the door for one religion, they open it for all of them.”
The Satanic Temple is a “non-theistic” church recognized by the IRS whose self-stated mission is to promote pluralism among religious views, empathy and the rejection of tyrannical authority.
Their other works include hauling a 7ft-tall bronze Baphomet statue – a winged man with a goat’s head – to the steps of the Arkansas capitol to protest the installation of a Ten Commandments monument and starting the after-school Satan club, in response to the Christian Good News clubs.
The Satanic Temple began the program – the Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (Hail) – upon the request of parents who sought an alternative to the Christian program in Marysville, which some felt alienated non-Christian students, according to a Fox News story.
“LifeWise isn’t fearful of other organizations offering [release time religious instruction],” LifeWise’s CEO and founder, Joel Penton, told WCMH. “We believe all families should have the opportunity to choose religious study during school hours and we trust parents to make the best choice for their children.”
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However, he also encouraged lawmakers to pass Ohio House Bill 445, which would require school districts to authorize religious release programs.
“It is sad these programs feel the need to use the peer pressure to gain adherents to their religion,” the Satanic Temple’s director of campaign operations, Erin Helian, said in a press release. “However one measures a religion, it is not a good look to prey upon children by bribing them with field trips and snacks.”
The Satanic Temple’s programming will include “self-directed learning, good works in the community, compassion and empathy, problem solving skills, creative expression, critical thinking, inspirational guest speakers and tons of fun!” It will remove students from school once a month to participate.
