The Satanic Temple is offering a religious education program for students at Edgewood Elementary School in Marysville, Ohio. This program is part of the state’s “Release Time Religious Instruction” RTRI program, which allows students to attend religious classes off-campus during school hours, once a month.
The program, called the Hellion Academy of Independent Learning HAIL, aims to promote skills like critical thinking, community involvement, compassion, self-directed learning, and creative expression. It is important to note that HAIL is not affiliated with the local school district.
HAIL was introduced after a parent requested a program from the Satanic Temple. The Temple only offers programs in districts where other religious programs, such as Bible study, are also available. The parent wanted an alternative to LifeWise, a Christian program that offers Bible lessons to students during school hours. According to the Satanic Temple, students who don’t attend LifeWise sometimes feel left out.
June Everett, the campaign director for the After School Satan Club and a member of the Satanic Temple, explained that the Satanic Temple doesn’t seek to shut down LifeWise but believes that once a school allows one religious program, they must allow others as well. She also mentioned that HAIL is offered only once a month due to the Temple’s smaller budget and fewer resources compared to LifeWise, which often works with local churches.
This is the first time the Satanic Temple has offered the HAIL program in Ohio, although its After School Satan Club has operated in other Ohio cities. Everett clarified that the Satanic Temple does not worship the devil or engage in harmful practices. In fact, Satanists are non-theistic, meaning they do not believe in any supernatural beings, including God or Satan.
LifeWise’s CEO, Joel Penton, expressed support for Ohio House Bill 445, which would require school districts to create clear policies for religious programs like HAIL. Penton believes that families should have the freedom to choose religious education for their children and trusts parents to make the best decisions for them.