{"id":2227176,"date":"2024-04-22T13:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/that-is-not-a-religion-desantis-bars-satanists-from-florida-school-chaplaincy-program\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T13:24:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:24:19","slug":"that-is-not-a-religion-desantis-bars-satanists-from-florida-school-chaplaincy-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/that-is-not-a-religion-desantis-bars-satanists-from-florida-school-chaplaincy-program\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Excludes Satanists from Florida School Chaplaincy Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthat-is-not-a-religion-desantis-bars-satanists-from-florida-school-chaplaincy-program%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2227176&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Florida, chaplains are now permitted \u2064in public schools, excluding Satanists from the program. Governor DeSantis signed a bill allowing chaplains \u2063to offer \u200ccounseling, but Satanists are not eligible. The legislation mandates background checks for chaplains and parental consent for student counseling. The move has sparked debates on religious freedom and discrimination against\u2064 Satanism. \u2062In\u2064 Florida, chaplains are now allowed in public schools, \u2062with Satanists being excluded. Governor DeSantis\u2062 approved a bill enabling chaplains to provide counseling. However, Satanists are not accepted in the \u2063program. \u2064The law \u200crequires chaplains to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-considering-every-tool-to-attack-second-amendment-as-leftists-push-national-emergency-declaration\/\" title=\"Biden Considering \u2018Every Tool\u2019 To Attack Second Amendment As Leftists Push \u2018National Emergency\u2019 Declaration\">undergo background checks<\/a> \u200dand students \u2063to obtain parental consent for counseling, triggering discussions on religious\u200d freedom and discrimination issues towards Satanism.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/%20\"><span>Washington Stand<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   April 22, 2024 at 9:37am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>The Sunshine State is now welcoming chaplains into public schools, but Satanists need not apply.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Florida Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovRonDeSantis\/status\/1781020735613325562\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> signed a bill into law allowing chaplains to volunteer to offer counseling at public and charter schools. However, the Catholic governor warned that Satanists would not be accepted into the program, as some Christian and conservative groups had feared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome have said if you do a school chaplain program that somehow you\u2019re going to have Satanists running around in all our schools,\u201d DeSantis said in a news conference. \u201cWe\u2019re not playing those games in Florida. That is not a religion. That is not qualifying to be able to participate in this, so we\u2019re going to be using common sense when it comes to this, so you don\u2019t have to worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HELL: NO.<br \/> \u201cWe\u2019re not playing those games in Florida. That is not a religion. That is not qualifying to be able to participate in [the chaplain program.] We\u2019re going to be using common sense\u2026 you don\u2019t have to worry about that.\u201d \u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovRonDeSantis?\">@GovRonDeSantis<\/a> \ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/raq8BIj3tQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/raq8BIj3tQ<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6vII7XX5Y4\">pic.twitter.com\/6vII7XX5Y4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BryanDGriffin\/status\/1781008168161571168?\">April 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/news\/florida-weighs-allowing-chaplains-in-public-schools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Florida Senate version<\/a> of the bill was approved in February, and the House version approved early last month.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2024\/1044\/BillText\/c1\/PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">legislation\u2019s text said<\/a>, \u201cEach school district or charter school may adopt a policy to authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the district school board or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-reopened-their-schools-and-no-superspreaders-were-triggered-report-says\/\" title=\"Florida Reopened Their Schools And No \u2018Superspreaders\u2019 Were Triggered, Report Says\">charter school governing board<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new law requires volunteer chaplains to pass a background check and would require <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/student-fought-fly-american-flag-gets-display-truck-school-administrators-will-never-able-remove\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">school administrators<\/a> to publicize each volunteer chaplain\u2019s religious affiliation and obtain parental consent before a student begins counseling.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Should Satanism be considered a religion?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAny opportunity that exists for ministers or chaplains in the public sector must not discriminate based on religious affiliation,\u201d The Satanic Temple\u2019s Director of Ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tallahassee.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2024\/02\/28\/satanic-temple-awaits-passage-of-florida-school-chaplains-bill\/72702146007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Penemue Grigori<\/a> said back in February. \u201cOur ministers look forward to participating in opportunities to do good in the community, including the opportunities created by this bill, right alongside the clergy of other religions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Jayne of the Freedom From Religion Foundation\u2019s Action Fund said, \u201cI think there is a 100 percent chance you see satanic chaplains, and also of course other religious minorities that the majority-Christian population might not be a fan of. The Satanic Temple is a church, whether people like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meg Kilgannon, Family Research Council\u2019s Senior Fellow for Education Studies, told The Washington Stand, \u201cIt is wonderful to have such a strong statement denying the legitimacy of Satanism as a religion or church from Gov. DeSantis. But I worry that appeals to common sense will not hold in the most ideological school systems, even in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless, this is an important step in acknowledging the role that faith plays in our lives and how important it is that the big questions students have about morality, life and death, and God\u2019s plan for their lives are best answered by a parent or priest, pastor, or chaplain,\u201d Kilgannon said.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis has criticized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/1st-amendment-protects-religion-not-satanism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Satanism<\/a> in the past, arguing that it is not a religion.<\/p>\n<p>In December, after military veteran and outspoken Christian <a href=\"https:\/\/spectator.org\/which-way-western-man-satanic-idols-or-christian-morality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Cassidy<\/a> toppled and beheaded a Baphomet idol erected in the Iowa state capitol building by The Satanic Temple, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-florida-cops-teach-palestinian-protesters-lesson-never-forget-crippled-california-cops-get-owned\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Florida<\/a> governor wrote in an X post, \u201cSatan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a \u2018religion\u2019 by the federal government. I\u2019ll chip in to contribute to this veteran\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-justice-department-pick-opposed-enforcing-civil-rights-laws-against-blacks\/\" title=\"Biden Justice Department Pick Opposed Enforcing Civil Rights Laws Against Blacks\">legal defense fund<\/a>. Good prevails over evil \u2014 that\u2019s the American spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a \u201creligion\u201d by the federal government. I\u2019ll chip in to contribute to this veteran\u2019s legal defense fund.<\/p>\n<p>Good prevails over evil \u2014 that\u2019s the American spirit. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/p1vmTcl8c9\">https:\/\/t.co\/p1vmTcl8c9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RonDeSantis\/status\/1735671610617499886?\">December 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On its website, <a href=\"https:\/\/thesatanictemple.com\/pages\/faq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Satanic Temple<\/a> answered the question \u201cDo you worship Satan?\u201d stating, \u201cNo, nor do we believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>TST added, \u201cSatan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds. \u2026 Our metaphoric representation is the literary Satan best exemplified by Milton and the Romantic Satanists from Blake to Shelley to Anatole France.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now that it has been signed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/desantis-declares-vindicated-disney-concedes-defeat-long-running-legal-battle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DeSantis<\/a>, Florida\u2019s new law goes into effect on July 1.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article appeared originally on <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Stand<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-45743\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent move, Florida allows chaplains in public schools, but Satanists are excluded. Governor Ron DeSantis approved a bill permitting chaplains to provide counseling at schools. However, he emphasized that Satanists are not eligible for this program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3071,"featured_media":2227177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Ron-Desantis.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2227176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Ron-Desantis.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3071"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2227177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}