The average subscriber to CBS News may be taken aback upon reading the eye-catching title: “Satan Club at Orange County Elementary School Stirs Controversy.” CdM junior Ashley Turner certainly was. When she saw the headline, she was “pretty…shock[ed].” She states, “[My] initial thought is that it is a club based on converting kids…to Satanism. I was unaware [of these] religious clubs after school, and I’m also surprised that this club would include kids in elementary school because that seems like a very young age to me.” Turner’s shock prompts a necessary discussion on the After School Satan Club: What is it? What do Orange County residents have to say about it? And are they really converting children to Satanism?

Nathan Solis’s article on its arrival at San Clemente’s Truman Benedict Elementary School sheds some light on Orange County’s recent topic of contention. He explains that they use Satan “as a symbol [for going] against societal norms,” rather than seeking to convert school kids to Satanism. According to the official Satanic Temple website, their club supports “science, critical thinking, creative arts, and good works” over Christian teachings and “threats of eternal damnation.” Turner thinks “the club may be based on disliking the teachings of… [her religion] Christianity.” She states, “I don’t think anything should be rooted in the hate or dislike of other teachings. I think we are very fortunate to live in a country in which we have the freedom of religion, and…we should treat each other with love and not hate…whether it is Christianity or any other religion.”

An anonymous San Clemente resident “think[s] having [this] club at an elementary school would be very beneficial” in fostering creative expression, especially at such a formative age. However, given the large “population of Mormons and Christians here,” the interviewee expects that Truman Benedict’s parents will react poorly to its arrival.