In September, a Seattle-area school district ordered the assistant coach of its high school football team to cease hosting team prayers on the field, and then the Satanists got involved.
Satanists call off football invocation after Seattle coach suspended
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Coach Joe Kennedy, who has led on-field prayers since assuming the Bremerton High School coaching position in 2008, was asked to stop leading the prayers, whether individually or with players. It’s a debate that has played out at schools across the nation and, as in other instances, it has captured national attention, capped this week by a letter of support signed by 47 members of Congress.
Rarely, though, do Satanists offer support.
When Kennedy continued to pray at games in spite of the school district’s order, the Satanic Temple of Seattle announced that its members had been invited by a Bremerton High School student to attend an upcoming game, and would use this Thursday’s game to lead an invocation on the field. The group said it welcomed Kennedy’s prayers -- provided they were also permitted to host a demonstration of their own.
“We want to make sure that if their religious forum is kept open we have the same opportunity to use it as any other religious group,” Satanic Temple leader Lilith Starr told the Kitsap Sun.
The Friendly Atheist got more information on what that would look like, and, well, black robes, incense, and Sith lords came up.
We’re going to be in black robes, heads covered like Sith Lords. If Joe Kennedy starts to pray, we will begin our solemn march accompanied by a gong to the 50 yard line in a V-formation, with Lilith in front. She will have an incense burner in each extended arm. When we get to the 50 yard line, she hands the incense off to people behind her and begins the invocation… With each sentence the gong will ring.
The invocation will likely end with a repeating “Ava Satanas!” (Hail Satan) lead by Lilith.
We encourage any student or attendee to wear black to show solidarity.
On Wednesday, the school district announced in a statement that Kennedy had been placed on a leave of absence and reiterated that on-field prayer would not be permitted. The statement also suggested that the district would be less-than-accommodating to a potential Satanist ritual:
The football field is not a public forum when it is in use for a District-sponsored athletic event. Thus, no group will be approved to use it for their own purposes while these events are occurring, and the District will take steps to enforce the closure of the field to non-participants while it is still in use for the District event.
Later Wednesday evening, the Satanic Temple called off the invocation:
In light of this action taken by the Bremerton School District, we withdraw all requests to perform invocations on school property or school events. We will not be performing a Satanic invocation after tomorrow’s football game, though Chapter members will still be attending to meet and in support of the students, teachers and community members who asked us to come represent their beliefs.
The Bremerton Knights face a crucial test against the Sequim Wolves Thursday night in a game that will determine which of the two teams will advance to the playoffs.
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