BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — A group called The Satanic Temple is planning to host an event for families at Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford County.
The Satanic Temple is hosting what they're calling a Family Movie Night at the high school in February.
"Shock, at the fact that somebody in Bedford County obviously gave permission for this to be hosted at JF," Bosak said.
That's Betsy Bosak reacting to the event. She is a parent of a 17-year-old at the high school.
"When I told my daughter about it or asked her had she heard anything about it, she felt uncomfortable," Bosak said.
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However, another Bedford County parent, Ryan McBride, said he doesn't see a problem with it being held at the high school.
"I think it's our role as parents to kind of filter out the outside world and let our kids know what is good and bad and they're gonna be exposed to things like that anyways so yeah more power to them," McBride said.
Bedford County Public Schools has confirmed that the auditorium has been rented by the organization.
The event is being presented by the After School Satan Club, an extension of The Satanic Temple.
According to After School Satan Club mission statement:
"Proselytization is not our goal, and we’re not interested in converting children to Satanism. After School Satan Clubs will focus on free inquiry and rationalism, the scientific basis for which we know what we know about the world around us. We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of everlasting other-worldly horrors."
Lucien Greaves is the spokesperson for and co-founder of The Satanic Temple.
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ABC13 asked Greaves if they worship Satan.
"Worship is kind of antithetical to our beliefs. We don't believe in worshipping some kind of ethereal non-existent, higher being," Greaves said.
The group plans to show a children's movie, "Fern Gully, The Last Rainforest," and then discuss how it relates to tenets within The Satanic Temple.
"I think ultimately, the message is very pro-social and unobjectionable, but the fact of the matter is, is that anybody not interested in it doesn't have to come," Greaves said.
ABC13 also asked Greaves if the Temple sees anything wrong with involving children in a satanic group.
"I don't understand why there would be a problem with it. Unless there's the assumption that we're promoting some kind of antisocial criminal activity or we're venerating cruelty or all these other things people think they know about Satanism, but they don't," Greaves told us.
A spokesperson for the school district said no one would interview on camera.
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Through e-mail, ABC13 asked what the policy is for allowing different groups to have functions in the school building.
In a statement provided to ABC13, the district said:
"In accordance with BCPS Policy KG - Community Use of School Facilities, our venues are available to organizations that comply with the guidelines set forth in this policy. Per Policy KG, the Board shall not discriminate against any group on the basis of viewpoint or any other prohibited basis."
The spokesperson also said "Per BCPS Policy KG, this organization conducted all steps necessary to complete a lease agreement for the event. The division has no other involvement with this event."
"We're sure there's going to be controversy surrounding it, but the controversy is usually rather hypocritical, given that this particular school district has allowed quite a bit in the way of religious representation in the schools," Greaves said.
The auditorium is rented out each Sunday for Impact Church's worship. It was also rented out for a recent performance by Christian singer/songwriter John Sines, Jr.
"For it to be coming to a school where my kids went, I was kind of shocked to hear that," Orville Peterson, a parent who has kids who went to JF said.
Peterson said hearing about this event was eye-opening.
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"We can't be on the seat of do nothing, and just act like this stuff is not going on around us every day," Peterson said.
He understands though why the district has to allow the group to rent the space.
"It's not a bad reflection on JF. It's a public building, any organization can rent out your building, you know, as long as they don't tear it up," Peterson said.
BCPS also told us they know of no such clubs within the district itself.
ABC13 also asked the school district how this event differs from the drag show that was planned earlier this year but was relocated.
In a statement, the district said:
"This event differs from the previous event that was relocated to a venue outside the school because the event is a request from a public organization to rent our facility. The event that was relocated was a school-sponsored event."