A Florida school district is being sued by a Satanist after they declined to advertise his Satanic church, despite advertising local Christian churches outside school buildings.
Last year, secular activist Chaz Stevens noticed an advertisement for a local church outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School in Parkland, Florida. Stevens wrote the principal, requesting they put up a sign advertising his church, The Church of Satanology - a request which initially went unacknowledged.
Now, a year later, after legal filings, multiple church advertisements going up and coming down, and a potential policy change, the saga seems near conclusion.
What happened?
Who is Chaz Stevens?
You may remember Chaz Stevens, an activist based out of Florida, from his attempt a few years ago to get the Bible banned from public schools after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law which bans “pornographic” books from school libraries.
Stevens sent a letter to school boards across the state with dozens of instances of explicit violence and sex found in the Bible, requesting they remove the Bible immediately from schools on the grounds it’s inappropriate for children.
Now he’s back.
Separation of Church and State
After noticing the advertisement for Calvary Chapel Parkland, a local church, hanging on a school fence late last year, Stevens asked the school if he could advertise his own church as well.
“I remember you often emphasize equal rights and respect for everyone at MSD,” Stevens wrote in his email to Principal Michelle Kefford. “In that spirit, I was wondering if my church could also get a spot on the school fence? We’ve attached an artwork of our banner. We’re pretty passionate about football, so this would be a cool way to cheer on the Eagles.”
“Considering that the school has accepted a banner from one religious group, I’m hoping our banner will be seen in the same light, especially given that the government emphasizes no favoritism,” he added.
His church? The Church of Satanology.
Stevens initially did not hear back from the principal, so he then went straight to Broward County Public Schools school board members. After weeks of radio silence, the district finally commented, saying that they’d remove the church banner “based on the district’s advertising policy.”
Stevens was happy with the results until he noticed another school in the district was advertising another church - so he requested to buy ad space for his Satanic church yet again. Eventually, the school took down the sign, then another ad went up at a different school in the district.
“It’s like whack-a-mole,” said Stevens of the church signs. “They don’t seem to have a one-size-fits-all policy. It’s like I have to journey around the school district to figure out who has a sign. It’s quite ridiculous.”
Should Satan Come to School?
Stevens filed a lawsuit in response, arguing that the school frequently and repeatedly allowing Christian signage but not his own Satanic advertising amounted to religious discrimination.
“Public advertising of religious messages, including banners at public schools, is a form of religious expression protected under the First Amendment,” reads the lawsuit. “By denying [Stevens] the ability to participate in this public forum while allowing other religious organizations to advertise, [the school district] has restricted freedom of [Stevens’] religious exercise.”
Ironinically, one of the churches which had its signage removed argued to the school district that removing their advertisement also amounted to religious discrimination.
Though the lawsuit is ongoing, change may be coming sooner than a verdict. On December 10th, the school board is meeting to discuss whether they should simply ban religious groups from advertising on school banners entirely.
What do you think? Could this all have been avoided if they let Stevens advertise his Church of Satanology in the first place? Is there any justification to allow one church to advertise on school property, and not another? What if that church is Satanic?
It’s an easy fix. You allow all religions or you bar them all. Simple.