My school outlaws "Satanic or cult related" clothing/accessories. I don't know about cults, but I'm pretty sure Satanism is classified as a religion. Can they do this (no other religious clothing/accessories are outlawed)?
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FadingxSmiles
ANSWERS: 10
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If you are a member of the Satanic church, then no they can not. Odds are you do not have a standing in the Satanic church. They can, and most likely will, claim the item in question is "distracting" or offensive in nature. that gets schools out of a lot of dress code issues. You can't cut the head off a chicken and claim to be a Rastafarian if you have no history of it.
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If they're stricly religious symbols with no depiction of violence, they're not allowed, they may get away about the Satanic ones unless you atualy belong to that religion, as far as cults, they're also religion and can be easily won in court if you have the time and ressources to do it.
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In the US public school system, no. They can not unless they can prove a clear and compelling reason that allowing a symbol poses a threat to the safety or education of the students. This is well-established case law.
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If you go to a Catholic school, I think they sort of have the right to say that. I went to a Catholic highschool (no, I am not Catholic, or Christian) and they were pretty strict about things. If this is the case, you should try to respect their rules, even if you disagree. You're the one that picked the school after all. If this isn't the case, disregard my answer!
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It probably depends upon where you live. In some countries schools have that right. From other answers it appears that if you live in the USA you can pretty well wear what you want.
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Ask them to define "cult related" Catholosism is a cult by definition. Also, keep in mind that you don't want to push things to far. Rules are generally in place for a reason. Think Columbine!
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Do you go to a religious school? If not than they have no right to say that, I would suggest you wear a few satanic symbols, if you get called on it, take control of the situation. Some things to mention if you get called on it would be: Please define cult I am a satanist, why can I not wear the symbols that show my religion? Are you encroaching on my first amendment rights? Please tell me if you consider others religions more important than mine. Be polite, sound like a victim, and make sure you draw ties between the first amendment and satanism. EDIT:This only applies to america, if you don't live in america, ignore this.
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I say, it's a free country, do whatever the hell you want to do. As long as it isn't indecent exposure or you aren't broadcasting obscene messages in writing, they really do not have any right to attack your personal preference of clothing. I always say, if that's who you think you are or if that's what you want to be, then run with it, and don't worry about the consequences. After all this is a good thing because you get to define who you are and only you can truly judge whether you like where you're at or whether you want to all of a sudden make a change in another direction. It is not for society and it's norms to dictate this.
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It depends largely on whether satanic clothing is outlawed because it's satanic, or because it's grouped into a larger category of clothing that is deemed distracting or offensive. The free exercise clause of the 1st amendment generally stands for the proposition that the federal government (and the state governments, since the 1st is incorporated against the states through the 14th) must treat religious concerns with formal neutrality, and cannot discriminate between different religions or between religious and secular views (see Smith v. Oregon). If satanic clothing is prohibited as part of the larger "distracting clothing" group, the school is applying neutrality between religious and secular speech. However, if satanic clothing is singled out because it is satanic, you may have a free exercise claim. Note that your "standing" within the satanic church doesn't really matter. If you claim that you follow satan, the school (and the court) is prohibited from looking into the depth of your devotion by the free exercise clause (See Seeger, Welsh v. US).
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Some organized religions and their churches have many cult like attributes. There can be a fine line. Most major mainstream religions started off as cults. So it's up to individuals (and places like schools) to do their best to ascertain whether or not an organized theological group is a cult or not.
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