Lucien Greaves
Greaves at SASHAcon in March 2016
Born~1976
Detroit
Other namesDouglas Mesner
OccupationSpokesman
OrganizationThe Satanic Temple
WebsiteLucien Greaves Archive

Lucien Greaves, also known as Douglas Mesner, is a social activist and the spokesman/co-founder of The Satanic Temple.[1][2][3][4] Prior to the founding of the Satanic Temple in 2012, Greaves studied neuroscience at Harvard University.[3]

Activities

The Satanic Temple was established as a vehicle to facilitate civic and political activism. The mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will.[5] The founders do not believe in tax exemptions for religious organizations, and they have not requested one. The concept of the Satanic Temple was first envisioned as a direct response to President Bush's White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and is intended to address the encroachment of organized religion in government and politics. Neither Greaves nor Malcom Jarry, pseudonyms for the co-founders of the organization, actually believe in supernatural beings such as gods or Satan: "To us, we embrace rational inquiry, removed from supernaturalism and archaic, tradition-based superstitions. We actively work to hone our critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. [...] Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs."

In 2012, Florida governor Rick Scott promoted a bill to allow student-led prayer at school assemblies. After the bill passed, Greaves and members of the Satanic Temple responded by holding a mock rally in support of Rick Scott outside the Florida State Capitol expressing how "we were coming out to say how happy we were because now our Satanic children could pray to Satan in school".[1]

In 2013, the Satanic Temple conducted its "pink mass," at the burial location of the mother of Fred Phelps, founder of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. The ritual involved same-sex couples kissing over the grave site. The Satanic Temple subsequently announced that the ceremony had turned Mr. Phelps’s mother "gay in the afterlife."[1]

In 2014, Greaves was instrumental in setting up the Protect Children Project, to afford First Amendment protection to children subjected to mental or physical abuse in school by teachers and administrators through the use of solitary confinement, restraints, and corporal punishment.[4]

In 2016, Greaves was successful in establishing The Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts. The facility is also home to an art gallery with exhibits detailing historical witch-hunts.[6]

Greaves also serves as spokesperson for the After School Satan program created in 2016 by The Satanic Temple as a response to the Good News Club, an interdenominational Christian program.[7]

Personal life

Greaves was born in Detroit, Michigan; he deliberately does not use his legal name, to avoid possible threats to his family.[4][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Oppenheimer, Mark (2015-07-10). "A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  2. ^ Miller, Matt (November 21, 2015). "Why the Satanic Temple Is Opening Its Doors to American Muslims". Esquire (magazine). Hearst Magazines. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b Bugbee, Shane (July 31, 2013). "Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple". Vice. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  4. ^ a b c "Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple". Detroit Metro Times. May 27, 2014. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  5. ^ TST website
  6. ^ Salem, meet your new neighbor: The Satanic Temple
  7. ^ CAFAZZO, DEBBIE. "State's first After-School Satan Club set to debut in Tacoma in December". thenewstribune.com. The News Tribune. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
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