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Lucien Greaves

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Lucien Greaves
Greaves in March 2016
Born
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Other namesDouglas Mesner, Douglas Misicko[1]
OccupationSocial activist
Websiteluciengreaves.com

Douglas Mesner, better known as Lucien Greaves,[2][3][4] is a social activist and the spokesman and co-founder (alongside Malcolm Jarry)[5][6][7][8] of The Satanic Temple.

Biography

Greaves was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States.[4] His mother was a Protestant who took him to Sunday School.[9] He studied neuroscience with a speciality in false-memory syndrome.[10] Claims that he attended Harvard University are unclear, as he does not appear in the Harvard University alumni directory, either under the name "Douglas Mesner" or under "Lucien Greaves".[citation needed]

Greaves has spoken on the topics of Satanism, secularism, and The Satanic Temple at universities throughout the United States,[11][12][13] and he has been a featured speaker at national conferences hosted by American Atheists,[14] the American Humanist Association,[15] and the Secular Student Alliance.[16]

Greaves has been instrumental in setting up the Protect Children Project, the After School Satan project, and several political demonstrations and legal actions designed to highlight social issues involving religious liberty and the separation of church and state.[17][18]

He says he has received many death threats, and deliberately does not use his legal name to avoid threats to his family.[4][19]

In an interview, Greaves describes how the idea for The Satanic Temple was conceived. Greaves and his colleagues envisioned The Satanic Temple as a "poison pill" in the Church/State debate. Their idea was that Satanists, asserting their rights and privileges where religious agendas have been successful in imposing themselves upon public affairs, could serve as a reminder that such privileges are for everybody, and can be used to serve an agenda beyond the current narrow understanding of a religious agenda.[3] Greaves does not worship Satan, nor do followers of The Satanic Temple; rather contemporary Satanic beliefs focus on personal sovereignty, independence, and freedom of will.[3]

Greaves was prominently featured in the 2019 documentary film Hail Satan? about The Satanic Temple and religious freedom.[10] Greaves wrote the foreword to The Little Book of Satanism by La Carmina, published October 25, 2022 by Simon & Schuster.[20][21]

References

  1. ^ Manganis, Julie (May 30, 2018). "Satanic Temple cries foul over Twitter treatment". The Salem News. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  2. ^ Miller, Matt (November 21, 2015). "Why the Satanic Temple Is Opening Its Doors to American Muslims". Esquire. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Bugbee, Shane (July 31, 2013). "Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple". Vice. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple". Detroit Metro Times. May 27, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (July 11, 2015). "A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Ebrahimji, Alisha. "The Satanic Temple is offering 'Devil's Advocate Scholarship'". Cnn.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "Satanic Temple cofounder accuses Boston City Council of discrimination - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Brady, Tara. "Hell yeah! How the satanists became the good guys". The Irish Times. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  9. ^ "After School Satan? Church-state group plays devil's advocate in public schools". October 18, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "A Satanic panic over church and state in Hail Satan?". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "Lucien Greaves, "The Satanic Temple and the Law" - University of Chicago Law School". Law.uchicago.edu. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  12. ^ "'Satan at CU?' Student group brings Satanic Temple leader to Boulder campus". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  13. ^ "Satanic Temple co-founder promotes respect, secularism - The Utah Statesman". Usustatesman.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  14. ^ "American Atheists Tackles Bible Belt for 2015 Convention - American Atheists". Atheists.org. September 16, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  15. ^ "Lucien Graeves". Americanhumanist.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  16. ^ "Lucien Greaves - Secular Student Alliance". Secularstudents.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  17. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (July 10, 2015). "A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  18. ^ Marcotte, Amanda (May 6, 2015). "Satanists Support Abortion Rights, Conservatives Freak Out". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  19. ^ Laycock, Joseph P. (2020). Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 37, 72. ISBN 978-0-19-094849-8.
  20. ^ Carmina, La (October 25, 2022). The Little Book of Satanism. Ulysses Press. ISBN 978-1646044221.
  21. ^ "Religion Book Deals: February 9, 2022". Publishers Weekly. February 9, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
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