The Satanic Temple’s top spokesperson has reportedly faced internal backlash after he posed with an atheist activist who condemned the “crazy woke sh—t” in LGBTQ+ activism circles.
Satanic Temple (TST) co-founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves has a history of being a provocateur against Christianity in public life, but is now reportedly facing backlash from members of his own religion.
In June, Greaves appeared in a photo with former American Atheists president David Silverman, who thanked him in a tweet for a “great visit” and declared, “Nice to meet you again and thanks as always for your activism!”
“[I]in the small world of radical atheist activism, that image was immediately divisive,” Helen Lewis of The Atlantic reported in a piece on the TST leadership feud.
“Silverman had been kicked out of American Atheists several years earlier amid accusations of sexual misconduct, which he denied, and he had come under fire recently for arguing that it was not transphobic to say, in reference to transgender rights, ‘[live] live your life as you see fit, but avoid women’s baths and do not bring up children.’
Silverman, who regularly shares posts from the ideologically-skeptic trans organization Gays Against Groomers and whose latest bio describes him as an “Ex-Leftist,” responded to backlash at the time by arguing, “Lol. I’ve been a civil rights activist in support of trans people for 25 years, since before anyone saw. I also love my trans child unconditionally.”
Silverman continued, with what seemed like sarcasm, “But sure. I don’t agree with some of the crazier woke sh– so I’m in the same category as those who dump trans kids. Maybe read a book and do some research.”
“Many members of the Satanic Temple objected to their leader posing with such a figure,” Lewis in the Atlantic reported.
Greaves refused to condemn Silverman and disputed the claim himself. The Washington Post via Getty Images
“People immediately hated me, but they didn’t know why,” Silverman told Lewis via email. “They just know I’m an outsider and therefore a hateful, anti-trans, bad person, and Lucien is guilty of knowing me.”
Meanwhile, Greaves reportedly dismissed the backlash and downplayed her relationship with Silverman, arguing that she can’t vet every person who wants to be photographed with her.
“Dissatisfaction with that response quickly spread into a full-blown Satanic split. There were calls for Greaves to apologise, hand over power, to reaffirm his support for trans rights,” Lewis reported.
His article observes that some Satanists voted to split completely, such as a sobriety-oriented Satanist group that hosts Zoom events to “voice the concerns of trans and non-binary Satanists.”
The Satanic Temple co-founder and spokesperson has a history of being a provocateur against Christianity in public life. The Washington Post via Getty Images
Several speakers at the event “argued that the photo had caused harm” and the group eventually left altogether, denouncing “TST and patriarchy, white supremacy. [sic] its leadership structure.”
An Atlantic piece juxtaposes how many satanists go out of their way to “offend many Christians and Republicans” such as with abortion clinics named after Supreme Court justices, yet are sensitive about catering to modern far-left social politics.
Still, Lewis noted that Greaves refused to condemn Silverman and contested the lawsuit himself, “I have no interest in re-litigating someone’s violation that I now understand will be fully and effectively overturned,” he wrote. “One does not look at the barbarity of medieval torture devices and ask, but are those subjected to this guilty?”
Greaves reportedly dismissed the backlash and downplayed his relationship with Silverman. The Washington Post via Getty Images
Lewis then describes the foundation of the TST itself, which is increasingly wary of its founding leadership.
“They want Temple to be a real progressive organization that makes statements in support of children’s gender transition and Black Lives Matter. They want Greaves to be more careful about his associations, because his friendships and professional relationships are affecting them badly,” he concluded. “Above all, they want to know that, if necessary, they can discipline or fire him.”
Lewis noted that Greaves, even after a life of progressive activism, had “clearly rejected” increasingly progressive political demands.
Lewis noted that Greaves, even after a life of progressive activism, had “clearly rejected” increasingly progressive political demands.TNS
“I didn’t realize how oppressive this culture was, to me, until this explosion happened with the Silverman thing,” the Satan leader told reporters.
When Fox News Digital reached out to Greaves to explain what he meant by “this culture” as “oppressive,” he responded by declaring that “There is a crippling culture in progressive activism that prioritizes ‘optics’ over tangible results and insists on relentlessly hunting down enemies at in before ever being faced with the core mission of the alleged struggle.”
He went on to write that in the midst of his long struggle against what he called an “encroaching theocracy,” he now had to contend with those in Satanism who insisted on “salvation” from “uncomfortable ideas.”
“My focus is, and always will be, guaranteeing our religious freedom and defending pluralism. The Satanic Temple has led from the front in the war against encroaching theocracy, and I expect that those who join us will be ready to be challenged, to face uncomfortable ideas and situations, to stand firm as outsiders,” he wrote. “If they have joined the Satanic Temple insisting that we provide them with ‘safety’, they have come to the wrong place.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
