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{{Short description|Co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| image = LucienGreavesSASHAcon2016.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Greaves in March 2016
| name = Lucien Greaves
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alias = Douglas Mesner, Douglas Misicko<ref name="The Salem News">{{Cite news | url=https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/satanic-temple-cries-foul-over-twitter-treatment/article_b67a2d87-b587-5fd8-9e11-5788c47a2668.html | title=Satanic Temple cries foul over Twitter treatment | last=Manganis | first=Julie | date=2018-05-30 | work=[[The Salem News]] | issn=1064-0606 | publication-place=Danvers, Massachusetts | publisher=[[CNHI]] | access-date=December 16, 2019}}</ref>
| occupation = Social activist<ref name="Atlantic 2023" />
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
| website = {{URL|https://luciengreaves.com}}
}}

'''Douglas Mesner''', better known as '''Lucien Greaves''',{{refn|<ref name="Atlantic 2023">{{cite magazine | last=Lewis | first=Helen | date=1 October 2023 | title=The Social-Justice Rebellion at the Satanic Temple | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/social-justice-rebellion-satanic-temple/675481/ | url-status=live | location=[[Washington, D.C.]] | magazine=[[The Atlantic]] | publisher=[[Emerson Collective]] | issn=2151-9463 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003214145/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/social-justice-rebellion-satanic-temple/675481/ | archive-date=3 October 2023 | access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Esquire">{{cite news | url=http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a39904/satanic-temple-founder-interview-muslims/ | title=Why the Satanic Temple Is Opening Its Doors to American Muslims | last=Miller | first=Matt | date=November 21, 2015 | work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] | publisher=[[Hearst Communications]] | access-date=December 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name="vice2013">{{cite web | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/unmasking-lucien-greaves-aka-doug-mesner-leader-of-the-satanic-temple/ | title=Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple | first=Shane | last=Bugbee | author-link=Shane Bugbee | work=[[Vice.com]] | publisher=[[Vice Media]] | date=July 31, 2013 | access-date=November 11, 2022}}</ref><ref name="DET1">{{cite news | url=http://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/lucien-greaves-of-the-satanic-temple/Content?oid=2201492 | title=Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple | type=Interview | work=[[Detroit Metro Times]] | date=May 27, 2014 | publisher=[[Euclid Media Group]] | access-date=December 2, 2015}}</ref>}} is an American [[Activism|social activist]], as well as the cofounder and [[spokesperson]] for [[The Satanic Temple]].{{refn|<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/us/a-mischievious-thorn-in-the-side-of-conservative-christianity.html | title=A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity | first=Mark | last=Oppenheimer | date=July 11, 2015 | access-date=November 8, 2021 | website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/22/us/satanic-temple-scholarship-trnd/index.html | title=The Satanic Temple is offering 'Devil's Advocate Scholarship' | first=Alisha | last=Ebrahimji | work=[[CNN]] | date=July 22, 2020 | access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/02/27/satanic-temple-founder-accuses-boston-city-council-discrimination/tX2w9Czgn8N53UBFHEUUFP/story.html | last=Crimaldi | first=Laura | date=2019-02-27 | title=Satanic Temple cofounder accuses Boston City Council of discrimination | work=[[The Boston Globe]] | access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/hell-yeah-how-the-satanists-became-the-good-guys-1.3991820 | date=24 August 2019 | title=Hell yeah! How the satanists became the good guys | first=Tara | last=Brady | newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] | access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref>}}

== Early life ==
Greaves was born in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], United States.<ref name="DET1" /> His mother was a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] who took him to [[Sunday school|Sunday School]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://religionnews.com/2016/10/18/after-school-satan-church-state-group-plays-devils-advocate-in-public-schools/ | last=Morrow | first=Sally | date=October 18, 2016 | title=After School Satan? Church-state group plays devil's advocate in public schools | work=[[Religion News Service]]}}</ref>

In 2002, Greaves took part in a podcast titled [[Might Is Right|''Might is Right'']], to promote a reprint of an 1896 book of the same name. Greaves had also created illustrations for the reprinted edition. In the podcast, Greaves gave replies that some construed as antisemitic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Helen |date=October 1, 2023 |title=A Satanic Rebellion Social justice collides with the Satanic Temple |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/social-justice-rebellion-satanic-temple/675481/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |website=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref>

== Activism ==
Greaves has spoken on the topics of [[Satanism]], [[secularism]], and The Satanic Temple at universities throughout the United States,<ref>{{cite AV media | url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/recordings/lucien-greaves-satanic-temple-and-law | first=Lucien | last=Greaves | date=October 4, 2017 | title=The Satanic Temple and the law | publisher=University of Chicago Law School Secular Legal Society | access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_30555057/satan-at-cu-student-group-brings-satanic-temple | last=Kuta | first=Sarah | title='Satan at CU?' Student group brings Satanic Temple leader to Boulder campus | work=[[Daily Camera]] | date=November 9, 2016 | publication-place=Boulder, Colorado | publisher=[[Prairie Mountain Media]] | access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://usustatesman.com/satanic-temple-co-founder-promotes-respect-secularism/ | last=Berg | first=Alison | title=Satanic Temple co-founder promotes respect, secularism | work=The Utah Statesman | publication-place=Logan, Utah | publisher=Utah State University | date=October 15, 2017 | access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> and he has been a featured speaker at national conferences hosted by [[American Atheists]],<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.atheists.org/2014/09/press-release-american-atheists-tackles-bible-belt-for-2015-convention/ | last=Muscato | first=Dave | title=American Atheists Tackles Bible Belt for 2015 Convention | publication-place=Cranford, New Jersey | publisher=American Atheists | date=September 16, 2014 | access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> the [[American Humanist Association]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://conference.americanhumanist.org/schedule2017/graeves/ | title=Lucien Graeves | website=Americanhumanist.org | access-date=November 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108205444/http://conference.americanhumanist.org/schedule2017/graeves/ | archive-date=November 8, 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Secular Student Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://secularstudents.org/speakers/LucienGreaves | title=Lucien Greaves | website=Secular Student Alliance | access-date=November 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108205700/https://secularstudents.org/speakers/LucienGreaves | archive-date=November 8, 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

Greaves has been instrumental in setting up the [[The Satanic Temple#Protect Children Project|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]].<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news | title=A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/us/a-mischievious-thorn-in-the-side-of-conservative-christianity.html | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=2015-07-10 | access-date=2015-12-02 | issn=0362-4331 | first=Mark | last=Oppenheimer}}</ref><ref name="RollingStone">{{Cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/satanists-defending-abortion-rights-meet-5-conservatives-freaking-out-about-it-20150506 | title=Satanists Support Abortion Rights, Conservatives Freak Out | last=Marcotte | first=Amanda | date=2015-05-06 | magazine=Rolling Stone | access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref>

Greaves has received many death threats, and deliberately does not use his legal name to avoid threats to his family.<ref name="DET1" /><ref>{{cite book | last=Laycock | first=Joseph P. | date=2020 | title=Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPDGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 | location=New York, NY | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=37, 72 | isbn=978-0-19-094849-8}}</ref>

Greaves and his colleagues envisioned The Satanic Temple as a "poison pill" in the Church/State debate: [[Satanist]]s asserting their rights and privileges where religious agendas have imposed themselves upon public affairs, serving as a reminder that such privileges are for everybody, and can provide a religious agenda beyond the current narrow understanding.<ref name="vice2013" /> Neither Greaves nor members of The Satanic Temple claim to worship [[Satan]]; instead, their beliefs focus on personal sovereignty, independence, and freedom of will.<ref name="vice2013" />

Greaves appears throughout the 2019 documentary film ''[[Hail Satan?]]'' regarding religious freedoms and early days of The Satanic Temple.<ref name="straight">{{Cite magazine |last=Eisner |first=Ken |date=2019-05-01 |title=A Satanic panic over church and state in Hail Satan? |url=https://www.straight.com/movies/1235221/satanic-panic-over-church-and-state |access-date=2019-05-06 |magazine=[[The Georgia Straight]] |publisher=Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corporation |language=en |publication-place=Vancouver}}</ref> Greaves contributed the foreword to ''[[The Little Book of Satanism]]'' (2022) by [[La Carmina]]<ref>{{cite book | last=Carmina | first=La | date=October 25, 2022 | title=The Little Book of Satanism | url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Little-Book-of-Satanism/La-Carmina/9781646044221 | publisher=Ulysses Press | isbn=978-1-64604-422-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/88497-religion-book-deals-february-9-2022.html | title=Religion Book Deals: February 9, 2022 | publisher=Publishers Weekly | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> as well as artwork for multiple endeavors by [[Shiva Honey]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Honey | first=Shiva | year=2020 | title=The Devil's tome: A book of modern Satanic ritual | language=en | publisher=Serpentīnae | isbn=978-1-393-76364-2}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

* {{Twitter|LucienGreaves}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170930031246/http://dougmesner.com/ Lucien Greaves Archive]
* {{cite web | url=http://www.process.org/discept/ | title=The Process Is... | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112005428/http://www.process.org/discept/ | archive-date=November 12, 2020}} group blog, primarily 2008–2013
* [https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/ArticleArchives?sortType=release&tag=lucien%20greaves ''Letters to a Satanist''], column by Greaves in ''[[Orlando Weekly]]'', 2014–2015

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greaves, Lucien}}

[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

[[Category:Activists from Michigan]]
[[Category:American atheism activists]]
[[Category:American critics of Christianity]]
[[Category:American founders]]
[[Category:American Satanists]]
[[Category:American social justice activists]]
[[Category:Converts to new religious movements from Christianity]]
[[Category:Founders of new religious movements]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from Michigan]]
[[Category:Satanist religious leaders]]
[[Category:The Satanic Temple]]

Lucien Greaves - Revision history

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