Local Groups leave

Jump to

• Inciting incident
  • Lucien Greaves “Invitation To Leave” email
  • Canadian TST Minister responds
  • Lucien Greaves “fires” Canadian Minister
  • Memes mocking Lucien Greaves
  • “Internal Nobodies” rebel publicly
  • Lucien Greaves posts “An Apology” on Substack
  • Canadian TST member responds
  • Lucien Greaves goes on a sycophant podcast
  • A second Substack hits the schism
  • An announcement on Slack
• A wave of individual departures
  • Greg Stevens (Head of TST Ministry)
  • Lanzifer Longinus
  • Dex Desjardins
  • Chalice Blythe
  • Tertia Withershins
  • Karl Kasarda (“InRange TV”)
  • Richard Proctor (“The Neurodivergent Satanist”)
• Local Groups leave
  • The Satanic Temple Minnesota
  • The Satanic Temple of Florida
  • The Satanic Temple of Australia
  • The Satanic Temple of Colorado
  • Coalition of Satanic Congregations
  • The Satanic Temple of Alabama
  • The Satanic Temple of North Carolina
  • Friends of The Satanic Temple France
  • The Satanic Temple Nevada
  • The Satanic Temple South Carolina
  • Other group defections
  • “Hail Lucien Greaves“
• On Schisms

The Satanic Temple Minnesota leaves

But it wasn’t just people as individuals or TST’s “ministerial pillar” that was reacting negatively to all of this; local congregations were getting in on it, too.

Back on May 16, a very online member of The Satanic Temple’s Minnesota congregation made this reply to Lanziger Longinus.

I am associated with the Minnesota chapter, and from what I have seen, I fully support their decision to depart from TST. I fully support them calling them "Minnesota Satanist Congregation" and having nothing to do with TST anymore.

— MnAtheist @MinnesotaAtheist@projectmushroom.social (@MinnesotAtheist) May 16, 2024

I am associated with the Minnesota chapter, and from what I have seen, I fully support their decision to depart from TST. I fully support them calling them “Minnesota Satanist Congregation” and having nothing to do with TST anymore.

@MinnesotaAtheist

New page “Minnesota Satanists” arrived May 17:

Welcome to Minnesota Satanists! Please help spread the word of our new Facebook and Instagram accounts.

A couple days later, on May 18, this seemed to gain some wider exposure thanks to a Reddit commenter wondering what was going on (“Thanks for sharing. I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on because the Minnesota chapter just severed itself from TST but no one is saying what’s happened.”)

And on May 20, the new Minnesota Satanists group shared their GoFundMe for Gay Pride 2024 activities.

We’re not aware of anything being posted about the change publicly as TST Minnesota until May 27 (“While we wish the former TST Minnesota leadership team all the best in their new venture…)” where a Discord invitation was dropped on Facebook in a transparent attempt to rebuild like nothing had happened, which based on past history, you can expect to be TST’s reaction in general assuming TST can manage to shut up the ex-members, anyhow.

But that might be hard this time.

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The Satanic Temple of Florida leaves

Florida’s group is especially important because The Satanic Temple has been claiming they’ll counter the Christian Nationalists’ school chaplain program with their own. But no news organization ever bothers to ask “Who specifically would actually be doing that?”

This was deleted from TST Florida’s Instagram account pretty quickly May 19, but the point about why was clearly made, given the reference the title is making.

SUNSHINE SERPENT SOCIETY

SUNDAY MAY 19, 2024

AN APOLOGY

Ave everyone,

It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that TSTFL is being dissolved, effective immediately. In the past week, a number of actions have come to light which have gone in a direction ethically that no one in leadership is comfortable following at this point. Many members who have been influential to cultivating TST as an organization have either been removed or left voluntarily. Those of us in leadership here have unanimously agreed that this step, while difficult, is the best course of action.

We have all sworn to prioritize safe space for our like minded people. This will not change. We are still here as a group and will continue to persevere, separate from The Satanic Temple.

Anyone who wishes to remain in the same space with the same faces, you are more than welcome to stay in our spaces.

We understand everyone has to make their own decisions and hold no fault if anyone wishes to continue following TST as an organization. We are all adults and can make our own choices. This space, however, will be permanently separated from The Satanic Temple from this point forward. We understand that some people may have questions and we will gladly answer whatever questions we can. Any members of leadership will continue to act as leaders through this transition.

As of this notice, our congregation will be henceforth known as > Sunshine Serpent Society.

~HAIL SATAN~

Sunshine Serpent Society, posting from Instagram account @tst.florida

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The Satanic Temple of Australia leaves

Australia did it as a Facebook post on May 22, which a week later was still up (and notice the careful language used here as far as them already being an independent org):

TSTAU has always been an independent religious organization, united in tenets and community when working with the US.

We are supportive of the mission of The Satanic Temple but recognise they are best suited as a US organisation to meet the needs of Americans.

However, as an independent Australian religious organisation, after 5 years we have decided to move away from the branding of The Satanic Temple Australia.

There have been certain limitations that this branding has brought us and it no longer represents where we see our Australian organisation.
Our name will change soon, and while our values might be worded a little differently, they will continue to reflect the values we hold as a community.

We remain a religious organisation here to support our satanic community.

The Satanic Temple Australia on Facebook

Even Satanic Temple loyalists were largely sympathetic to this one given how many times non-US chapters/congregations have split off already.

(It’s happened so much, it’s really hard to keep track, actually.)

The Danish Satanist, Ole Wolf, put it this way on Reddit, “[A]s a non-American, I can sympathize. I would find it difficult to support an almost entirely American project. Its Americentrism is one of several reasons I cannot see myself being a member of the Temple.”

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The Satanic Temple Colorado leaves

On May 23, another U.S. group announced their departure, and it was a big one.

Our Congregation Is Going Independent!

Our congregation has decided by a vote of our active membership to depart from The Satanic Temple and its governing structure. This might sound like a big change, but as always we’ve done the hard work of making this easy for those that want to continue participating in and contributing to our local community of oddballs and outcasts.
Check out our official announcement for more details, and a reminder for our June events!

They then linked to their newsletter:

Ave Heathens,

This will be the last email you receive from us under this name. Our congregation has decided by a vote of our active membership to depart from The Satanic Temple and its governing structure. This might sound like a big change, but as always we’ve done the hard work of making this easy for those that want to continue participating in and contributing to our local community of oddballs and outcasts. Here’s a breakdown of what’s changing and what’s not:

A footnote at the bottom also said, “Satanic Colorado is a 501(c)(3) formerly doing business as The Satanic Temple Colorado. It is an operationally independent congregation previously recognized by The Satanic Temple Society of Congregations.“

So, in short, preserving everything you already like but sans “The Satanic Temple” and “TST’s Society of Congregations”.

On May 31, they would go to be even more forthright in their June 2024 newsletter under the new branding, explaining some of the process for and reasoning, for which this was but the last straw.

As one of the longest-standing and most successful congregations, we are no stranger to conflicts and scandals which pop up semiannually. These are usually related to a decision by TST’s top leadership which the significant portions of the broader organization considers misguided, tone-deaf, or otherwise failing to live up to the values to which this religious movement aspires. … In every such case leading up to this, we made our decision to remain with TST not out of mere loyalty to a brand, a person, or a single project within the organization, but to continue contributing to the broader Satanic community working on a diversity of projects to foster a multifaceted religious movement in keeping with our principles.

May’s internal uproar, mass departures, and TST’s Executive Team’s handling thereof made it clear that previous reasons for staying no longer applied. When our congregation leadership became aware of the mounting tensions, we did our best to be agents for good within TST in the face of this difficulty. By the time Lucien had made an appearance on a podcast presenting a one-sided interpretation of the inciting events, the writing was on the wall. He publicly characterized his critics as somehow selfishly disloyal usurpers of the entire project and insulted the many tireless contributors focused on good work within the organization (but not trying to earn his personal favor) as “internal nobodies.” Several high-profile removals and resignations had already gutted key portions of the community we had previously stayed for, their hard-fought and valued projects had been diminished and demolished, and Lucien had declared in so many words that our choice was to fall in line or get out of his organization.

…

We won’t denounce those who still admire or appreciate what remains of TST’s noble pursuits, and we won’t diminish those congregations who choose to stay in TST with noble intentions just as we had several times before. We still wish them the best in their future endeavors. Our best path towards uplifting our deeply held values and a religious community for Satanists in Colorado, however, is in our independence. We hope you’ll stick around for this next chapter of our congregation’s growth. Hell, maybe this moment of rebellion can be an inspiration to you in it its own right.

Excerpt from Satanic Colorado’s June 2024 newsletter (May 31, 2024)

This one hurts. “Satanic Colorado” wasn’t just any local TST group, after all.

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Coalition of Satanic Congregations

Wouldn’t you know it, something interesting happened May 23, the same day Colorado announced their own departure.

Per its transparency tab, this “Coalition of Satanic Congregations” Facebook page was created May 18, 2024.

As of May 23, the three groups openly associated with this coalition are “Satanic Colorado” created May 13, “Minnesota Satanists” created May 15, and “Sunshine Serpent Society” created May 20.

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The Satanic Temple of Alabama leaves

Late the night of May 23, another congregation announced they’d broken away, this one in Birmingham, Ala. Rather than go with a Facebook page, they made a Facebook group the same day called “Alabama Society for Pluralism and Freethought” along with a Discord server.

Our Congregation Has Also Gone Independent!

Our group has taken a vote and unanimously decided to part ways with TST and their governing structure altogether.

We will be creating a new kind of community to fit the needs of all, not only for Satanists, but also for other left hand path following weirdos like the mix we already have. Feel free to join our discord where the fun is happening while we keep you updated and informed on all the new things and get togethers we will continue to host. Thanks for your support!

Aedos Astarte

Perhaps more surprisingly, “After School Satan” club national lead “June Everett” showed up as well.

June Evertt here supporting y’all in that dirty south Alabama. In the heart of it.

What makes this particularly notable, besides her out-sized role in national TST issues due to the ASS clubs notoriety, is that just a year ago, Everett was saying, “As a CD [Campaign Director], I feel that I am a Representative for The Satanic Temple, and how do I plead that I’m not? Because I have no plans to quit. In fact, I want to fight even harder.” She also compared Misicko’s continued behavior to having been “the owner shat on the carpet and then raised the rent on all of us” but if this step of openly acknowledging the fleeing groups isn’t a top-down tactic, it signals a pretty big change afoot.

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The Satanic Temple of North Carolina leaves

And they keep coming, this time from “Zee Cross“, now two weeks after Doug Misicko’s first email telling everyone who doesn’t like TST to get out.

The Satanic Temple North Carolina started as a ‘Friends of TST’ group in 2018 and was established as an official congregation in 2022. As a community, we’ve experienced the joys of religious fellowship, shared values, coffee meet-ups, and discussion nights, as well as the trials of building structure and learning how to navigate the joining of many friends with strong opinions and passionate dedication to deeply held beliefs and goals. Every moment is one we have, ultimately, treasured.

Now, nearly halfway through 2024, our second year as an official Congregation of The Satanic Temple, we have found that we are now in a position to best grow, adapt, serve our communities, and share fellowship as an independent congregation of Satanists.

As of today, after a nearly unanimous vote of our official Congregants, The Satanic Temple North Carolina shall be considered disaffiliated with The Satanic Temple. A new organization, Sixth Circle Fellowship, is the next chapter of our community.

It has been a pleasure to serve as Ministers of Satan, as Congregation Heads, as Council and Board members, and as friends, and we look forward to continuing and building on those, and new, relationships for a long time to come. Not just locally, but with the expanded Satanic community we all hope to see thrive.

Remember always that we are, first and foremost, a community of friends, neighbors, and peers, joined together in shared values and aspirations to act and serve in accordance with our Satanic values. That doesn’t depend on any affiliation – it depends on you.

Hail TSTNC that was, and Sixth Circle Fellowship that is. And, as always, hail yourselves and each other.

It is done. Hail Satan.

Zee Cross

That last link goes to “Sixth Circle Fellowship“, a page created created May 24.

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Friends of The Satanic Temple France leaves

Rumors of more local groups breaking off continue to circulate.

It’s gotten so bad some groups are giving up before even making full “congregation” status, perhaps noticing earlier thanks to all of the chaos what so many communities outside of the USA have noticed about The Satanic Temple and how it operates.

“France Satanique et Francophones” created a Facebook page May 27, and made this this post the same day:

EN: Dearest friends,

We hope this message finds you well amidst these turbulent times.

Recent actions by the Executive Ministry of The Satanic Temple have led to considerable upheaval, and we find ourselves in a dark period for The Satanic Temple’s community. We feel that recent actions of Lucien Greaves and the Executive Ministry Team have not only been misaligned with the very fundamental tenets they espouse, but have caused great shame and irreparable damage to the TST community.

Again.

As a direct result of this, the Administrative Team of Friends of The Satanic Temple France has unanimously voted to withdraw from The Satanic Temple’s Candidate Group Program. Henceforth, we will continue to be operating independently under the new name “France Satanique et Francophones”

While our name changes, our mission remains steadfast. France Satanique et Francophones will continue to serve as a community space for atheistic Francophone Satanists, upholding the values encapsulated in the Seven Fundamental Tenets, which we believe to be sound moral guidance. It is crucial to clarify that while we are no longer willing to work with The Satanic Temple organisation, our commitment to the same atheistic Satanic philosophy, the profundity of Romantic Satanism and the values of the Seven tenets remains unchanged. As a group, we are still welcoming of TST members. We simply refuse to operate under the thumb of TST’s Executive Ministry who have time and again displayed their open animosity for those working hard in the community sphere of their organisation.

We are committed to fostering a supportive and enriching environment for all atheistic francophone satanists and so to that end, should you come across any in the future, we invite you to let them know of our existence.

We appreciate your understanding and support during this transition. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, or for further collaboration.

Warm regards,

The Administrative Team of France Satanique et Francophones (formerly Friends of TST France)

FR: Chers amis,

Nous espérons que ce message vous trouve en bonne santé malgré ces temps tumultueux.

Les récentes actions du Ministère exécutif du Temple Satanique ont entraîné des bouleversements considérables, et nous nous trouvons dans une période sombre pour la communauté du Temple Satanique. Nous estimons que les actions récentes de Lucien Greaves et de l’équipe du Ministère exécutif sont non seulement en désaccord avec les principes fondamentaux qu’ils prétendent soutenir, mais ont également causé une grande honte et des dommages irréparables à la communauté du TST.

Encore une fois.

En conséquence directe de cela, l’équipe administrative des Amis du Temple Satanique France a voté à l’unanimité pour se retirer du Programme des Groupes Candidats du Temple Satanique. Désormais, nous continuerons à opérer de manière indépendante sous le nouveau nom “France Satanique et Francophones”.

Bien que notre nom change, notre mission reste inébranlable. France Satanique et Francophones continuera de servir d’espace communautaire pour les satanistes francophones athées, en défendant les valeurs encapsulées dans les Sept Principes Fondamentaux, que nous considérons comme un guide moral solide. Il est crucial de préciser que, bien que nous ne soyons plus disposés à travailler avec l’organisation du Temple Satanique, notre engagement envers la même philosophie satanique athée, la profondeur du satanisme romantique et les valeurs des sept principes reste inchangé. En tant que groupe, nous accueillons toujours les membres du TST. Nous refusons simplement d’opérer sous la coupe du Ministère exécutif du TST qui a montré à maintes reprises son animosité ouverte envers ceux qui travaillent dur dans le domaine communautaire de leur organisation.

Nous nous engageons à favoriser un environnement de soutien et enrichissant pour tous les satanistes francophones athées et, à cet effet, si vous en rencontrez à l’avenir, nous vous invitons à les informer de notre existence.

Nous apprécions votre compréhension et votre soutien pendant cette transition. N’hésitez pas à nous contacter pour toute question, préoccupation ou pour une collaboration future.

Cordialement,

L’équipe administrative de France Satanique et Francophones (anciennement Amis du TST France)

Friends of TST France

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The Satanic Temple Nevada

On May 29, The Satanic Temple Nevada (TSTNV) announced it had officially split with Salem-based org, renaming itself in reference to the to states’s flag/motto as “Battle Born Satanists.”

Local member Trevor Greene posted a short announcement to Facebook just after 8 p.m. local time.

I don’t know if anyone actually cares, but I wanted to announce that I have officially left The Satanic Temple. The group I’ve been helping to run TSTNV has officially disbanded due to the leadership of the national organization.

I am still very much a proud Satanist and will continue doing good work for the community moving forward. We have rebranded under the name Battle Born Satanists.

When I first joined TST the values and projects they were a part of inspired me. I viewed it as a force for good, but when leadership turns narcissistic and toxic, you simply have to walk away. I wish the best of any and all friends I have made who stay with TST, and I hope that you were able to continue the good fight.

Ava Satanas,

Trevor Geene, Facebook.com (May 29, 2024)

Also the evening of May 29, Jonathan Crowson, co-leader of the Nevada group and one of the cc’s in Doug Misicko’s original May 10 email, wrote a bit more and included a fun sort of photo with it that seemed to call back to Doug Misicko’s own “pink mass” tea-bagging stunt from 2013 as well as further mock the “Year of Unity”.

A decade-plus on, and TST no longer can honestly call itself an insurgent force, however much mainstream media finds that narrative comfortable.

According to Crowson and TSTNV, the group “unanimously decided in favor of severing ties with The Satanic Temple international organization unequivocally.”

Ave,

I have been a member of TST for quite some time now, and have co-led the Nevada Congregation for the last 4 years. A lot of my own time, money, and resources went into the group in order to keep it active and afloat, and at no point has anything been asked of in return. I invested myself into TST because I simply wanted to do my part. No rewards or accolades necessary. No, even though it has been a burden with finances and my personal relationships, I continued on because the tenets of TST meant something to me, and providing a safe space for like-minded Satanists helped me sleep at night.

The recent actions and behaviors of Executive Ministry are simply something that I can no longer stomach to defend, and as such I have resigned my position as a Minister of Satan with The Satanic Temple. I can no longer continue to affiliate myself directly with TST after the actions and responses by not only Executive Ministry, but some of the very Ministers that I thought were friends.

This was the hardest decision I have had to make in a long time, but one that was absolutely vital in order to move forward. I realize I have been a Satanist for most of my adult life, and only needed to be pointed in the right direction to understand how to best move forward. I will treasure all the lessons learned from this experience, and wish the Satanic Temple much luck with their future endeavors.

Additionally, TSTNV is no more. The congregation has unanimously decided in favor of severing ties with The Satanic Temple international organization unequivocally, and continue doing social outreach and community building as an independent, unaffiliated congregation of Satanists representing the state of Nevada, known as the Battle Born Satanists. So the future is still bright!

And, of course, me being me… I had to go out with a bit of a bang. Anybody remember Fred Phelps, or specifically his dead mother? That always kinda rubbed me the wrong way, despite the intent. Anyhoo, I thought I would be a little poetic with my resignation letter. My final sentence, along with the image I sent directly to Lucien:

“P.S. In the spirit of healing, one final ritual was performed. Please see attached image.”

Hail Satan.
Hail Yourselves!
Hail ME

Johnathan Crowson, Facebook.com (May 29, 2024)

Presumably around the same time, the website TSTNV.com (archive) made a longer announcement, stating The Satanic Temple Nevada was closing out more than five years of continuous existence including almost two years as an “official congregation” by removing itself from what remains of the larger org.

According to TSTNV, the unanimous vote to leave in the wake of the Executive Ministry’s “toddler tantrums”, connecting it back to “[s]ad reminders of past behavior and conduct unbecoming of these same individuals, a cycle that appears will continue to repeat without drastic change.”

Ave,

The Satanic Temple Nevada began to serve Nevada on February 10th, 2019, as a ‘Friends of TST’ group. The first few years were difficult, both with internal struggles and personal ones. However, the onboarding process was completed as of 06/12/22 (6/6+6) and the “Friends of” The Satanic Temple Nevada was recognized by TST International as an official congregation, known from that point forward as The Satanic Temple Nevada. The community has grown and countless relationships formed since that inception. Many long evenings of Zoom meetings, or the lucky discord gaming night, have been had. Long discussions and conversations over all aspects of life amongst the congregation have taken up the majority of evenings, or even meet-ups at a local park or member’s house for a pot-luck. The community has come together to host gender-affirming parties and baby showers, and always tried to have a showing at Pride Parade and Festival, and engaging with each other and sharing memes on the community discord or Facebook. Encouraging each other, working towards a future under which everyone thrives and personal growth championed. When unfortunate situations take place, emotional intelligence, logic, and empathy are the paths towards resolution… not continued hostility and aggression.

The recent actions and behaviors of Executive Ministry have been jarring, and have caused great pause within TSTNV. A lot of nasty, unnecessary, and tone-deaf hypocrisies have been witnessed, driven seemingly by ego and lack of emotional intelligence alone. The situation has been brewing for a bit, and unfortunately does not seem to have an expiration date. Many valued colleagues have renounced their ministry with TST as a result of this most recent EM toddler tantrum; if not outright removed for reasons unexplained or completely unsubstantiated. Complete congregations have chosen to step away from the Temple as a whole, or had drastic membership losses. Religious services have completely been halted, with zero explanation as to why. Access has been revoked for many individuals, again with no actual verifiable reason. Behind the scenes, there are a number of Ministers that are actively denigrating anyone that leaves, with rumors of “bad” behavior and the like that didn’t exist prior. There is nearly too much that has taken place to accurately describe. The simplest and most harsh of truths is that there are no winners in what is taking place. There is, and will continue to be, great loss given the current trajectory. Rather than choose to stop reacting and think, continued destruction and false narrative tactics are being employed, furthering the divide. Sad reminders of past behavior and conduct unbecoming of these same individuals, a cycle that appears will continue to repeat without drastic change. Words are words, but actions speak volumes.

As such, all members of The Satanic Temple Nevada were called on to hold a vote regarding the continued involvement and affiliation of the congregation with The Satanic Temple. A unanimous decision has been reached and ratified by the Infernal Council of TSTNV. The result of that vote is as follows:

Vote found in favor of severing ties with The Satanic Temple international organization unequivocally, and continue doing social outreach and community building as an independent, unaffiliated congregation of Satanists representing the state of Nevada, known as the Battle Born Satanists. Effective immediately.

Control of the Facebook TSTNV group and the “friends of” TSTNV Facebook page will be reassumed by TST. The group did not maintain x/twitter or Instagram accounts. The discord for The Satanic Temple Nevada will be re-branded and all references to The Satanic Temple removed, to prevent any confusion as to any official affiliation with TST International.

The website hosted under the domain addresses www.tstnv.com and www.thesatanictemplenevada.com will display this message until possession of the domain is obtained by TST

The community of Nevada wishes the The Satanic Temple International, and all that choose to remain, continued success in all future endeavors. The tenets of TST have been inspirational, providing clarity and a lens in which all manner of issues can be weighed and measured. The opportunities that lie ahead for the community of Nevada now seem to be limitless, and the confidence that TST gave immeasurable. The friendships made have been invaluable, and the experiences simply unforgettable. The community is so much stronger than most realized, and the future for Nevada has never looked brighter. Support for TST and it’s missions, along with all other non-theistic organizations fighting for rights and autonomy, will be encouraged. However, as of now… The Satanic Temple Nevada is no more. Hail the Battle Born Satanists!

For anyone that has up to this point been non-participatory, this message is most likely surprising to both see and comprehend. For those of you that are not part of the Nevada community, the contact details are as follows. The name will change soon!

Battle Born Satanists Discord: https://discord.com/invite/BG3gbSUT Email: battlebornsatanists@gmail.com

Minister Nina, Minister Jon, Minister Matt, and the Infernal Council would like to thank each and every member of the Nevada community!

It is done. Hail Satan.

TSTNV.com statement (accessed May 30, 2024)

One of the really remarkable aspects of all of these statements, especially taken together, is just how much these folk seem to genuinely believe in the mission The Satanic Temple promotes itself as having. These are not bitter malcontents; they are deeply disappointed in discovering — belatedly — all of those critics and former members they were told to ignore might have been making some good points all along.

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The Satanic Temple South Carolina

A Reddit thread from a TST South Carolina member on May 25 laid out how dire things look to the rank-and-file in many of places around the country where the leadership situation was unclear to people.

TST: South Carolina Update
byu/Chrystist inSatanicTemple_Reddit

So TST:SC is pretty small, with a little over 500 members in the facebook group. Given our sister state NC just voted to secede (and I wish them well), I wanted to report that the 2 most active moderators and ministers just resigned less than 24 hours ago. I say most active, but I’m not sure if the group has any other leadership. There wasn’t a secession vote offered, but I don’t think it would’ve made a difference. With such a small group, limited activities and meet-ups, no physical building to hold services, and a general lack of organization, I can imagine this is the end for the chapter.

I only just became a member of TST recently, so I really don’t have a stake anywhere in this. I reached out to the ministers before their resignation to see how I could assist the congregation and was met with silence. I dont hold any grudges or ill will towards them, they have their own shit going on. However, I am worried about the future of the organization, especially in the Southern states where the fight against Christian fascism will be difficult.

I liked TST due to the support and recognition the organization provided, but without local congregations and the “you have to know someone” method of obtaining ministry for leadership, I feel like a fish out of water. What can I do?

Meanwhile, from the Facebook page associated with The Satanic Temple – South Carolina, you’d never know.

But May 30, we did get an update from Ele Asteria, now Former Congregation Co-Head at The Satanic Temple – South Carolina.

TST South Carolina has decided by unanimous council vote, and a vote by our official congregants, to go independent! We are disaffiliating from TST. Our new name is Anatole’s Adversaries South Carolina. We will be returning all property of TST official to TST, including our current Facebook page and group. In its place we have created a new Facebook group for AASC, and anyone looking for a group for compassionate, non-theistic Satanists is welcome to join, using the link below!

This may look like a drastic change, but we will continue to act as a welcoming space for non-theistic Satanists and our allies. We will continue to hold meetings, activities, and rituals. We believe that our newfound independence will allow us more freedom to make decisions that are best for our community. Hail Satan, and Hail Anatole’s Adversaries SC!

“You cry, ‘give us war!’ You are visionaries. When will you become thinkers? The thinkers do not look for power and strength from any of the dreams that constitute military art: tactics, strategies, fortifications, artillery and all that rubbish. They do not believe in war, which is a fantasy; they believe in chemistry, which is a science. They know the way to put victory into an algebraic formula.”
-Anatole France, The Revolt of the Angels

https://www.facebook.com/share/W2xYXW8ee432k1tk/?mibextid=K35XfP

Ele Asteria, Facebook.com (May 30, 2023)

With all of these, you can hear the precautions people are trying to take in these statements against the very real threat of lawsuits. From the above, “We will be returning all property of TST official to TST, including our current Facebook page and group.”

Clearly lots of people inside/recently inside know full well about the particulars of the SLAPP action against the four of us, and how easy it could be to be targeted by the same. However, this also suggests they still don’t fully understand what a SLAPP is or what really happened to us (and others TST targeted before and sense).

In our case, none of the four of us signed any agreement that could be violated, not Non-Disclosure Agreements, not Affiliate Agreements, and there was no Non-Disparagement In-Perpetuity clause to activate. Therefore, TST had to invent a new excuse (defamation and cypercrime, mostly). The Satanic Housewife made a TikTok video on her own account that had never been associated with TST; they sued her anyway.

The point is TST works backward from “we want to hurt you”. They don’t actually have a right to any of this stuff; four years of litigation has made it pretty clear that just like Meta would tell you, Facebook owns Facebook pages.

If they’re motivated enough to stem the bleeding, Misicko and Soling will deploy their lawyers to come up with some new excuse from all of this. We don’t wish ill on any of these people, but it has been a pattern thus far that a lot of people don’t understand how TST operates and how little TST’s victims over the years have actually done anything to deserve it until TST treats they themselves as the latest victims.

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Other group defections

It would be almost impossible to keep track of all of the groups that have de facto imploded as all or nearly all of their local leadership resigned and/or was expelled.

The Satanic Temple Germany, for example, made a public announcement about how their local leadership group was resigning and revoking their ordination as “Ministers of Satan”.

After much discussion, the majority of TST Germany’s Infernal Council has decided to resign. All ministers who are currently part of the IC will revoke their ordination as “Minister of Satan”. For those of us who have made this decision, TST no longer represents the values and conduct that the organization once stood for.

Nevertheless, this decision was not made lightly. Our community has grown tremendously over the past year – we’ve never had so many motivated and committed people who hoped to find a religious community and a safe haven with TST Germany. That’s something we’re very proud of and we would have loved to continue supporting the community’s growth

We made our final decision two weeks ago, but we wanted to speak to our members first before going public. This weekend, at our annual Congregation event, we had the opportunity to discuss the current situation and our decision with the group. We are happy that some of our members (including a minister) are willing to keep the group together and continue under the TST label. We wish them – and you – all the best.

We hope to meet many of you in other “Satanic Spaces” and we’d love to stay in touch with all the wonderful people who have been part of our journey. Hail Satan!

Roa Renoit (Congregation Head & RC Representative)
Emma Müller (Congregation Head)
Orpheus
Wiebke Cavalera
Allocer Artifex
Ulrich Wicked (mascot)

But for those that have no one left who can make an announcement, it’s trickier. South Carolina seemed to be one of those, up until May 30. Canada’s Atlantic Coast Congregation where all of this started when its Minister was unilaterally fired by email seems to be nonexistent, but that’s just general chatter. So far, we haven’t seen anything official stating it outright. “TST Idaho voted to go independent” — except maybe one person stayed on, which is enough for TST to consider the local group still around and “in regency”?

Backchannel networks of former and current members and publicly on Reddit seem to genuinely be the best way to keep track of what’s going on, as unpopular as being the bearer of bad but accurate news is in the Satanic Temple’s unofficial subreddit to its members.

There have been professions of loyalty so far as well, such as Switzerland, Washington State, and Dallas-Fort Worth (or maybe not the latter), but those assurances are, in their own ways, as troubling as the people leaving.

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“Hail Lucien Greaves”

Those remaining to operate The Satanic Temple’s direct propaganda organs are certainly doing their best to double-down and make it clear what critics have been saying for years: The Satanic Temple is Doug Misicko a.k.a. “Lucien Greaves”, and you have no way to replace or hold him accountable or make him change. All you can do is “hail” him or shut up.

Note the reactions in the comments, though.

Nina Castaneda
Accountability for shitty behavior is in the code of conduct. Rules for thee, not for me.

Malphas Blackwing
I am loyal to Satanism and Satanic philosophy but the day an organization starts mindlessly idolizing the leader is the day an organization has lost its way…

I hope TST purges this sickness and soon

But until that happens I will be distancing myself from TST.

Edit: I have been loyal to TST since the moment I joined through controversy after controversy and I thank TST for giving me the new lease on life that I have been given because I truly am a better person because of TST but I am not stupid or blind enough to continue to follow Lucien Greaves’s and his ego

Lydia Addams
The irony is delicious. Is this a reminder to him to practise what be preaches?

Mike Duvall
That’s right, folks. They want you to bend a knee to their leader. The amount of bootlicking I’ve seen these past two weeks in the organization is disgusting.

And likewise, dissent is as unwelcome as it ever was, including correcting “misinformation” that involves you.

On May 28, the Satanic Ministry account posted this, and it was promptly removed without warning after being saved by a few quick-screenshotters (Facebook)(Twitter).

Ave all!

There is some misinformation circulating and we would like to be as transparent as possible with all of you. There is no service tonight. It is not due to anyone resigning. No one on the services team has resigned recently, in fact. It is due to our access to the platform in which we stream services to, being revoked.

We do not know yet, what services will look like from here on out. We are awaiting communication from executive ministry on this, so we can hopefully get everything figured out and services running again. Much love to all of you.

Hail yourselves. Hail Satan!

Remember, TST and its owners are not above criticism, it’s just that every single example of criticism or your own experiences you can think of contrary to their narrative is invalid, improper, counter-productive, or defamatory in the eyes of those who stay in the Temple.

And, again, just based on their literally formulaic responses to whole groups of on-the-ground volunteer leaders and communities breaking away, the goal will be to rebuild like nothing happened and keep expecting news media not to notice that “TST in Discord” is on the nose in more ways than one.

We are thrilled to announce exciting developments for The Satanic Temple in [state]! While we wish the former TST [state] leadership team all the best in their new venture, we are excited to announce the creation of a new [state] Discord server to keep our vibrant community connected throughout this transitional period. Managed by dedicated congregation leaders from across the country, this server will serve as a temporary space for all TST members in [state] to connect with fellow congregation members seeking community. Our leadership team will ensure you stay updated with all official TST communications.

Members of TST [state] who are interested in leading your congregation, please email mail@thesatanictemple.com to discuss the opportunity further. CVs and resumes are encouraged, and please let your interests, professional experience, and skills be known!

Exciting new ways for our [state] members to engage and participate in our efforts and community are on the horizon. Together, we can navigate this transition and build a stronger, more focused, and invigorated community.

Stay connected with your local community members here: <tinyURL link>

Sincerely,

The Satanic Temple Executive Ministry Team

Facebook.com posts made minutes apart on May 27, 2024 for Florida, Minnesota, and Colorado

There is no reform to stop this from happening again because, as Misicko told you, The Satanic Temple is whatever he and Cevin Soling say it is. They’d quite literally rather have five people dedicated to their private ends and happy to be a part of it than 50,000 people who are enthusiastic, capable, and dedicated but have any sense of ownership of their labor or disagree with them in any way.

This is not a bug; it is the primary feature of what they do.

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