In the aftermath of the 2024 American elections, Lucien Greaves writes:
It is often mystifying to me that people come to us and say, if only it were not Satan. But it is Satan, because we are Satanists. Do not ask us to discard Satanism, just accept that Satanism is not for you. You can support our mission without being a Satanist. You can be a Satanist without joining The Satanic Temple. But if you do join The Satanic Temple, you are not entitled to change our mission and values. So let me be clear:
We are a religion. Much has been written suggesting that Satanism is nothing more than a clever means for us to claim religious liberty exemptions and privileges. Because of this, we often get the inquiries as to why we can’t simply change from Satanists to something else, especially as we are non-supernaturalist non-theists. I have written quite a bit on this topic and will not revisit it at length here, but it is important to know that we are a religion, Satanism is meaningful to us. Blasphemous iconography serves a liberating function for us and our beliefs and identity is inextricably bound to the Satanic narrative of free inquiry and rebellion against tyranny. We are Satanists who take our right to be Satanists seriously. We are not a satanically branded activist group that was created so that you can attach a religious claim to your cause.