Satanic Temple Founder Says Over Half of Members Could Be LGBTQ
July 25,2017
Previous polls have shown a strong link between LGBT and non-religious identification, as well as heavy support from atheists and agnostics for LGBT concerns.
A 2014 Pew Forum survey found that 94 percent of both atheists and agnostics said that homosexuality should be accepted by society, which was more than any other group in America.
A separate 2013 Pew poll found that LGBT adults are less religious than the general public, with nearly half, or 48 percent, stating that they have no religious affiliation. What is more, three-in-ten LGBT adults said that they have been made to feel unwelcome in a place of worship.
The Satanic Temple found itself in the center of controversy earlier in July following mass Christian protests in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, over a planned Satanic monument meant to honor veterans.
Over a hundred Christians came out for a prayer-filled rally at Veteran's Memorial Park, holding signs such as "Satan takes souls to hell for eternity."
Local Roman Catholic clergy also spoke out against the monument, which was planned as a 23-inch by 23-inch black steel cube inscribed with inverted pentagrams.
"Sometimes these things which are evil can really, maybe, wake some people up. We really have to take our faith seriously and live it," said Fr. Brian Lynch, pastor of Our Lady of the Prairie parish.
"It feels like it's being imposed on us from the outside," Lynch added.
The Belle Plaine City Council later decided to eliminate the Free Speech Zone at the park that would have hosted the Satanic monument and other religious monuments. A statue of a soldier kneeling before a Christian cross and grave was subsequently removed.