# The Satanic Temple performs Pink Mass, gay unions at Westboro Baptist Church gravesite **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805 "2013-07-18T01:36:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/1 "2013-07-18T01:36:12Z")
From the [official press release](http://www.westboro-baptist.com/grave-site-ceremony/)from The Satanic Temple: > [@](#): > > This past Sunday, July 14, top officials from the New York-based Satanic Temple traveled to the grave site of the mother of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps in order to stage a formal ceremony celebrating same-sex unions. Photos of the ceremony are publicly available on the new Satanic Temple-operated website, [www.westboro-baptists.com](http://www.westboro-baptists.com), where The Satanic Temple encourages other same-sex couples to submit their own photos from similar pilgrimages to the Mississippi cemetery. > > Satanic Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves officiated the ceremony while two same-sex couples celebrated their homosexuality at the gravesite. > > The Satanic Temple supports freedom and the pursuit of happiness for all people, thus they support same-sex couples’ legal equality. The Satanic Temple claims that the mass was conducted as an affirmation of those values, and claims that the action is meant to convey a message of love in the face of hate. The website also provides instructions on how to conduct your own Pink Mass, to render a deceased loved one, or in the case of Fred Phelps’ mother, a deceased person not personally known to oneself, gay in the afterlife. The stated goal of [The Satanic Temple](http://www.thesatanictemple.com/campaigns/), aside from helping gay couples “respectfully and tastefully express their mutual affection”, is to draw attention to the Temple’s efforts to raise money to join the NY Adopt-a-Highway program. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/2 "2013-07-18T02:27:04Z")
> [@](#): > > . . . while two same-sex couples celebrated their homosexuality at the gravesite. I **do** hope that means what I think it does. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/3 "2013-07-18T02:31:04Z")
They don’t sound very satanic. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/4 "2013-07-18T02:44:16Z")
Pink mass? To render a loved one gay in the afterlife? Way to outcrazy the Mormons! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/5 "2013-07-18T02:58:06Z")
Look, I live in Topeka, and I drive past the WBC compound almost every day. My church has been picketed many a time by the WBC, and I have been shouted at by picketers(for counter picketing) and I even got mentioned in one of their faxes. But I think this “Pink Mass” is disgusting, tacky, whatever you want to call it. Those participating are reducing themselves to the low level the WBC already occupies. Folks should take a higher road when protesting, or opposing, noxious groups like the WBC. I know those who say they can’t wait for Phred himself to die, so they can picket HIS funeral. I disagree, why be as sad and misguided as those you are in opposition to? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/6 "2013-07-18T03:35:29Z")
It seems exactly like the sort of thing someone who calls himself a satanist would do. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/7 "2013-07-18T04:01:43Z")
Trolling the trolls. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/8 "2013-07-18T07:00:34Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Look, I live in Topeka, and I drive past the WBC compound almost every day. My church has been picketed many a time by the WBC, and I have been shouted at by picketers(for counter picketing) and I even got mentioned in one of their faxes. > > But I think this “Pink Mass” is disgusting, tacky, whatever you want to call it. Those participating are reducing themselves to the low level the WBC already occupies. > > Folks should take a higher road when protesting, or opposing, noxious groups like the WBC. I know those who say they can’t wait for Phred himself to die, so they can picket HIS funeral. I disagree, why be as sad and misguided as those you are in opposition to? Then you don’t understand Satanism.This is the type of stuff they do–they haven’t lowered themselves at all. If anything, by picking a more worthy target, they’ve raised themselves up a bit. Satanism basically exists to troll the religious. Its very name was chosen because it was supposed to scare Christians. It makes them feel powerful to see other people freaking out over them. Granted, this is weak sauce. If they really wanted to do this right, they’d try to find a way to make Phelps believe he might not be one of the elect and thus all his hatred was for naught. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/9 "2013-07-18T07:24:59Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > But I think this “Pink Mass” is disgusting, tacky, whatever you want to call it. Those participating are reducing themselves to the low level the WBC already occupies. It’s the Satanist church, for them tacky is a way of life. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/10 "2013-07-18T12:58:38Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It’s the Satanist church, for them tacky is a way of life. So, this season, what colour is the new pink? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/11 "2013-07-18T13:52:12Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > But I think this “Pink Mass” is disgusting, tacky, whatever you want to call it. Those participating are reducing themselves to the low level the WBC already occupies. > > Folks should take a higher road when protesting, or opposing, noxious groups like the WBC. I consider myself a broad-minded guy who can tolerate a lot of things, but I don’t think I can accept the idea of tasteful Satanists. For the record this is still different than what the WBC does: they mostly target people who haven’t done anything at all except die, and the Satanists are targeting the WBC specifically because of their actions. So their protest still makes more sense than what Westboro does. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/12 "2013-07-18T18:10:14Z")
Surely this is just providing Phelps with more ammo? Now he can say he has proof that the gays and the devil worshippers are on the same side… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-satanic-temple-performs-pink-mass-gay-unions-at-westboro-baptist-church-gravesite/663805/13 "2013-07-18T18:13:15Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > Surely this is just providing Phelps with more ammo? Are you saying he needs ammo, or are you saying he didn’t already hate gays as much as he could?