After Satanist's Invocation, Alaska Borough Officials Want to End the Practice

[NeoGreen]

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/07/01/after-satanists-invocation-alaska-borough-officials-want-to-end-the-practice/#comment-4522950679

After Satanist’s Invocation, Alaska Borough Officials Want to End the Practice
By Hemant Mehta, July 1, 2019

Two weeks ago, Satanist Iris Fontana delivered an invocation at a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Alaska, leading to protests on that day and beyond.

It was actually the second time she’s given the prayer. After the first time, two years ago, the assembly members instituted new rules effectively blocking Satanists and atheists from ever giving the invocation again. They sued. They won. The borough opened up the invocation opportunities to everyone — and several non-Christians signed up. Fontana was one of them, which is why she spoke last month.

She didn’t say anything problematic. She even urged officials to “use reason, logic, science, and compassion to create solutions for the greater good of our community.” Lovely! But she didn’t hide her identity, either, ending her prayer with the words, “It is Done. Hail Satan.”

Now one official is proposing getting rid of the invocation entirely.

Assembly member Willy Dunne said in a recent memo (written the day after Fontana’s speech) that invocations are no longer meeting the “spiritual needs of assembly members.” Instead they have “resulted in controversial and divisive actions in our community.”

Ending the practice of invocations will save the borough taxpayers’ money and reduce divisiveness in our community. It is expected that assembly members can find ways to have their spiritual needs met outside of public meetings.

He’s calling for a vote at their next meeting — tomorrow — that would put a ballot measure in front of citizens to eliminate invocations at future meetings.

From the comments:

[shanny]

1. I'm cool with that.

I bet the Satanists and atheists are too.

[MineralMan]

2. Good! Getting prayer out of the halls of government should be the goal.

As a longtime atheist, I've given invocations at public meetings, myself, on a few dozen occasions. A few times, I did so for government bodies, like city councils or county boards. Completely non-religious ones. Like that Satanist, my invocations always call for decisions to be made logically and with concern for those who aren't there to speak. However, I didn't invoke some other deity. I just ended with, "Thank you."

In some cases, I asked to give an invocation as a non-religious person, for reasons of fairness. In a few cases, I was asked to do so by someone in the group, who recognized that different forms of invocation should be part of the mix.

Oddly enough, my religion-free invocations were always well-received and did not lead to angry criticisms. Mostly, nobody noticed that I left off any mention of any sort of deity. I thought that was interesting at the time.

I have invocations (calls to fair and logical action), statements before meals, (recognition of sources), and benedictions (good words) ready to deliver on demand. I can deliver them at a moment's notice, and am always happy to do so. They are all brief and non-confrontational, and have no religious content whatsoever.

[Tech]

3. Separation of church and state. What a concept.

[Cartoonist]

4. Why does he need a ballot measure?

I suspect this is a stunt to increase divisiveness in the community.

[Mariana]

6. The ballot measure is to take responsibility off themselves

for making the decision. They can continue to allow equal access as required by the law, or they can do away with the "invocations" altogether. Either of these actions will no doubt offend many local Christians, and the assembly members won't want to be on the hook one way or the other.

I hope Ms. Fontana's house insurance is paid up.

[Iggo]

10. No shit. All they gotta do do is quit it.

[Mariana]

5. "...they have resulted in controversial and divisive actions in our community."

Your bullshit "invocations" were always divisive. That was the point of having them in the first place, to be divisive by excluding non-Christians.

[Major Nikon]

7. Kinda sucks when you find out the Constitution doesn't support your religious privilege

[AtheistCrusader]

8. When you are marinating in privilege, equality seems like discrimination to you.

[Iggo]

9. "Oh! Now we get it!"

[Steelrolled]

11. I agree with getting rid of them

Who listens anyhow?