The Phoenix City Council voted 5-4 on Wednesday night to stop all prayers and move to a moment of silence. The move comes after the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a Feb. 1 letter backing the Satanic Temple’s bid to give a prayer before the City Council’s Feb. 17 meeting.
In that letter, FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel, who’s been working on behalf of Phoenix members to stop prayers in their city since August 2012, wrote, “If this council is unwilling to listen to prayers from all citizens, regardless of their belief, the solution is to not have prayers at all.” Seidel explained the law simply: “Government prayers are an all or none proposition.”
Hundreds filled the seats for Wednesday night’s meeting. Several FFRF members testified. The meeting dragged on for hours with more than 50 citizens giving public comment, some of them shouting in defense of the “one true God.” A few prayer supporters held a prayer circle outside after the meeting, tears in their eyes.
The Phoenix City Council’s choice to get rid of prayers appears to be another example of “Lucien’s Law.” The law is named after the Satanic Temple founder Lucien Greaves but the phrase was coined by FFRF member and Florida chapter President David Williamson. Lucien’s Law states that governments will either 1) discontinue starting official sessions with prayer when the Satanic Temple asks to lead or 2) censor the Satanic Temple, thereby opening themselves to legal liability. In this case, the Phoenix City Council fortunately decided to go with option #1.
Michelle Shortt, the Satanist who was scheduled to pray, delivered her invocation to the media. It can be viewed here.
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor commented, “We’re delighted to see that reason and the Constitution has prevailed in Phoenix.”
FFRF has a national enrollment of 23,000 nonreligious members, including more than 500 in Arizona.
FOR FFRF AZ MEMBERS ONLY
CONTACT
It’s helpful to make sure the city council and mayor receive positive feedback! Please thank city council members for removing governmental prayer from council meetings.
City Council Members:
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- The Honorable Greg Stanton: [email protected]
Mayor, City of Phoenix
200 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
TALKING POINTS
Feel free to cut and paste the remarks below into your email. If you are a resident of Phoenix, please be sure to identify yourself as a constituent.
[As a a Phoenix resident and atheist/nonbeliever] I wish to thank you for taking action to halt acrimonious and divisive governmental prayers. Prayer is beyond the scope of our secular government.
