Stevens, from Deerfield Beach, said he doesn’t believe in Satan. He’s an atheist who said he just wants to show how ridiculous it is to pray at City Hall.
Last week, four commissioners walked out of their own meeting before Lantana atheist Preston Smith delivered an opening invocation mentioning Allah, Satan, Zeus, Jesus, Krishna and Thor.
Mayor Pam Triolo said they left because of an offensive tweet Smith made about God and rape.
The incident inspired Stevens who made a formal request to lead a city prayer. City Clerk Pam Lopez informed Stevens it could take months to pencil him in.
On Dec. 2, atheist Preston Smith led the invocation at a Lake Worth City Commission meeting. Four commissioners walked out. Here’s what he said:
“Our collective atheism — which is to say, loving empathy, scientific evidence, and critical thinking — leads us to believe that we can create a better, more equal community without religious divisions. May we pray together?
“Mother Earth, we gather today in your redeeming and glorious presence, to invoke your eternal guidance in the Universe — the original creator of all things.
“May the efforts of this council blend the righteousness of Allah with the all-knowing wisdom of Satan. May Zeus, the great God of Justice, grant us our strength tonight.
“Jesus might forgive us of our shortcomings while Buddha enlightens us through His Divine affection.
“We praise you Krishna, for the sanguine sacrifice that has freed us.
“After all, if Almighty Thor is with us, who can ever be against us?
“And finally, for the bounty of logic, reason, and science, we simply thank the atheists, agnostics, and non-religious, who now account for one in five Americans, and growing rapidly.
“In closing, let us, above all, love one another, not to obtain mythical rewards for ourselves now, hereafter, or based on superstitious threats of eternal damnation, but rather, embrace secular-based principles of morality — and do good for goodness’ sake. And so we prayed. … So what?”
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment