By: Sharon Aron Baron
The City of Coral Springs has decided it would rather end all religious invocations rather than fight potential legal action by denying one religion, or quasi- religions, over another to lead the prayer before city commission meetings.
Writer and activist Chaz Stevens informed us that the city sent him an email after their workshop meeting telling him that as of October 1, there will be no more invocations in Coral Springs.
He contacted the city back in June asking to lead a Satanic prayer and was told there was availability, but before they could schedule him, they said they would review their policy on speakers and would keep him updated. Several months later, he contacted Mayor Skip Campbell asking why he wasn’t slated to speak after his first request back in June, despite available slots. Campbell wrote back, “Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Our city attorney is researching the issue and has not given his opinion yet.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last May that prayer is allowed at city and county commission meetings, provided it applies to all religions –  or quasi-religions.
Attorney Andrew L. Seidel from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a terse letter to the city alerting them to the unconstitutionally of their policy regarding invocations before their meetings and threatened legal action.
“It’s an infringement on my constitutional rights. It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous,” Stevens said about not being able to have his three minutes.
Dropping their religious invocations last May in Deerfield Beach, Stevens is happy that another city has ended this practice.
“If I didn’t break my femur fighting in the ring, I’d be up doing a dance now,” said Stevens. “They [Coral Springs] are a bully that have the ball, and when you piss them off, they go home. They’re not sharing, and they’re controlling the message when it comes to the message of spiritually.”
Next up for Stevens: religious invocations in the cities of Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee.
Said Stevens about cities that lead their meetings with religious prayer, “It’s always freedom of religion, as long as it’s their religion.”
Author Profile
- Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.
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20 comments
Good, at least one City is now aware of the law.
Why, because it hurts you sooooo much! Bet if I knew you I could find something I don’t like that you do, but wouldn’t run to ‘authorities’! Shame on the City for caving, they should not deny all the right to have a prayer before the meeting by not allowing the ‘atheist’ to have his turn! I hope they at least will have a moment of silence so all can pray if they so desire!!
I believe I came from God, and you believe you came from a monkey, Chaz, and you’ve convinced me you’re right! Now how about getting on one of the major issues that is dragging this country down Chaz, as you are good at what you do, I will give you that, but I don’t see where anyone is any safer today because of your actions.
P.S.; Have you considered that God had your femur broken to drive home a point?
G;
You would have thought, taking your kids out of school and traveling the world in that row boat of yours, you’d have learned a thing or two.
Apparently not.
Well Sir, shall we talk about your life here in a public forum?
If you feel you want to, I have nothing to hide my friend, but I don’t think that is you Chaz, so you see I did learn a lot. Not sure why the cloaked threat though, as I know you have read my posts over the months and know that I support your right to do your ‘prayer’ thing, I just don’t understand it. I am po’d at the City for giving in and cancelling the whole program, a clear victory for your cause. Surely you can’t be upset with me for speaking and utilizing my 1st Amendment rights, no more than I can be upset for you speaking and using your Constitutional rights?
There are no veiled threats. I don’t hide behind a fake name … I am in your face, out in the open.
Now, all your friends and neighbors will be able to put your comments with your face.
If i had a dollar every time some anonymous commenting twat said “I have nothing to hide” as they posted behind a fake name and avatar.
No dipshit, I have nothing to hide.
You, on the other hand, are a cunt.
Christians are like the spoiled kids on the block. As soon as someone asks to share the ball, they pick it up and run home with it to mommy. Wah waaah waaaaahhhh!
Learn the share the floor (and the airwaves), people!
Doesn’t God hear silent prayers? That’s blasphemy!
It depends on which God. If he is deaf, he “hears” nothing, so prayers are a waste of time.
My comment concerned those who want to pray aloud.
(Tongue-in-cheek)
Devil worshipping is not a religion.
au contraire mon frere it is most certainly a “religion” as defined by Webster : the belief in a god or in a group of gods or an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.
The Devil is not a God it is an anti-God , don’t get it twisted. Its not a religion it is a cult. And this guy is a joke and just looking to be in the spotlight. Maybe if it was someone with an actual belief it could be taken serious, this is not that person
Barb if you read Webster’s you will see that what KIND of god or gods is not necessary to the definition which says “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship” even an anti-god (in you opinion) can have religious followers. And remember the old “saw” An individual with delusions of god is mentally ill, a small group of people with delusions of god is a cult, but a LARGE number of people with delusions of god is a religion!” In fact they are ALL deluded into believing instead of KNOWING the FACTS.
Why not?
Sad to see the City cave to this kind of anti faith bullying. They should have let him say his Satanic prayer one time and kept freedom of all religious expression alive.
I think the guy who went after the city doesn’t really believe in anything. This was done out of provocation and hostility towards Christianity. I don’t believe the city would’ve been against a Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, or any other person of true religious faith praying. They were against what satanism represents, which runs the gamut from a purely materialist worldview (no gods, in which case the claim for it being a religion makes no sense) to one that is full blown worship of believed evil entities (anarchist viewpoints, destruction, chaos, and things contrary to law and order). Given these facts, why would a city accept an invocation from a belief system that runs contrary to the very idea of government?
The guy very much does believe in separation of Church and State. And thank Christ for that.
Nope, he doesn’t respect neither the Church nor the State. The State vows not to interfere, bully or silence true religious expression (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” – US Constitution). Freedom of religion is at the very foundation of a developed and civilized society. This man is the type of person who doesn’t respect such as important constitutional right. He’s another bigot who wants to impose his views on others, which is that the entire country should be free FROM religion.
The city won’t accommodate his religious expression in accordance with SCOTUS’s decision in Greece vs. Galloway and HE is the bigot?
You’re too much.