Activist Chaz Stevens at the Florida State Capital with his Festivus Pole made of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. – (courtesy Chaz Stevens)
By: Sharon Aron Baron
One organization is threatening legal action if the City of Coral Springs doesn’t allow an activist to lead a Satanic invocation, or asks them to stop having religious invocations altogether before their City Commission meetings.
This happened on Thursday after we wrote about activist Chaz Stevens who sent us an email correspondence with Mayor Skip Campbell asking why he wasn’t slated to speak after his first request back in June, even though there were slots available. 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. “
Attorney Andrew L. Seidel from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a terse letter to the city alerting them to the unconstitutionality of their policy regarding invocations before their meetings.
“We understand that the City Commission of the City of Coral Springs has permitted sectarian religious invocations at their meetings, but has refused to allow local citizen Chaz Stevens to deliver an invocation, even though there were slots available for him to deliver an invocation, because he adhered to an un popular religion, Satanism.
The letter went on to say that this practice flies in the face of the Supreme Court decision Greece, NY v Galloway. Seidel wrote,” If the Commission truly believes that Satanist invocations will create fear and unrest in their community, the solution is to stop having the invocations. Greece does not require the Commission to allow invocations. All this could be avoided and taxpayer dollars saved, if the Commission were to simply get down to the business of doing its job, rather than first experimenting with the dangerous mix of religion and government.”
Seidel brought up Brevard County’s recent resolution that prevented atheists, agnostics, and non-believers from delivering invocations before County Commission meetings and now they are having to defend their policy in federal court in a lawsuit filed by the FFRF, the ACLU of Florida and Americans United.
The FFRF asks that the city respond in writing with its plan to ensure that people of any or no religion are allowed to give invocations.
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.
Related
NewsApril 25, 2024Get Ready for Summer Safety at Superhero Swim Academy
NewsApril 25, 2024Seeking Forever Homes: Meet Flash and Sweetie at the Humane Society of Broward County
NewsApril 25, 2024Coral Glades High School Accepting Applications for Junior Jaguars VPK Program
EventsApril 25, 2024Hundreds to Pray for Haiti at Parkridge Church in Coral Springs
11 comments
Bah…just tell the Satan worshiper to go to Hell….
By that, you mean Margate?
I guess ” tolerance ” and ” diversity ” has to be tested – next it will be gender free toilets in the new city hall ….
You speak as if tolerance and diversity are bad things.
This is really very simple: either allow everyone the equal opportunity to present the invocations or do away with the invocations altogether. Why doesn’t government just concern itself with governing?
That was the problem with the Supreme Court ruling. They knew good and well many municipalities would only permit Christian or other non-threatening (Jewish?) invocation and deny the rest. That would leave us to sue them for our Constitutional rights, which we should not have to do. But, we will do!
Good work, Mr. Stevens. Good work, FFRF.
Hopefully the city has the good sense to avoid a lawsuit they cannot win and their shameful and discriminatory practice.
I believe in equality/diversity/tolerance for everyone. But, Satan worship? Since when did worshiping the devil and evil become “good”? This is why our country, literally, is going to hell IMO. I’m fine with telling them to stop praying or whatever they do before the meetings, but praising the devil before city meetings is as ridiculous as his little beer can statue.
Mr. Mayor and JD, allow this guy to do his thing and we will be done with him for at least a year as you could easily line up other religious leaders that are legit to fill a year or two and maybe by that time Satan will have succumbed to his Pabst habit; that stuff will kill ya!!! Quit wasting attorney time and money and avoid this baloney, after all Skip, it is your man in the White House that has helped contribute to all this bull. In case my position isn’t clear, I am dead set against this kind of garbage but you can’t fight the Progressive gov’t (at least now)!!
I disagree….think that is the problem, no one wants to fight for what is right. Its why the moral fiber of our country is in the toilet. This whole thing is so ridiculous and has nothing to do with religion or anything else, he obviously is doing it for attention, something my 5 yr old used to do.
I’m with ya Barb, but this has been fought in FL and elsewhere in the courts and we lose. Look at it this way, non-Christians (even made up religions) have the same rights as Christians. Sad thing these days is it seems that Christians are the ones taking it in the chin. Will see you at city hall to give him grief when it happens ;)