By: Sharon Aron Baron
City commissions meetings in Coral Springs typically begin with prayer by led by either a minister, rabbi, or pastor from various faiths. However, one Deerfield Beach activist who has led the fight for separation of church and state at various Broward County cities wants to put Satan on the agenda.
After a recent win in Deerfield Beach city commission meetings were being led with religious invocations, Stevens, got the commission to replace it with a moment of silence.
Now he has his eye on the invocations before Coral Springs city commission meetings, which are led by various religious leaders in the community.
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.
“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled fair is fair,” said Stevens who wrote to Coral Springs City Clerk Debra Thomas requesting a slot before a meeting.
Madam Clerk;
In the spirit of last year’s US Supreme Court Ruling (City of Greece vs. Galloway), I’m officially requesting to give the opening invocation at the next available Commission meeting.
A Satanic invocation.
Kindly let me know what date works for you.
Best
Chaz “Satan” Stevens
Stevens said his goal was to remind everyone about the separation of church and state. “Look at countries that blend church and state and look how well they are doing,” he said.
Stevens, is a political corruption buster who has brought down city commissioners Sylvia Poitier and Steve Gonot. He’s also famous for installing a Festivus pole in the state capital and various other cities that previously had only mangers.
“I have received worldwide recognition of my erection,” he jokingly told us. ”I’ve been in the Daily Mail, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and the Colbert Report.”
After sending out his request to the clerk, he followed up with an email one week later:
Ma’am.
I’m still awaiting a reply to this email.
Tsk tsk, it’s not nice to keep Satan’s Favorite Minion waiting.
Kindly advise.
Chaz “Satan” Stevens
Thomas wrote him back two days later and told him she would follow-up with the coordinator.
Once he gets his date set to lead his invocation, will Stevens be dressed as the mythic horned creature Satan?
“I’m going to bring the Satanic mariachi band strumming the sultry chords of La Bamba….hopefully people will be just as nauseated with my Satanic invocations as I am with theirs,” he said.
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32 comments
“A satanic innovation.” Does no one proofread?
Makes you wonder what occurred in this person’s childhood.
Hope our commission has some balls and says NO to Satan
What is it about spending tax money on lawsuits that can’t be won that you find so appealing?
Let’s hope they have some balls and do away with religious babbling at city commission meetings.
Exactly!
Why balls? Seems like a completely valid suggestion. Currently, they’re just giving preferential treatment to certain religions. Which, you know, is kinda bullshit.
Love it! Fair is fair. Is Wiccan invocation next? Either observe the separation of church and state or be inclusive. Please be sure to publish the date of this meeting.
Pastafarian! Paganism! Greek mythology prayers to Zeus!
Why do people feel the need to just stir the pot for the hell of it? Thats all it is and should just be ignored. The invocation is done at the pleasure of the commission plain and simple.
Well, as long as it is at the pleasure of the commission, and you approve of if. What if it was a prayer/invocation to a god you didn’t believe in? Or a religion that espoused beliefs that oppressed or offended you? Would you be so blase about it? Also – still misses the point that the commission (agents of the government) should not be promoting (through their actions) or recognizing any particular religion…
Satanism is a cult not a religion. In God We Trust…..One nation under God….That is what our country is founded on. The invocations do not promote any one religion. They are quick little prayers praying for guidance and help for the commission and the community.
Thats all they are.
What gives you the right to label one person’s belief system as a cult rather than a religion? Just because you don’t believe it? People who espouse things like thats all they are, are part of the issue. Prayers and seeking guidance from spiritual beings do not belong in a governmental agency.
Read the definition of satan, satanism etc., says it all….I am really not into this political correctness nonsense…it is what it is. Why not just leave it alone, seriously. Its a stunt nothing else.
This guy obviously doesn’t understand what the meaning of separation of church and state was designed for. Fine, let him do his thing and have the usual Police contingent prepared to remove him if they have to when he is done, as he should get not one ounce more time than a Coral Springs resident gets and if replacing prayer it has to be a legitimate prayer to his ‘satan’, as that is what he is asking for!! Start rambling and giving anything other will be disturbing the peace and provoking a riot! He will then move on to the next place to satisfy his stupidity!! What an idiot, let us know when it will be so we can all show up!
Exactly what don’t I understand about the separation of church and state?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”……the Declaration of Independence / Constitution does not say anything about “separation of church and state”, but you probably know that. Jefferson referenced it in a personal letter to a friend back in the day, but other than that it was unheard of until 1947’ish when the Everson (sp?) case came out. In fact, as you know, phrases with “God” in them are all over the Declaration of Independence and most who attended the Constitutional Convention did believe in God. Nobody is saying that the government should impose a particular religion on anybody, thus if you worship Satan you are free to do so, and of course you know that. Festivus pole, fine, but why make your negative comments about the Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu prayers or traditions and how sickening they are?? You say, “I’m going to bring the Satanic mariachi band strumming the sultry chords of La Bamba….hopefully people will be just as nauseated with my Satanic invocations as I am with theirs.” Really, do you think you are something special by bringing your hate messages to the public?? So Chaz Satan, tell me what YOU think “separation of Church and State” means.
Oh, and by the way, your TV credits leave a lot to be desired, though most are comedy shows where you belong. A little comedy might calm down your vial hate!
Hey Chaz, did satan run out of words as you asked me a question and then disappeared after I answered. Take your crap to another city block head, you have no balls!
Tell you what … give me a call on the phone … from an unblocked number … a non-google voice number…. We’ll discuss my balls then.
got a phone number?
You’re the internet wiz … I’m sure you can figure it out.
Hail Satan.
Death to America
Hail Schnitt…
Death to radio
All the commission has to do is read the comments made here and their decision should be a easy one.
What part of Greece v. Galloway do you not understand?
Think it was the “v”
Probably the part where this is just a sham and not about anything except him wanting a name for himself. He has made it quite clear this is not about religion.
I think Satan lives in the heart of our City Manager. What we really need is an Exorcist to clean out the City Mangers Office. If Mayor Campbell meets with the commissioners, it has to be an open meeting or it will be a meeting in violation of the Sunshine Law.
There is no such thing as “separation of church and state” in any founding document of the United States of America. And that simplistic formulation, as do all simplistic formulations, has been the tool of choice by which a very few manage to paralyze society by using those words like they’re casting a spell.
Our Constitution is not a simplistic formulation. Nor are its amendments. The First Amendment states that CONGRESS shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion nor prohibit the free exercise thereof. By a bizarre shenanigan of the Supreme Court, this prohibition against Congressional action was applied to the states – and the stupidity race was on.
The separation of church and state arose in an unofficial private correspondence authored by Thomas Jefferson.
And now we have a satanist insisting that “In God We Trust” means Satan? This is how lunacy spreads.
I would be OK with eliminating the prayer before the commission meeting. I think the pledge is sufficient, and this guy has a point. I don’t agree with him but what if a Muslim cleric wanted to give the prayer and prayed to Allah pretty sure folks would be really upset about that. I don’t see how we can exclude those that we don’t agree with just because we don’t agree with their beliefs. I too think that the separation fo church and state should be applied to at the municipal level as well as Federal and State. Just my 2 cents, and I don’t know how the city can avoid this guy forever.
Look I get that people are like oh how unfair this is why can’t I invoke whatever being I want well if you want get a job with the city and before any meeting pray what you will but if you say you want no one to pray before a meeting then why are you trying to invoke satan? Because that to me is the same thing it doesn’t work well to say you don’t want to have people being able to pray before meetings yet ask to do it. Also it hurts no one to let someone pray before a meeting seriously.
What’s the problem with religion and prayer?
Okay, well, other than most wars, the Crusades, the Inquisition, 9/11, arranged marriages to minors, blowing up girls’ schools, the suppression of women and homosexuals, fatwas, ethnic cleansing, honor rape, human sacrifice, burning witches, suicide bombings, condoning slavery, and the systematic fucking of children, there’s a few little things I have a problem with.
Chaz you are such a pathetic person. Who are you to determine what should and shouldn’t be? You don’t even live in Coral Springs! If the people of Coral Springs don’t have a problem with it and haven’t had a problem with it for the last 50 years, why do you need do insert your fat pathetic self in it? We don’t need your ridiculous opinion here – we can handle it. Go get a dog or build a garden, just go away.. Please!