Satanists Denied Invocation at Boston City Council Meeting

[Kowani]

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

The US isn’t a theocracy, not are its laws based on God.

[Thermodolia]

Because it is.

I still think it’s a funny stunt, and it makes us question our practices and procedures, so it, like a lot of stunts, serves a legitimate public purpose.

I approve.

How is it a stunt? Its a recognized religion by the IRS however hard that is to believe

Because they are the religion that’s not

[Al Mumtahanah]

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

The US isn’t a theocracy, not or its laws based on God.

Who cares? If you believe in God your allegiance is to Him first, the state second.

[Thermodolia]

How is it a stunt? Its a recognized religion by the IRS however hard that is to believe

That’s a ridiculously easy hurdle.

All we need is a physical location and NSG could become a religion

[Kowani]

The US isn’t a theocracy, not or its laws based on God.

Who cares? If you believe in God your allegiance is to Him first, the state second.

, That’s not how secularism works, and it’s particularly not how Christianity works-Considering that the majority of the US is Christian, and the lawmakers even more so, this is a particularly salient point that you should familiarize yourself with.

[Thermodolia]

I'd go further to say any non-profit organisation should be invited to speak, shouldn't be limited to religious bodies.

An invocation is a prayer to open the meeting. If a non profit wanted to speak before the city council its unlikely unless in very specific circumstances they would be denied.

They are done before every session of congress and in most state legislatures too

Sounds like a great reason to do away with the invocation

[Risottia]

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

I would assume you'd want to be familiar with the concept of "religious freedom" and "secularity" before posting in a thread about America and religious discrimination.

[Thermodolia]

how about we just get religion out of government.

Sounds good to me

[Kowani]

That’s a ridiculously easy hurdle.

All we need is a physical location and NSG could become a religion

We do have enough beliefs to qualify…

[WayNeacTia]

The US isn’t a theocracy, not or its laws based on God.

Who cares? If you believe in God your allegiance is to Him first, the state second.

Really? In who's opinion? Yours? I for one believe in a higher power, but I am also a realist. Said higher power doesn't make my lights burn, or keep the eebil corporations from abusing me.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Hail Satan!


Seriously tho scrap the fucking invocations

[Thermodolia]

You are aware Thomas Jefferson himself had prayer services in the Capital Building, you know the guy who wrote ‘separation of church and state’ in a letter to a friend?

No, I was not. I recall Jefferson as an agnostic or deist or something, but my knowledge on American history is pathetic at best.

Jefferson was a deist but not to the extent they are now. Nowadays he’s probably be considered a non-denominational Christian while Thomas Paine would probably be an atheist

[Thermodolia]

The US isn’t a theocracy, not or its laws based on God.

Who cares? If you believe in God your allegiance is to Him first, the state second.

Other way around champ

[Risottia]

how about we just get religion out of government.

Sounds good to me

Nah.
Let's just start every session with invocations to all deities of all religions (and to humanity, for the irreligious), in a random order to be picked by a committee every day.
Just allow five minutes for every invocation of every single deity, lest we incur in the wrath of some possible (or non possible) deity.

I'm sure it will be entirely workable!

[Rojava Free State]

The city council: "you can't do that, that's offensive"

Also the city council: *has prayers led by representatives from religions responsible for 100000 to the tenth power times the amount of killing and destruction as the satanic temple, which I'm pretty sure is a bunch of atheists getting together to be edgy and prove a point.

No seriously, as far as I've seen in life, most Satanists don't actually worship satan but rather use him as a symbol of rebellion and also to trigger evangelicals. Now maybe there are some true devil worshippers out there but I would say upwards of 90% of them don't actually think the devil is real

[Rojava Free State]

Sounds good to me

Nah.
Let's just start every session with invocations to all deities of all religions (and to humanity, for the irreligious), in a random order to be picked by a committee every day.
Just allow five minutes for every invocation of every single deity, lest we incur in the wrath of some possible (or non possible) deity.

I'm sure it will be entirely workable!

Boston: *forgets to praise Shiva*

Shiva: am I a joke to you?

[Rojava Free State]

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

Give us some proof that your god exists. I want some photographs and studies done by scientists. Better yet, arrange for a meeting between him and all of us.

[Aclion]

Seems like if they want to give the invocation they need to get someone elected who's willing to do it, just like everyone else. Anything else would be special treatment.

But what if allowing the Satanic Temple to do the invocation would undermine the relations between the city council and the people they represent?

You think it would be too on the nose?

[The New California Republic]

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

Not a theocracy.

[San Lumen]

The city council: "you can't do that, that's offensive"

Also the city council: *has prayers led by representatives from religions responsible for 100000 to the tenth power times the amount of killing and destruction as the satanic temple, which I'm pretty sure is a bunch of atheists getting together to be edgy and prove a point.

No seriously, as far as I've seen in life, most Satanists don't actually worship satan but rather use him as a symbol of rebellion and also to trigger evangelicals. Now maybe there are some true devil worshippers out there but I would say upwards of 90% of them don't actually think the devil is real

I never knew that about them

[Kernen]

The US isn’t a theocracy, not or its laws based on God.

Who cares? If you believe in God your allegiance is to Him first, the state second.

That's a good way to get sued and removed from office or hit with an injunction.

Government and religion have no place mixing in the US.

Even though the Satanic church exists solely to twit Judeochristian ideals in the US, I'm all about letting them give an invocation. Twitting the religious is always a valid action.

[Ifreann]

Clearly the only fair thing to do is to give every religion a turn at their invocation.

Or, you know, have the city council stick to city business and let councillors pray on their own time.

[Kernen]

Clearly the only fair thing to do is to give every religion a turn at their invocation.

Or, you know, have the city council stick to city business and let councillors pray on their own time.

Would it really be government if it got around to government business in a timely manner?

[Ifreann]

Clearly the only fair thing to do is to give every religion a turn at their invocation.

Or, you know, have the city council stick to city business and let councillors pray on their own time.

Would it really be government if it got around to government business in a timely manner?

A man can dream.

[Araraukar]

Most city councils in the US begin all meetings with a invocation or a spoken prayers of sorts. I would assume the practice is done in other countries as well

...really not. Sounds very weird, something like only some clearly religious state would do every time.

They are done before every session of congress and in most state legislatures too

Isn't USA supposed to be a secular state? If that's really a common practice, it's really creepy.

The solution is simple: end invocations before meetings of governmental bodies.

^This has my approval.

But if invocations are for some reason needed, if the council has a Satanist member, then they should be allowed to do it if others are. Basically "let everyone have a turn, or let no-one have a turn".

In regards to the USA, where separation of church and state are in the constitution, they sure don’t act like it.

I'm fighting against the desire to say "amen to that", so I'll just instead just nod vigorously. USA is a religious country, no matter what it says in the constitution.

You are aware that the vast majority of those cultures and races that have come to America were either already Christian or became Christian?

Usually at a swordpoint, later a gunpoint, in case of Native Americans, only because their children were kidnapped and brainwashed by the Christian whites in an attempt to "civilize the savages". Just because cultural erasure happens, doesn't make the replacement the brightest and greatest.

Would you be okay with Christian rights being stomped over in some Arabic nation? Or in India? China?

No, Satanism should not even be legal, tolerating it is against God.

I would assume you'd want to be familiar with the concept of "religious freedom" and "secularity" before posting in a thread about America and religious discrimination.

From the sound of the OP, USA itself fails at comprehending those concepts.

Not a theocracy.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that...