Equal Time ...to Invoke Indignant Anger
A fair number of governmental bodies have a minister say a prayer at the start of official meetings -- an invocation. When criticized by those who favor a true separation of church and state, they often insist that the invocation is not really religious. So what happens when an atheist is invited to give an invocation? The officials sit in respectful silence, as they would insist an atheist should do when a Christian preacher gives the invocation, right? Yeah, sure. From True's 8 August 2004 issue:
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Well By Golly
The City Council in Tampa, Fla., insisted having ministers say a prayer at their meetings was not an unconstitutional religious act, proudly noting that they even let Jews say the invocation from time to time. So Atheists of Florida chairman Ed Golly called their bluff: he offered to have someone from his group say the invocation. Councilman John Dingfelder agreed to let an atheist take a turn. But when Michael R. Harvey arrived to say the invocation as scheduled, Councilman Kevin White tried to deny him a chance to speak. "We have never had people of an atheist group represent Americans," he said, "and I don't think it is appropriate in this setting." White walked out with fellow members Mary Alvarez and Rose Ferlita. Alvarez had previously gone on record that she "looked forward" to hearing the atheist's invocation. "It's a free country," she said then. Alvarez was the only one to support White's censorship attempt, but they were overruled by other council members. (AP) ...Who better understand what living in "a free country" really means.
Quite a few readers, most particularly those who identified themselves as Christian, were interested to know what an atheist's invocation* would be like. Here's the text, according to the St. Petersburg Times:
| An invocation is an appeal for guidance from a supernatural power, but it is not only that. It is also a call, a petition, to positive action on behalf of and for a diverse citizenry. On behalf of Atheists of Florida, I would like to express our gratitude in being invited to deliver today's invocation. We are committed to the separation of state and church as defined by the United States Constitution. It is the core value of that remarkable and visionary document to protect the human-derived rights of all people in the continuous struggle for equal opportunities to pursue a safe and decent quality of life. When an invocation takes on the form of public prayer, it is also a violation of the very principles upon which our country and Constitution were founded. Although we are dismayed that the practice of public prayer by governing bodies charged with representing all citizens still continues in violation of the Constitution, we also recognize that this practice has become deeply embedded in the national psyche. Elected and appointed leaders who wish to seek the guidance of a deity can do so in private, as is their right. But not in the public arena where the establishment of religion is an assured end-result. History -- that ever-unfolding, ever-flowering story of human civilization -- teaches us that the rights and accomplishments of humanity are the results of its past struggles, and that the road less traveled is many times the highest path to human progress. We therefore invoke this council and all of our leaders to be guided and inspired by the invaluable lessons of history, the honest insights of science, the guileless wisdom of logic, and the heart and soul of our shared humanity -- compassion and tolerance. So rather than clasping your hands, bowing your heads and closing your eyes, open your arms to that which truly makes us strong -- our diversity. Raise your heads and open your eyes to recognize and fully understand the problems before you and know that ultimately, solutions to human problems can come only from human beings. Thank you. --Michael R. Harvey |
*"Invocation" is not synonomous with "prayer". According to American Heritage, it is "The act or an instance of invoking, especially an appeal to a higher power for assistance" primarily. Secondarily: "A prayer or other formula used in invoking, as at the opening of a religious service" (emphasis added). Thirdly, it can be "The act of conjuring up a spirit by incantation, or an incantation used in conjuring." A brief secular speech certainly meets the dictionary definition of "invocation".
Related Pages on this site include:
- The letters about this story, where you can also comment.
- My call for true religious freedom in the U.S.
- The infamous feng shui story and the resulting famous Get Out of Hell Free cards.
- Is This is True "anti-Christian"?