We maintain that religious prayer has no place at local government meetings since members of the public attend and participate. However, in light of the May 2014 Supreme Court decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the best possible action we can take, for now, is to ensure that all venues include secular voices. This includes providing opportunities for all faith traditions and non-believers seeking the opportunity to participate and ensuring that no pattern of prayer exists which denigrates, proselytizes, or advances any one religion, or disparages any other.
For information on your Central Florida community, check out InvocationsOnline.com and volunteer to help us ensure that the voice of all citizens is included, that each local government body is following the law, and help us demonstrate the diversity (or lack thereof) in these invocations.
The invocations below extend back to 2003. We have stopped cataloging all secular invocations across the United States and will only be posting those facilitated by the CFFC on this page as of January 2016.
Keep up with all the upcoming CFFC invocations on our events page on Facebook.
24 October 2016 - City of Sanford (FL) Council Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 283 words
Thank you, Mayor, Commission Members, Staff, and community members for the opportunity to offer opening words for this meeting.
Tonight, let us leave our stressful lives outside as we consider the tasks at hand and focus on the challenges facing the City.
Undoubtedly, you will consider many issues during this meeting. The public trust requires that every issue be considered on it's own merit...be analyzed thoroughly...and decided through rational problem solving...guided by ethics and integrity.
Albert Einstein said “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
Tonight, may we learn from yesterday's mistakes and challenges. May we focus on the tasks at hand, use reason to guide our decisions and take joy in our work. And may we always increase the promise for opportunity and the hope those in our City might have through the wise decisions being made on their behalf this evening.
Let us welcome the challenges of the future we see before us and be undaunted by those yet to be known.
The strength of the City of Sanford is in its residents, city officials and hardworking city employees.
May we be mindful of the unity we have in our single, yet diverse human family with common values and shared needs. May we work together toward a cleaner environment, safer neighborhoods, stronger schools, and a viable economy with sustained employment opportunities for all who seek them.
May we provide for well-trained and equipped firefighters, emergency responders, law enforcement, and our military, and may we never forget their sacrifices.
As we forge ahead toward a common good for the City of Sanford, may we all benefit from the enduring power that can only come from working together.
Thank you.
26 September 2016 - City of Orlando (FL) Council Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 368 words
Thank you Mr. Mayor, council members and citizens.
Let us take this moment, before we begin, to pause and reflect on why we have come together.
Sometimes it seems we are inundated with bad news on a daily basis with tragedies around the globe. Our news feeds can feel as if they are filled with sadness. And life can seem too busy as we hustle to barely keep up with it all.
Let us remember that these events are truly only a small fragment of what is happening in our world. Just consider that which you will contemplate today – where we see an outpouring of love for our community - The Pride Parade, the mile walk for a cure for Downs Syndrome and the art exhibition for breast cancer. And the proclamation to recognize that Native Plants are an important part of providing a better environment, not just for our native animals, but for us all.
So let your hearts be filled with hope as we plan for a brighter future.
Life's fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. That is what brings us here today.
We are working together to the benefit of the society - which we want to see for ourselves and our children.
Today – we leave our busy schedules outside for just a little while. During this meeting, let us remember to be concerned for the well-being of all among us, to use reason to guide our debate, to be committed to the diversity with which we thrive, and to respect all those of differing views. For without disagreement, we may not learn from one another.
The City Beautiful presents many challenges to its leaders, but none which are too great for us to meet together. Everyone brings unique abilities with them to help us solve the problems at hand. And all the knowledge we need is right here, in this room.
No matter what work lies ahead, let’s remember the words of the great Arnold Palmer. He was our King even before Orlando had a castle. He said: “The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.”
Thank you.
9 August 2016 - Seminole County (FL) Commission Meeting
Chris Jepson: 295 words
Thank you, commissioners and staff.
All of you have made sacrifices in your commitment to community.
Kudos to the staff of Seminole County as well. Good government requires an informed and engaged public, committed elected officials such as your self and a competent, professional staff to ensure the execution of sound public policy as well as the management of county services. Again, Kudos to you all.
As we begin today, let us pause for a moment and consider who we are and why we’re here TOGETHER as citizens of Seminole County.
Today’s agenda reveals a growing county, one with many strengths. Challenges, too. We avoid the challenges at our peril.
One outcome for today is that we will have come together cooperatively to do the public’s good work.
We convene today because - as county stakeholders, - “We the people” represent democracy in action. Local government, above all others, welcomes direct participation in a unique way.
No matter who you are – you have a voice in how government works for you. Some voices are loud, some insistent, but all are welcome. All of us are due consideration.
Let us take a lesson from the Great American Free Thinker Robert Ingersoll and strive to:
• Be sincere.
• To utter honest words
• To love liberty,
• To Receive new truths with gladness, and, finally,
• To Cultivate hope - as we do the best – that can be done.
Let me close with Robert Ingersoll’ most famous quote:
“This is my doctrine: - Give every other human being - every right- you claim for yourself.” End of quote
We are here - as Seminole Countians - to hopefully pursue all these things today.
As One people, - one county, -
as one nation, -
all strong –
and indivisible.
Thank you.
25 July 2016 - City of Casselberry (FL) Commission Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 223 words
Thank you Mayor Glancy, commissioners and city staff. As we begin this evening, let us pause for a moment and consider who we are and why we’re here TOGETHER for the citizens of the City of Casselberry.
Tonight’s agenda reveals a growing city with many needs and challenges. We cannot avoid the challenges which we find in our way, but we can choose our behavior and the example we set as community leaders to overcome them as a team.
Our full focus and care of all stakeholders must be given to ensure an outcome that embodies the concept of “We the people” because this meeting tonight reflects democracy in action. Local government, above all others, welcomes direct participation in a unique way.
No matter who you are – you have a voice and it will be heard. Some voices will be loud, some will be insistent, but remember that all – no matter how quiet, or ineloquent -- should be welcome from beginning to end. And all should be given consideration.
Let us take a lesson from Robert Ingersoll and strive to:
• To be sincere
• To utter honest words
• To love liberty
• Receive new truths with gladness, and
• Cultivate hope as we do the best that can be done.
We endeavor in all these things tonight, one people, one city, as one nation, indivisible.
Thank you.
21 July 2016 – Volusia County (FL) Council
Jocelyn Williamson: 322 words
Thank you Chairman Davis, Commission Members, Staff, and community members for the opportunity to offer opening words for this morning’s meeting.
This morning as we pause for before we begin the meeting, let us remember to leave our personal conflicts at the door. The purpose of the meeting today is for the good of the more than half a million people of the county of Volusia.
I know this is a room in which there there can be challenging debates, moments of tension, and of ideological divisions. But let us also be mindful that this room contains members of our wonderfully diverse human family with common values, needs, hopes, and dreams—many of which we share. Let us cherish and celebrate our shared capacity for reason and compassion. Because it is our similarities that move us forward and our ability to recognize the value and worth of our entire community as well as the dignity of each individual that makes us great.
As American Hall of Famer and former Senator Bill Bradley once said - “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.”
As decisions are reached this today, keep in mind the common goal of improving the lives of everyone in the County and even those who will be affected by this morning’s decisions for generations to come.
Wisdom is something that is often called for as these meetings begin – REMEMBER - all the knowledge needed is already right here in this chamber. Your fellow commissioners, the hard-working county staff, as well as citizens and business owners come to serve along with you and to be a resource to call upon.
I will close with a quote from Helen Keller – ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ‘
Thank you.
11 April 2016 - City of Casselberry (FL) Commission Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 347 words
Thank you Mayor, Commissioners, Staff, and community members for the opportunity to offer opening words for the meeting on behalf of your residents and for the benefit of each of us here.
This evening as we pause for before we begin the meeting, let us remember to leave our personal conflicts at the door. The purpose of the meeting tonight is for the good of the people and the City of Casselberry. It is for all of us to work together and to help make Casselberry“a great place to live.”
I know this is a room in which there there can be challenging debates, moments of tension, and of ideological divisions. But let us also be mindful that this room contains members of our wonderfully diverse human family with common values, needs, hopes, and dreams—many of which we share. Let us cherish and celebrate our shared capacity for reason and compassion. Because it is our similarities that move us forward and our ability to recognize the value and worth of our entire community as well as the dignity of each individual that makes us great.
As American Hall of Famer and former Senator Bill Bradley once said - “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.”
As decisions are reached this evening, keep in mind the common goal of improving the lives of everyone in the City and even those who will be affected by this evening’s decisions for generations to come. Wisdom is something that is often called for as these meetings begin – REMEMBER - all the knowledge needed is already right here in this chamber. Your fellow commissioners, the hard-working city staff, as well as citizens and business owners come to serve along with you and to be a resource to call upon.
I will close with a quote from Helen Keller – ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ‘
Thank you.
16 February 2016 - Lake County (FL) Council Meeting
Michael Rowe: 318 words
Thank you so very much for inviting me. By opening this invocation to myself and others you have helped to make a better democracy. One of the biggest threats to democracy is apathy, and if everyone cannot feel welcome and accepted to join and participate than they will simply shrug their shoulders and let a chosen few make all the decisions. If the citizens of their cities, counties, states and countries were fully involved in their political events it would be a far more effective determent to their enemies.
Let us open our hearts to the welfare of all the people in our community by respecting the inherent dignity and worth of each person, and realize our differences of race, politics, religion, and social standing are merely superficial. Our common humanity unites us all, and may we recognize that, through our interdependence - that we share a common fate.
In order to achieve the greatest good as citizens of Lake County, it is important for us to maintain an open mind, and honor and respect the human rights of each other. We should consider the benefit provided by differing perspectives, and be willing to question assumptions that serve only to obstruct our path to progress.
Rather than bowing our heads and closing our eyes in deference, we should open our eyes widely to face the reality that confronts us and not lose sight of our ideals of what we could achieve. Through the prudent use of reason, compassion, listening to constituents and inviting their feedback, we can ensure success and a feeling of community in this great county.
Lastly, we must remember that in the face of adversity we need not look above ourselves for answers, but instead recognize the proven potential in ourselves and each other to overcome any challenges we face. Members of the board I respect and appreciate your service to the county.
Thank you.
25 January 2016 - City of Maitland (FL) Council Meeting
Simon Bravo: 380 words
Thank you for this opportunity to "invoke" a minority point of view. Each of us is a minority in some way. It might be race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or any other aspect in which we may be regarded as different. Each of us is also part of some majority. It is when we wear our majority hats that we need to be most mindful of how we treat others. We must pledge our best efforts to help one another, and to defend the rights of all of our citizens and residents.
What divides us is not so much our religious differences in this diverse country, but the degree of commitment we have to equal freedom of conscience for all people. Only those remarks that regard the common interests of all in attendance—and not just to the beliefs of some—can embrace the entire room, can speak on behalf of the community as a whole, and will be shared by all those who know Maitland as our Maitland.
We are gathered today, both naturalist and super-naturalist members of our community, with the shared belief that we must treat our fellow human beings with respect and dignity. In this invocation, I don't ask you to close your eyes, but to keep your eyes constantly open to the serious problems that city government can solve or improve. I don't ask you to bow your heads, but to look up at what you can accomplish by applying your considerable talents and experience to the issues that confront us.
As you work together on behalf of all who live in this city, may you draw strength and sustenance from one another through reason and compassion. Your decisions are important to me and my family: we live in Maitland; my wife teaches at a local school, the same school my daughter attends; we play tennis at the Maitland Community Park; we buy our oranges at Hollieanna Groves; and we vote right here in Downtown Maitland. So your Maitland is our Maitland. And that is a happy fact of this natural world.
I'd like to close by quoting a brief definition of peace by the great Benito Juárez: “Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others means peace.”
Thank you very much.
11 January 2016 - City of Maitland (FL) Council Meeting - 403 words
Good evening! I am happy to be here tonight to give a secular invocation and words of encouragement and inspiration. Thank you, Mayor and Commissioners; it is an honor to be given a voice. I speak for those in our community who identify as being secular humanists, atheists, and one of the fastest growing groups in America, the non-religious.
We are fortunate to live in a country founded and formed to recognize the importance of the individual, where no one shall be made to hide nor justify his or her personal beliefs, and where no government shall impose a singular religion on its citizenry.
I know this is a room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension and frustration, and of ideological division. But let us also be mindful that this is a room full of our diverse human family with common values and needs. Let us cherish and celebrate our shared capacity for reason and compassion. It is our similarities that move us forward and our ability to recognize the value and worth of our entire community that makes us great.
Instead of bowing our heads, please lift them up and look around you. Let us take a moment... look at your fellow citizens. Look past their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other arbitrary label. Look past their politics, and their beliefs or religion. Every single person in this room has inherent, unequivocal, and unquestionable value as a human being.
The original motto of the United States of America was one of inclusion. “E Pluribus Unum”, which translates, “from many, one.” It doesn’t seek to exclude or extol any citizen for any reason.
I love living in Maitland! Thank you for your service to make Maitland a great place to live. When we say, “It’s My Maitland,” I’m grateful to live in a community that is inclusive of everyone. Thank you for recognizing that “It’s My Maitland,” too!
I want to close by quoting two presidents…
Abraham Lincoln was once asked about his religion and he remarked that it was very much like that of an old man named Glenn in Indiana whom he had heard speak, "When I do good I feel good; when I do bad I feel bad; and that's my religion.”
Harry S. Truman said, “It's remarkable how much you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.”
Thank you.
28 December 2015 - City of Grandville (MI) Council Meeting
Steven Belstra: 286 words - 1 min 34 seconds
Thank you Mayor Maas and the Grandville City Council for having me speak today. My name is Steven Belstra and I am not an ordained minister or priest of any faith. I request from the council and our community that we don’t turn towards faith or religion to guide government decisions but rather good will towards all people in our community.
I speak for the minorities in the area who identify as being secular humanists, atheists, and one of the fastest growing groups in America, the non-religious. Grandville contains many different people who have different beliefs, traditions, and cultures all of which we want to see considered when making decisions for our community. I ask that for today and all future meetings that we can approach decisions this way. But it isn’t just in our local city council meetings where this should apply, but in all other aspects of human interaction.
2015 will be remembered as a year that major human rights decisions were made in the Obergefell vs Hodges case which granted state recognition to all same sex couples. This decision by the Supreme Court of the United States is a great example of what I am alluding to.
It is in our best interest as a community to view all of our citizens as equals, regardless of their beliefs of an afterlife or their beliefs about human sexuality. So what I ask of my local city council is that you govern with reason and empathy towards all people, regardless of the church I do or don’t attend, the person that I marry, or the beliefs that you may or may not share with other citizens of the community.
Thank you for your time, council.
21 December 2015 – City of Longwood (FL) Commission Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 263 words - 1 min 22 sec
Thank you Mayor, Commission Members, Staff, and community members for the opportunity to offer opening words for tonight’s meeting.
This is a room in which there are many challenging debates, moments of tension, of frustration, and ideological division. This is also a room where we come to work together and where we have much more in common than we realize or remember during our discourse. And we all share the same potential for care, for compassion, for fear, for joy, for love…
On this eve of the Winter Solstice, the year’s darkest day, let’s take a moment to reflect on a few examples of what we have to be thankful for. We have a safe city thanks to our hardworking police, firefighters, and paramedics looking out for our health and our security. We have children who are learning and growing because of our wonderful teachers who dedicate themselves to a brighter future. And we have a city that thrives because this commission and the city staff are dedicated to working together with the community.
Carl Sagan once wrote, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”
There is, in the political process, much to bear. In this room tonight, let us cherish and celebrate our shared humanness, our common capacity for reason and compassion and our love for Longwood and its place in Central Florida.
No matter why or how you celebrate the change of season may you, your family, and friends be filled with hope for a bright future, and love for your neighbor.
http://weblink.longwoodfl.org/weblinkpublic/0/doc/474753/Electronic.aspx
19 November 2015 – Volusia County (FL) Council
David Williamson: 217 words - 1 min 25 sec
To Be of Use by Marge Piercy
The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.
16 November 2015 – City of Longwood (FL) Commission Meeting
Martha Kirby: 344 words - 2 min 40 sec
Thank you Mayor, Commission Members, Staff, and community members for allowing me this opportunity to offer opening words for tonight’s meeting and for the good work you will do here together on behalf of our beautiful community and its residents.
As I began contemplating what to say this evening I Googled the City of Longwood and found excellent words of inspiration right on your home page. The first phrase of the mission statement of Historic Longwood is “to foster citizen trust by practicing open, accountable, and responsive government.” What an excellent idea! Further searching led me to information on the commission-manager model employed by Longwood: elected commissioners representing the community and its citizen’s needs and wishes; and an appointed manager to carry out policy and ensure that the entire community is being served. In addition, there is a section encouraging citizen activism by promoting open communication.
Reading these words, I was reminded of the term “servant leader” – one who focuses on the growth and well-being of people and communities to which they belong; a way of behaving in leadership that allows shared power and collaboration.
I offer for your consideration and reflection (from the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership several important characteristics of servant leaders that we should embody as we work together through tonight’s agenda and beyond:
Listening – to each other and to all who need to be heard
Empathy – for all stakeholders
Awareness – of the uniqueness of each of us and our shared humanity
Conceptualization – developing clarity in thought and purpose
Foresight – what effect will our decisions have?
Stewardship – careful and responsible management
Commitment – to the growth of people
Building community – through engagement and trust
Practicing these behaviors with intent, having confidence in yourselves and in the citizens of Longwood; working together courteously and respectfully; and making the most of everyone’s unique talents, contributions, and differences will truly make the City of Longwood an outstanding place to work and live.
May you bring your best selves to this service and do this work, hand in hand, with each other and with our community.
22 October 2015 – City of Winter Garden (FL) Commission Meeting
Ed Lynch: 286 words - 3 min 8 sec
Before I begin the invocation, I would like to briefly give thanks. This will be the first non-religious invocation before a government meeting in this city—as far as we know.
For their role in getting us to this point, after countless religious invocations and a few recent moments of silence, I would like to thank Joseph Richardson—for blazing the trail; David Williamson and the Central Florida Freethought Community, along with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, for all their hard work supporting the Constitution; city staff for their work on this issue and this Commission for inviting me to do the invocation today. Thank you all.
(Mayor interrupts: “[Commissioner] Colin Sharman did.”)
'Thank you' to you, double.
Thanks also to everyone here today for taking the time to participate in our democracy. Winter Garden is a great place to live, work, and play. With that, let me begin the invocation:
Let us play.
There is work to be done but let's not forget to play. One of the greatest human accomplishments took a great deal of work but started with a most playful idea, "Let's fly to the moon and back."
Let us play.
From the first time we touched the mobile hanging over our crib, we learned that effort is rewarded. As toddlers we were constantly learning mostly through play. Throughout childhood we learned many lessons through play:
Share, take turns, play fair.
Control your emotions!
The importance of a level playing field.
The importance of teamwork.
Play by the rules. Don't cheat.
Learn from your mistakes.
Make sure everyone is included.
Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.
In other words, treat others how you would want to be treated.
All learned through play.
Each of us here won the lottery…to be here, in this moment, each moment of awareness. Focus on each moment and be thankful for it. We won the lottery.
Think about it; we are literally stardust. Only as a result of incredible luck: the unlikely conditions for the beginning and continuation of life, followed by billions of years of evolution. Here we are. Stardust. Capable of playing--Angry Birds, Minecraft, Fallout 4, Orlando City, Solar Bears, right here in Winter Garden.
Capable of learning. Capable of, thereby, learning. Capable of making up our own minds. Capable of kindness. Capable of getting past our differences and creating a better town, a better world, for all of us.
21 October 2015 – City of Apopka (FL) Commission Meeting
Joseph Richardson: 212 words - 1 min 26 sec
Thank you, Mayor and Commissioners. I’m very happy to be here tonight to represent the Central Florida Freethought Community and to offer this secular invocation.
As humans, we have an unfortunate tendency to separate ourselves into groups. We notice differences between “us” and “them” and then tend to think that the things which make us “us” also make us better than “them”. We emphasize these differences for one reason or another and then band together over these various ideologies or beliefs, skin colors or gender. This probably offered survival advantages at one time but these days, it seems mostly to work to our detriment.
Tonight, as you consider the issues on the agenda, I encourage you to do your best not to exclude and not to divide, but to come together as a board and unite this community. As you deliberate, keep in mind that most inclusive of concepts, the trait we all hold in common, and the identity that excludes no one: our humanity.
It’s hard to go wrong with a quote from Carl Sagan so I’ll close with this: “Each one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
Thank you.
22 September 2015 – Seminole County (FL) Commission Meeting
Brenda Frei: 376 words - 3 min 8 sec
Good morning. It's nice to meet all of you and thank you for having me.
When our family moved to Seminole County a little more than four years ago, our attachment and affection for this area grew quickly. We stood in awe in front of the breathtaking tree, The Senator, and then only a few weeks later, we grieved - along with you - when hearing about the tragic loss. We appreciated our recent visit to the welcoming Seminole County Historical Museum to marvel at the beautiful memorial art pieces.
Since living in Seminole County we have seen in our backyard: deer, turtles, raccoons, armadillos, and numerous gorgeous birds. We have seen a bear run by and a bald eagle soar above. Wow!
What a special place to embrace as home.
From a multitude of different plants and animals to a variety of different people - with diverse backgrounds, goals, beliefs, constructs, views of reality, and motivations, - all make Seminole County unique. Yet, despite any differences, I would hope that concern for humanity and our environment is in every one of us here.
For example - From my husband's work helping to improve the lives of people with epilepsy to our youngest son, a student at Hagerty High School, volunteering for an Alzheimer's care facility in Casselberry or playing piano for the Sanford Welcome Center, everyone can have an important role to play. We thank you for your role and service, for your pledge and commitment to care about each of us.
Like many others, we were drawn to Seminole County for its pride and excellence in education… - where skilled teachers require that students have factual support for their assignments and assertions. Perhaps, above all is the importance of students learning to create a community of cooperation and inclusiveness, with no bullying, name-calling, prejudice, or unfair negative stereotyping. May we as adults also choose to practice these values and principles. May we lead our young people by positive example and may we also learn from our children as well. Today and going forward, - we ask that you use evidence-based knowledge, as well as compassion, inclusiveness, and kindness in guiding your civil discussion and decision-making over issues that affect us all.
Thank you again.
21 September 2015 – Osceola County (FL) Commission Meeting
Jason Grooms: 366 words - 2 min 8 sec
Good evening. First I would like to thank the county commission for offering me this opportunity. As a proud central Florida resident for over 40 years, it is my honor to stand here before you this evening to offer words of encouragement and inspiration to begin this meeting.
It is also my honor as a Humanist Celebrant to represent the atheist, agnostic, and Humanist citizens.
Instead of bowing our heads tonight, please lift them up and look around you. Take a moment to look at your fellow citizens in the room tonight. Look each of them directly in the eyes. Look past their politics. Look past their beliefs or religion. Look past their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other label that we artificially assign.
Look into their eyes and realize that every single person in this room has inherent, unequivocal, and unquestionable value as a human being. Realize that they have the same hopes and dreams that we do. They want to love and be loved. The people around you are neighbors we know and neighbors we have yet to meet.
As a species we have survived and even thrived because of our ability to come together as a community and recognize our similarities, to bond with our fellow human beings. It is our similarities that move us forward and our ability to recognize the value and worth of our entire community that makes us great.
During the meeting and even after you leave here tonight, it is my hope that you will remember what you saw in your neighbors’ eyes. That you remember what we have in common and focus on what we all can do to aspire to the greater good of humanity.
I would like to close with a quote from Charles Darwin’s.
As man advances in civilization, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation, though personally unknown to him. This point once reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races.
Thank you!
15 September 2015 – Lake County (FL) Commission Meeting
Cynthia Lodyga: 261 words - 2 min
Members of the County Commission, staff, citizens and guests of Lake County, thank you for including me today.
This invocation is not a prayer, so no need for bowed heads or closed eyes. I join you today in the spirit of inclusion. Inclusion is about ALL of us. It’s about living full lives together in our shared community.
The original motto of the United States of America was one of inclusion. “E Pluribus Unum”, which translates, “from many, one”. It’s a motto that unites us as Americans, ALL Americans in ONE nation, indivisible. It reflects the values upon which our country was founded, and it doesn’t seek to exclude or extol any citizen for any reason.
Our country’s Founders were critical thinkers, regardless of religious beliefs or lack thereof and, in addition to an inclusive motto, they set the groundwork for a way to ensure ALL Americans could participate in society and in their government.
It has taken a while to provide a long-deserved equal footing to all and we continue to progress—even today. This includes women, African Americans, and as recently as this year, the right for all to have their loving relationships recognized as equal by the State. More and more people are being included in the process of self-governance. And this is as it should be.
So today, let us consider our shared history as a nation, our successes as a community and the continuing process of embracing more and more citizens and new perspectives —especially at the seat of government closest to our lives.
Thank you.
14 September 2015 – City of Sanford (FL) Commission Meeting
David Williamson: 410 words - 2 min 30 sec
Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, [FL] Representative [Jason] Brodeur. Members of the community. Welcome to one and all.
First I want to express my gratitude to the Commission for including the Central Florida Freethought Community in tonight’s meeting. We look forward to continued support and participation. While we cannot offer the legislative prayer the agenda calls for; atheists, humanists, freethinkers, religious skeptics, and other non-believers can provide something special—which no prayer could ever accomplish.
As we do in every other public setting—we live, work, play, learn, and we govern more effectively and harmoniously when we find amazing ways to unite instead of divide. Only those remarks that regard the common interests of all in attendance—and not just to the beliefs of some—can embrace the entire room, can speak on behalf of the community as a whole, and will be shared by all those who visit and who know Sanford as The Friendly City.
A secular invocation—not unlike a moment of silence—is welcoming to everyone. Otherwise the speech not only falls short—it may even alienate some of those who seek an audience with the Commission. Best of all, anyone can do it. Let’s give it a shot tonight:
As the community gathers this evening, let us briefly reflect on the things you, as a Commission, bring with you to do the business of improving the City of Sanford for residents, the many businesses, and cherished visitors.
Wisdom is often called for during an invocation, however all the knowledge needed is already right here in this chamber. Your fellow commissioners, the hard-working city staff, as well as citizens and business owners come to serve along with you and to be a resource to call upon.
Compassion is essential for effective public service and it is cultivated through a lifetime of learning about the needs of everyone in the community and the harm that follows when those needs are neglected.
Your integrity and honesty are earned through life lessons you take from family, friends, and your own personal experiences of these principles in everyone around you.
As we unite with the common goal of improving the lives of all stakeholders and even those who will be affected by this evening’s decisions for generations to come, take solace in the fact that on our own we can do this, because of who we are, because we have one another, and simply because it must be done.
So let’s get to work!
10 September 2015 – City of Longwood (FL) Commission Meeting
Loren Kahle: 239 words - 2 min 20 sec
Hello, thank you to the Commission for having me today. My name is Loren Kahle. I am a US Army veteran. I’ve been a Central Florida resident since 1980 and have lived in Sweetwater Oaks the past 12 years.
Tonight is the eve of one of the most important dates in American History. 9/11 will forever remind us how important it is to set aside differences and unify under a common purpose. We were unified then with a common vision and by our unique American spirit. That spirit continues to bring all people together and continues to make our country great.
Being unified is an essential element of a strong nation, a strong local community, and it is a requirement for effective government. We must always adhere to these principles which unify and include one another, especially in government; because in reality we are all so very different. We are all complex and have our own beliefs.
By adhering to principles of inclusion, we ensure respect for everyone, even those from our community who are not present this evening, regardless of differences and especially regardless of beliefs.
Because of that diversity, it is not possible for one person to speak in a manner appropriate for all. I would like to remember those who we lost on 9/11, fourteen years ago, in my own way and I encourage you to do so in yours during this moment of silence.
[pause]
Thank you.
20 July 2015 – City of Deland (FL) Commission Meeting
Jake Lee Smith: 409 words - 2 min 17 sec
As a council whose mission statement advocates the importance of representing a city with “diverse citizens” that “demonstrate a strong sense of community,” myself and others here in attendance appreciate your open-mindedness here tonight.
The DeLand city mission statement also goes on to say that we will “remain dedicated to preserving and enhancing those assets which make DeLand distinctive,” and that “We, as citizens of DeLand, will continue to strive to maintain DeLand’s heritage as the ‘Athens of Florida.’” It is my personal belief that the primary assets which make DeLand distinctive lie within the hearts of each and every one of us here in this great little town. This distinct community maintains great historic roots, and a rich heritage.
I, myself, benefit from this city’s rich heritage, as I currently attend Stetson University here in DeLand -- one of the oldest institutions of higher-education in the country. We always must, of course, seek to preserve our history, and never forget to look back at where we came from. However, it is equally important to look forward to the future, learn from the past, and keep our eyes open to progress. A great example of progress here in DeLand sits before us all, Ms. Jessica Davis, the first African American woman to be a city commissioner in this council’s 133-year history.
This shows that within all communities is the potential for improvement, and one of the greatest improvements a community can make, is that which comes from within. It’s not all about infrastructure, budgets, building codes, and taxes. No, at the core of any great town, are its great people. And as the mission statement claims, we seek to always remain a city that values the diversity of its citizens – regardless of what we look like, who we love, or what life philosophies we pledge ourselves to.
In closing, I would like to leave you all with a few important words from one of the most revered speeches in cinematic history.
“We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful…More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.”
Thank you.
16 July 2015 – Orange County (FL) Commission Meeting
Warren Geltch: 362 words -
As you know, one of the great things about Orange County is its vast diversity. Every individual in our community is important, and deserves to be treated equally...no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, or non-religion. Morally, no one can justify inequality, discrimination, or intolerance.
The record shows that through great leadership...and often difficult struggles...our sense of morality has changed and progressed over the course of our nation's history.
But positive changes usually don't come easily...or quickly. Slavery wasn't abolished until 90 years after our country's inception. Women couldn't vote until 1920...144 years after our nation's inception. Since then, we've expanded civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights. However, significant hurdles remain. There is still inequality, discrimination and intolerance.
So, how do we continue positive trends pertaining to morality?
Well, to have a good moral compass, we must possess two (2) core values.
The first core value is empathy. We must be able to place ourselves in the other person's shoes to understand them and see their point of view. We must really get to know them. When we don't know them, it's easy to demonize them. When we do get to know them, we may find that we all primarily want the same things out of life.
The second core value is conscience. We must feel good when we do the right thing and feel bad when we do the wrong thing. We must be accountable and responsible for our own actions. That includes treating others how we ourselves, want to be treated...and making this one life the best we can, not just for ourselves, but for everyone, because every life is precious.
Without empathy and without good conscience, we will not progress.
Mayor and Commissioners, you are about to approve a new budget today. Undoubtedly, you will consider many issues during the next fiscal year. The public trust requires that every issue be considered on it's own merit...be analyzed thoroughly...and decided through rational problem solving...guided by ethics and integrity.
In conclusion, on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community, I want to thank you Mayor and Commissioners for allowing us to present this secular invocation this morning.
Thank you.
https://youtu.be/GFgw2b4fAr8
8 June 2015 – Sparks (NV) City Council Meeting
Ryan Davis: 409 words -
I would like to thank the council for inviting me to speak here today. Let us bow our heads in prayer.
“We give thanks and praise to you, whom in all your teachings, guide us in our lives and give meaning to our existence and endow these fine people here today to perform their duties to serve all of us. Thank you, Satan.”
Now, I am not a Satanist, but ladies and gentlemen, I imagine that these words are making some of you rather uncomfortable. You probably feel that they don't represent you or further the cause of the citizens of Sparks.
I would now like you to realize that this is exactly how the secular citizens of Sparks, statistically 20% of your constituents, feel when an invocation of any kind is given in this room.
I stand before you today with the daunting task of representing these numerous atheists, agnostics and secular individuals. And while it may not be possible to speak for them all, I ask you to meditate on the following thoughts:
While the desire to be inclusive and respectful to others is something to be condoned, the reality is that we cannot represent all religions, all of the time, and thus the only truly fair way to represent everyone is to not represent religion at all.
The constitution of the United States, which all members here swore an oath to uphold, was founded on secular principles and was the first of its kind. One of the cornerstones of being American is the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion. The only way to ensure that this freedom to express our beliefs is maintained is to ensure that the government does not participate in any action that would endorse any religion or even the concept of religion itself.
When religious invocations are given in a government capacity, those of us who do not subscribe to such beliefs are alienated and not represented.
For people like me who are atheist, and others who are agnostic or simply secular, we invoke you to not use religious invocations in your meetings, which only deepens the divisions between us. But rather, focus on what all of your constituents, including the secular ones share. And that is the common humanistic desire to increase the happiness of all human beings. People like me can do this without religion, and likewise, those in government can do good without religion, too.
Thank you.
3 June 2015 - Clark County (WA) Board of County Councilors Meeting
Robert Ray: 225 words - 1 min 13 sec
Thank you, councilors, for the opportunity to provide what I hope to be an inspirational message to start your day.
This is time when the invocator generally makes pleas to the supernatural for permission to act or to grant some special wisdom to the councilors. I am not here to do that.
I am here as a secular citizen to ask that as they consider the agenda today, they do so with the objective of representing all of their citizens concerns.
I am here as a Humanist to ask that as they consider the agenda today, they do so with the empathy and compassion that reside in each of us.
But above all I am here to ask that the councilors, in the spirit of Humanism, to reach within themselves and find the strength to be the best elected officials they can be. I ask that they use their own faculties of reason and wisdom to make their decision today.
I would also like to ask the citizens of Clark County to remain vigilant and be cognizant of the actions of their elected officials. They are, in fact, your public servants.
In closing I would like to quote the last line from the 3rd Humanist Manifesto: “The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.”
1 June 2015 – Town of Lady Lake (FL) City Commission
Robert Ridgard: 295 words - 2 min 29 sec
Good Evening. This moment of reflection is to remind us that we are here to work in harmony for the good of, and in service to, our community.
We gather together this evening to share our collective wisdom in response to the needs of our citizenry. We are here to consider many issues and find the optimum solutions. As this body convenes to do the business of the Town of Lady Lake, we must look ahead, with anticipation and enthusiasm, to the concerns set before us, and in consideration of the consequences of our decisions.
Humanists, by our very nature, believe that we all have the power to solve problems within our own capabilities, through logic and reason. Applying reason with the strength found in empathy and compassion for our fellow humans, we can overcome most any challenge.
It isn't needed that we agree with each other’s views. But we are required to respect each other’s right to hold those views and practice their beliefs without fear of persecution, so long as no one infringes upon the civil rights of others. Truly we each have come here from different backgrounds, and for our survival and progress we must learn to live well with each other, respecting and honoring our differences.
Morality holds us all together by the promises we make and keep with each other. We rely upon and trust those promises and depend on each other to do that which is right, just and necessary for us to live together in a community.
The success of any government stems from the commitment of all to serving the entire community, not just a favored few. It isn't through strength in numbers, but strength in our fidelity to each other that we find success.
Thank you
#60 (last counted invocation)
28 April 2015 – Leon County (FL) Board of County Commissioners
Peter Wood: 238 words - 1 min 34 sec
Words matter. As we gather here today, like many Tuesdays, we stand ready and eager to unite and conduct business as usual. Most meetings use this time to begin procedure with prayer. To some, prayer is a staple of public works. To others, it is a deviation from what our government is constructed to do. Whatever side you may fall on, what we say and how we say it can have implications that extend beyond our immediate surroundings.
Thoughts matter. We all have our convictions, some of which are identical, others which conflict and contradict. That secularism, atheism, and even non-Christian belief systems are overwhelmingly underrepresented in Leon County should worry all of us. That today this history changes is cause for optimism.
Actions matter. Rather than bow, fall prostrate, or look inward to connect ourselves to the heavens, let us focus on the one tangible reality we all know and share: each other. Whether we agree with one another or not, it is through cooperation and sacrifice that this county churns, burns, and thrives. Ask yourselves: why are you here, and how do you care to express this motive? Through what you say? How you think? What you do? Today I open our County Commission meeting suggesting we reassess what unity is so that our community can truly grow strong together. E pluribus unum. For it is out of many that a unified voice comes into being.
#59
http://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/coadmin/agenda/meet_peg.asp?id=720
16 April 2015 – Yamhill County (OR) Board of Commissioners Meeting
Cheryl Kolbe: 237 words -
I invite you to take your seats and join me as I invoke reason. Reason: the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction, good judgment, sound sense.
R — Review the facts. Facts are verifiable. Facts provide crucial support for the assertion of an argument. Let's keep in our awareness that omission of some facts may foster misconceptions.
E — Evaluate the facts. Facts are only useful when we put them in context and draw conclusions. Albert Einstein is reported to have said, "It is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned in textbooks."
A — Apply rational thinking. Poor decisions are often the result of flawed or incomplete thinking, not the absence of thinking.
S — Sometimes the best solution isn't our personal first choice. What are the consequences of the proposed solution? Will there be a negative impact on some of the members of this community?
O — Only by looking for better ways to solve our problems will we find the best solution. Another quote widely attributed to Einstein: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
N — Never start with an assumption. An assumption is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
I invite residents and board members to use reason as you work together for the benefit of the community.
#58
15 April 2015 – Pennsylvania State Senate
Deana Weaver: 305 words - 1 min 40 sec
Good morning. Thank you for welcoming something different to your day. It is an honor to be given a voice in this governing body.
In recent months, religious beliefs have been at the forefront of national debate. We are fortunate to live in a country founded and formed to recognize the importance of the individual, where no one shall be made to hide nor justify his personal beliefs, and where no government shall impose a singular religion on its citizenry. Where there is misunderstanding, we may engage in conscientious and respectful dialogue to assuage fear.
I am humbled to represent a portion of your diverse constituency, and that may raise the question, do atheists pray? A prayer is meditative, seeking inner strength to face difficulty and challenge. A prayer is solicitous, seeking to bring a benefit or relief to ones self, a loved one, or even to strangers. A prayer can be a direct appeal to a higher power.
So, let us pray that we may use our power to lead with compassion and understanding, that we remain tolerant of others regardless of differences in religious belief, gender, race, sexual, or political orientation, and that we treat one another as we wish to be treated. Let us pray for open minds and for the strength to overcome preconceived judgment. Let us learn daily and consider wisely. Let us be mindful of our one diverse human family with common values and needs. Let us work toward clean air, clear water, safe neighborhoods, strong schools, and a viable economy with sustained employment opportunity for all. Let us provide for well-trained and equipped firefighters, emergency responders, police, and military, and may we never forget their sacrifice. As we forge ahead toward the common good of community, may we all benefit from the enduring power of diversity.
Thank you.
#57
13 April 2015 – Washington State House of Representatives
Robert Ray 288 words - 1 min 40 sec
I would like to open this invocation by asking everyone, look around you. Beside you, in front of you, and behind you, is a person that is, in so many ways, the same as you. We may have different backgrounds and beliefs. We may come from different ethnicities and religions. But when it comes down to it, we are all sharing the same speck of dust floating through this vast and wondrous universe.
Many have come before this chamber to speak of their faith. But I would, instead, like to speak of trust. Of trust in humanity, trust in the fundamental good will within people. Trust that we all yearn to make the world a better place. Trust that some can answer a higher calling. A calling many of us have in common. That is: to serve our fellow humans to the best of our ability. I trust that everyone in this chamber has felt this or you would not be here.
With that being said, I also ask that you use your trust in the same way I have described. Reach out to one another. Try to understand and have empathy with those you may disagree with. Make an honest attempt at compromise, for that is what our secular government is based on.
With today being the 272nd birthday of Thomas Jefferson, I felt I should honor his memory with a quote:
“He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.”
So thank you for this opportunity to bring my message of trust, humanity, and Humanism into this chamber.
And I will end with this simple phrase:
E Pluribus Unum.
#56
7 April 2015 – Clark County (WA) Board of County Councilors Meeting
Cheryl Kolbe: 237 words -
I invite you to take your seats and join me as I invoke reason. Reason: the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction, good judgment, sound sense.
R — Review the facts. Facts are verifiable. Facts provide crucial support for the assertion of an argument. Let's keep in our awareness that omission of some facts may foster misconceptions.
E — Evaluate the facts. Facts are only useful when we put them in context and draw conclusions. Albert Einstein is reported to have said, "It is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned in textbooks."
A — Apply rational thinking. Poor decisions are often the result of flawed or incomplete thinking, not the absence of thinking.
S — Sometimes the best solution isn't our personal first choice. What are the consequences of the proposed solution? Will there be a negative impact on some of the members of this community?
O — Only by looking for better ways to solve our problems will we find the best solution. Another quote widely attributed to Einstein: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
N — Never start with an assumption. An assumption is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
I invite residents and board members to use reason as you work together for the benefit of the community.
#55
7 April 2015 – Lake County (FL) Commission Meeting
Choice Edwards: 219 words
We are gathered here to support the proper conduct of the business of the people of Lake County.
We are fortunate that we have intelligent commissioners who are passionate about the people they serve and strive to execute their responsibilities to the very best of their abilities.
We know they are immune to undue and improper influence and carry their awesome responsibilities as fervently as they do their dedication and love of their families, friends and compatriots.
As they, singularly and collectively, debate and deliberate the issues before them, we know our governance is in their very capable hands
We know they love, respect and honor this community and all of its citizens of which they are amongst our most passionate and responsible leaders.
We are diverse in religious beliefs and non-religious beliefs in Lake County. We welcome Christians, Muslims, Jews Sikhs, Buddhist Agnostics, Atheist and those of us who are skeptics because we think for ourselves.
Therefore, I invite you, of your own volition, and irrespective of your religious persuasion or non-religious persuasion, to join with me in a time of personal introspection and or reflection:
(SILENCE)
Finally, I wish for each of you wisdom, light, life, love, peace, power, prosperity, passion, poise, beauty, joy, health, wealth, r-o-m-a-n-c-e, and all the fun and excitement you can handle for if you ain't laughin' you ain't livin'.…
Thanks for your time and my blessings upon you.
Now, let us get on with the business of Lake County, Florida!
#54
2 April 2015 – Volusia (FL) County Council
Robert Wilson: 164 words - 1 min 30 sec
Foremost, I would like to recognize the difficult task before you with a half a million citizens in the County we are all well aware of the vast amount of differences that exist between us. So to work with this we should summon all of the best human traits that time and time again have helped us move forward: reason, wisdom, patience, compassion, logic, understanding, and critical thinking.
Look around and soak in the amazing accomplishments of where we are and remember the human effort that has gotten us here.
We all have our differences, but we do share a common trait. We are all part of this Earth and we are here wanting to do what is best. Let’s work to make the positive change that is declared in the County’s mission statement.
And I leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein, “Nothing truly valuable can be achieved except by the unselfish cooperation of many individuals.” That is how we got here.
#53
6 January 2015 – City of Chico (CA) City Council
George Gold: 589 words - 4 min
Rather than bowing our heads and closing our eyes in deference, we want to encourage you to open your eyes wide to face the reality that confronts us. We should do so without losing sight of our ideals and what we might achieve.
When this body comes together to govern, you do so with the consent of the citizens of Chico. Chico is a diverse community with many different views and opinions. This eclectic community, according to the Pew Research Center includes 20 per cent of our population living secular lives.
In the city of Chico that means for the first time ever, I’m here representing over 17,000 secular Chico citizens with this invocation.
Humanists, non-believers, agnostics and atheists by their very nature, believe that we have the power to solve all problems within ourselves, amongst ourselves, through science and reason and that by applying this science and reason with the strength found in sympathy and compassion we can overcome any hurdle we encounter.
It is incumbent upon this council to make the best decisions for the entire community. In this regard, I ask that you use wisdom, common sense, and empathy in your deliberations.
In your work here, take into account the implications your decisions will have now and in the future. Be reminded of the joyous laughter of children playing in the comfort of the shade of our trees. You are planting seeds for the benefit of future generations.
When there are problems, when there is debate, let us be accountable for our own actions. Let’s not point to the shortcomings of others. Let us behave morally and judiciously. Let’s treat each other with respect.
When we need to find wisdom, let’s look to the documents of government, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and yes, the first amendment which in one sentence provides for the separation between church and state, and we might even consult our city charter for direction.
Let us open our hearts to the inherent dignity and worth of each person in our community. I hope we can appreciate and realize our differences of race and religion, and or lack of religion.
In the end we are all human beings. When we bleed, we bleed one of the four basic blood groups. Regardless of race, regardless of where we live, regardless of our political affiliations, whether we are rich or poor, and yes, whether we are religious or decidedly not religious, for in every single one of us, the color of our blood is the same.
In the face of adversity, we need not look above for answers, but instead we should recognize the proven potential within ourselves and in each other to overcome the many challenges that we will face in this coming year.
Our commonalities unite us, and I hope we and you can recognize our humanity as we get ready for the challenges of this new year.
We, the secular community, want to participate in our communities with a life full of inspiration, imagination, and beauty.
Each of us wants to live an honorable and ethical life. We hope each of you feels the same.
Some people say, I’m just a child of the 60’s, just look at my long hair, (lift hat) oh gone, my big black beard, oh gone, but I suppose that it might be true. Nevertheless, my mantra has always been, make love not war. Today, I guess if nothing else, I still believe… in that.
Thank you and Happy New Year.
#52
3 December 2014 – City of Tavares (FL) City Council
Jocelyn Williamson: 222 words
This moment of reflection reminds us that we gather to make decisions for our community. I applaud everyone’s civic-mindedness. That we all cooperatively work to make Tavares a healthier, happier, fiscally responsible, vibrant community – is wonderful.
Each of us is here to help our community thrive and to create a strong city for future generations. We are leading by example.
Distractions abound in our modern life. We multi-task and rush from moment to moment barely pausing to consider what was just done. Take this moment to pause. Reflect. And be focused on the task at hand.
As you work together today on behalf of all who live in this city, may you draw strength and encouragement from one another through compassion and reason.
May today we use only our best skills and judgment keeping ourselves impartial and neutral as we consider each matter that is placed before us and always act in accordance with what is best for human welfare and our community as a whole.
Former President Clinton once said, “Citizen service is the very American idea that we meet our challenges not as isolated individuals but as members of a true community, with all of us working together.”
Today – Through YOUR thoughtful and committed help – you are planning the future for the City of Tavares. YOU are changing the world.
#51
2 December 2014 – City of El Paso (TX) City Council
David Marcus: 235 words - 2 min
We come together today in a spirit of cooperation and compromise, respect and courtesy, calling upon the rules of civility to guide us.
As we look around this chamber, we are reminded that in our differences lie our strengths.
We are black, white, Hispanic, Asian and Native American. We are Catholic, Protestant, Baptist; Jew, Muslim, Hindu; Buddhist, Humanist, Wiccan; Pagan, Atheist, Agnostic; and unaffiliated.
Some of us live our lives in the certainty of our faith; others of us are still looking for answers, or have found them in our common human struggles. We are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, with and without disabilities, young and old and everything in between.
We don't all think the same way. Many of us hold very differing views on topics that are important to us. Our political views range from liberal to conservative and some of us are a bit of both.
But we all agree and know that personal beliefs, regardless of how strongly we hold them, are ours alone.
Yet, as we gather here together, we are linked by our common humanity, our shared heritage and our mutual desire to do what is best for the citizens of El Paso.
Our city has a long history of saying no to hate and bigotry, and as we move forward, we remember the difficult decisions of our former leaders. Let us continue to build on their legacy.
#50
http://agenda.elpasotexas.gov/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=225&doctype=AGENDA
2 December 2014 – City of Lake Worth (FL) Commission Meeting
Preston Smith 199 words - 1 min 50 sec
Our collective atheism — which is to say, loving empathy, scientific evidence, and critical thinking — leads us to believe that we can create a better, more equal community without religious divisions.
May we pray together.
Mother Earth, we gather today in your redeeming and glorious presence, to invoke your eternal guidance in the universe, the original Creator of all things.
May the efforts of this council blend the righteousness of Allah with the all-knowing wisdom of Satan. May Zeus, the great God of justice, grant us strength tonight. Jesus might forgive our shortcomings while Buddha enlightens us through His divine affection. We praise you, Krishna, for the sanguine sacrifice that freed us all. After all, if Almighty Thor is with us, who can ever be against us?
And finally, for the bounty of logic, reason, and science, we simply thank the atheists, agnostics, Humanists, who now account for 1 in 5 Americans, and growing rapidly. In closing, let us, above all, love one another, not to obtain mythical rewards for ourselves now, hereafter, or based on superstitious threats of eternal damnation, but rather, embrace secular-based principles of morality — and do good for goodness’ sake.
And so we pray. So what?
#49
1 December 2014 – Town of Lady Lake (FL) City Commission
Robert Ridgard: 340 words
First, let me thank you for the opportunity to provide a Humanist Invocation to begin your deliberations today. As this body convenes to do the business of the Town of Lady Lake, I suggest that you look ahead, with anticipation and enthusiasm, for the task set before you.
Humanists, by their very nature, believe that we all have the power to solve problems within our own capabilities, through science and reason. And, that by applying this science and reason with the strength found in empathy and compassion for our fellow humans, we can overcome any hurdle we encounter.
We don’t have to agree with each other's views, but we do have to respect each other's right to hold those views and practice their beliefs without fear of persecution; as long as no one infringes upon the rights of others.
Morality holds us all together by the promises we make and keep with each other. We rely and trust those promises and depend on each other to do that which is right and necessary for us to live in a society.
This moment of reflection is to remind us that we are here to work in harmony for the good of, and in service to, our community. We gather together this evening to share our collective wisdom in response to the needs of our citizenry. We are here to consider many issues and find the optimum solutions.
The success of our government stems from commitment of all to serving the entire community, not just a favored few. It isn't through strength in numbers, but strength in our actions that we find success.
I wanted to close by quoting from two presidents, admired by many of us--one a Republican and the other a Democrat.
First, the Republican:
When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.
Abraham Lincoln
And now, the Democrat:
It's remarkable how much you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
Harry S. Truman
Thank you.
#48
20 October 2014 – Osceola (FL) Board of County Commissioners
Michael Mello: 242 words - 1 min 42 sec
Our original nation motto, E Pluribus Unum, Latin for, “out of many, one”, is something we can all learn from. It is a motto that unites all the people of our county and our great nation.
We are a nation of many different people working together. We are a diverse nation in regards to race, ethnicity, politics, gender and sexual orientation. A nation of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, agnostics, atheists and many, many others. Too many to name, in fact.
This body has shown tolerance and acceptance and it sets an example for neighboring counties by demonstrating what makes our nation great—working together despite our many differences for the greater good of society, and focusing on those things we do have in common.
The Osceola County Commissioners understand this guiding principle and demonstrates it in their actions by treating members of all religious groups and those from the atheist community, like myself, the same as all the others.
We can hope that others learn from this commission and those around the country which understand that we are only great when we treat people with different beliefs equally—when we understand that collaborating with each other on common goals, and ensuring that the majority does not take away the freedoms and liberties of others is what makes us strong, united and free.
Thank you for leading a county that consists of many differences and uniting us as one. E Pluribus Unum.
#47
7 October 2014 – Ocoee (FL) Board of County Commissioners
James Bartel: 249 words
First, let me take a moment to thank you all for this opportunity to deliver a secular invocation to start off this meeting. Usually at this time you are told to lower your heads in prayer. I want instead for us all to keep our heads raised and to look around this room today.
In the past our city was small enough for us all to know each other’s names, relationships, and even values. But now we look around and see new faces, new individuals who each have their own ideals, values, and moral dilemmas. Because of this, how are we able to stand here and pray to only one god while leaving the others out? We have citizens who are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan, and people who profess no religious belief at all. We all have differences in belief but my wish here today is that you will believe in each other and yourself. That we can make our own sound judgments, our own reasonable questions, and create a more unified city.
I stated how we all have our differences but we share a common trait. We are all part of this Earth; we are all here wanting to do what is best. Let’s work to make a positive change in our community where no one is left on the sidelines.
I leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein, “Nothing truly valuable can be achieved except by the unselfish cooperation of many individuals.”
Thank you.
#46
25 September 2014 – Huntsville (AL) City Commission
Kelly McCauley: 196 words - 1 min 22 sec
Dearly Beloved,
When the ancients considered the values that were proper and necessary for the good governance of a peaceful, productive society, they brought to our minds the virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and moderation. These values have stood the test of time.
In more recent days, an American style of governance had led to approbation for newer enlightened values; we celebrate diversity, we enjoy protections of our freedoms in a Constitutional Republic, and we dearly value egalitarianism — equal protection of the law.
So now let us commence the affairs that are presented to our community. Let doubt and skepticism and inquiry be on our lookout when caution is the appropriate course. But also let innovation and boldness take point when opportunities for excellence appear on our horizon.
In this solemn discourse, let’s remember Jefferson’s words: “… that Truth is great, and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.”
Let it be so.
#45
25 September 2014 – Escambia (FL) County Commission Meeting
David Suhor: 167 words (in song) - 2 min 40 sec
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
Powers of Air! We invoke. and call you
Golden Eagle of the Dawn, Star-seeker, Whirlwind
Rising Sun! Come!
By the air that is Her breath,
Send forth your light, Be here now!
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
Powers of Fire! We invoke. and call you
Red Lion of the noon heat, Flaming One, Summer’s warmth
Spark of life_ Come!
By the fire that is Her spirit,
Send forth your flame Be here now!
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
Powers of Water! We invoke. and call you
Serpent of the watery abyss, Rainmaker, Gray-robed Twilight,
Evening Star_ Come!
By the waters of Her living womb,
Send forth your flow, Be here now!
Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
Powers of Earth! We invoke. and call you
Center of the whirling sky, Stone, Mountain, Fertile Field,
North Star_ Come!
By the earth that is Her body,
Send forth your strength, Be here now!
We thank you and bid you now... farewell.
#44
9 September 2014 – Seminole County (FL) Commission Meeting
Jocelyn Williamson: 223 words - 1 min 21 sec
Thank you Mr. Chairman, board members and fellow citizens of Seminole county.
I would ask that you survey the room and regard our community gathered here.
This moment of reflection is to remind us that we are here to work in harmony even when there may be honest disagreement. We gather together this morning to share our collective wisdom to face the needs of our county. We are here to consider many issues and find the optimum solutions.
As you work through the agenda today, be confident that what you are doing serves to build a better Seminole County. In the words of Albert Einstein “Nothing truly valuable can be achieved except by the unselfish cooperation of many individuals.”
THAT is what is happening here today.
The success of our government stems from commitment of you and your staff to serving the people. It isn't in strength in numbers, but strength in our actions. May we learn from how we faced our past challenges and in This meeting This morning, may each of us here give and receive the supportive communication we need to develop and grow our county, together.
I would like to close with a quote from Henry Ford.
“Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.”
May today’s meeting be nothing but successful.
Thank you.
#43
8 September 2014 – Marysville (WA) City Council Meeting
Robert Ray: 390 words - 2 min 3 sec
First off, let me thank you for the opportunity to provide a Humanist Invocation to begin your deliberations today. As this body convenes to do the business of the city, instead of lowering your heads in prayer, I suggest that you look ahead, with anticipation and enthusiasm, for the task set before you. A task charged to you by the people of Marysville.
As stated in the first section of our state constitution “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.” Within that statement is what I believe to be the foundation for all representative democracy. As Jefferson once stated “I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but the people…”
Humanists, by their very nature, believe that we have the power to solve all problems within ourselves, through science and reason. And, that by applying this science and reason with the strength found in empathy and compassion for our fellow travelers on this Spaceship Earth, we can overcome any hurdle we encounter.
The city of Marysville, having a very diverse and, at times, disparate population, requires a government that is truly inclusive and tolerant; with that, the secular citizens of this city ask that you make your decisions today, and all the days to come, based on the principles we all hold within ourselves. Principles that revere the nature and responsibility of humanity to improve the plight of others.
We would also ask that you find common ground with your counterparts to bring about compromise that will benefit all. While this, at times, is an arduous and seemingly ceaseless endeavor, it is one of the most rewarding.
I leave you today with a few words of inspiration.The greatest thing one person can give to another is happiness. This gift has the same effect on both the giver and the receiver. Be the giver and you in turn become the recipient.
Or as stated by the great agnostic Robert Green Ingersoll: Justice is the only worship. Love is the only priest. Ignorance is the only slavery. Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now, The place to be happy is here,The way to be happy is to make others so.
Thank you.
#42
4 September 2014 – St. Petersburg (FL) City Council
Gloria Julius: 130 words - 1 min 30 sec
Good morning. Please be seated.
We sit to conserve our energy and keep our eyes wide open. The better to see all the challenges and changes coming at us almost too fast to assimilate and that is what makes today a very special day. The Supreme Court of the United States of America made a slight change in a centuries old tradition that could change the world; a slight change. They said an invocation doesn’t have to be religious and for that I want to pay homage to the Supreme Court and to the City Council of St. Petersburg for having me here and for letting non-believers feel equal. Separate, but equal.
So today’s meeting heralds in a new era that I hope will see a big change that reflects a changing America. People change. Ideas change. Beliefs change. So that black, white, yellow, red, believer, non-believer; we are your community and we elected each one of you for your unique talents and your ability to work together to make the best decisions you can for our community.
Thank you.
#41
http://stpete.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=15&clip_id=3055&meta_id=58039
26 August 2014 – Lake County (FL) Commission Meeting
Paul Tjaden: 291 words - 1 min 45 sec
Members of the County Commission and staff, citizens and guests of Lake County, for today's invocation, rather than bowing your heads, please take a moment to look around at others who are here this morning. Fifty years ago had you done that the people you'd be looking at would be folks pretty much like yourself; people who had grown up in Lake County and who shared the same faith and culture.
But since then, our community has seen incredible growth. People have moved here from other states and from countries and cultures around the world. We have citizens who are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan, and people who profess no religious belief at all. Because of that, I believe that any prayer in this diverse setting could cause at least some of our citizens to feel like outsiders—that they had entered a place where their requests or problems might be considered with suspicion or indifference because their beliefs differed from the majority.
Because of this, and in respect to all of our citizens, I come before you not to pray, but instead to invoke the spirit of good will between all of us. To be sure, we don't agree about everything and sometimes we feel fiercely protective of what we do believe, but there's one thing on which we can all agree: we share the goal of making our Lake County the best place it can be.
It is my hope that at this meeting, we will work together to make positive changes in our County. lt is my hope that respect is always extended to others and it is my hope that logic and reason guide the decisions of all within and outside of this room.
Thank you.
#40
20 August 2014 – Clearwater (FL) City Council Meeting
Dave Kovar: 290 words - 2 min 30 sec
Humanists believe that reason, and not faith or providence, will serve each of us best in our hour of need.
We believe that society has arrived at our present place, not by predestination or an invisible hand, but by each person adding their individual intellect and skills to the accumulation of all of their predecessors.
And we believe that morality is enforced, not by a supernatural fear or an eternal reward. Morality holds us all together by the promises we make and keep with each other, individually and in our group. We rely upon those promises to trust and depend on each other to do that which is right and necessary for us to live in a society.
Let's take a moment of silence.
As we come together tonight to do this most important business of keeping order in our shared society, let each of us agree to demonstrate our best self: to show reason, humility, and social grace toward each speaker, both our council, and our fellow citizens.
We ask that our council members recall all of the public promises they have made, here in this room, out in the neighborhoods, and while running for office. More important though, that they remember and renew the silent promises they made only to themselves, when they first decided to seek this life of public service. What did each of you commit to do to make our city a better place? Recommit to fulfill that promise tonight and every night.
May our meeting tonight be advanced by respect and civility and by open minded consideration for all ideas. Finally, we look to our council to make difficult decisions in a morally honest manner in the best interest of all citizens of Clearwater.
Thank you.
#39
12 August 2014 – City of Colorado Springs (CO) Council Meeting
Eric Williams: 275 words - 1 min 50 sec
Thousands of years ago, after emerging from relative obscurity, mankind began to form communities. The first ones were simple hunter gatherers, evolved to feed their own very small camps. Soon, these small camps and tribes began to join to each other, either through violence or simple needs. Either way, they saw joining forces as being the foundation for survival.
Over the millennia, agriculture built even larger tribes. They became large villages, then towns, then cities, then city-states. And even farther, empires and great Kingdoms. These people in the later ages eventually became obsessed with power and greed, driven by their beliefs that their higher powers were better than any others. Patton Oswalt, a contemporary comedian, put it simply as, “My Sky Cake is better that your Sky Baklava.” These divisions caused chaos within the overall sapien community for millennia.
Then, after centuries of great strife, the “Enlightenment” was born.
The United States was built upon the principles of this enlightenment. The Deists that formed our Constitution knew the dangers of sectarian strife and therefore enshrined secular government in our most sacred document.
With this in mind, I stand before the most basic unit of Human democracy: the City Council. The core unit of our lives as humans living within an inherently secular system. It’s the local government that actually guides the daily lives of the citizens of this great nation.
Let us therefore, this afternoon, provide both our vocal and thoughtful support to this most fundamental institution of humanity today, and hope that reason and thoughtful reflection will guide our elected leaders to lead this great city to where it could be.
So be it.
#38
12 August 2014 – City of Glendale (AZ) City Council Meeting
Brooke Mulder: 263 words - 1 min 34 sec
The purpose of the invocation read before each city council meeting is to “add solemnity” to the proceedings. I can’t think of anything more solemn or significant than the act of democracy itself.
As citizens of this great country we have the right to participate equally in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. We may choose to do this directly, by serving on a city council, as governor or even as President of the United States. Or, we may choose to participate indirectly by electing representatives to act in our interests.
Let us all take a moment to reflect on why we are here tonight. If you are here, you may have chosen a path of serving your electorate, to the benefit of their welfare. Or, you may have concerns you’ve chosen to bring in front of the council. We should be grateful that the City of Glendale has those who are willing to serve, and those who trust in the system enough to participate in the process. It is people like those that enable us to truly govern ourselves.
My principles as a secular humanist teach me to rely on reason and our common humanity. A city council is an excellent illustration of how people can come together, without supernaturalism, to provide meaningful changes in each other’s lives.
I would like to leave you with a final thought from Thomas Jefferson: “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order and they will preserve them.”
Thank you.
#37
http://glendale-az.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2135
12 August 2014 – City of Colorado Springs (CO) City Council Meeting
Eric Williams: 275 words - 1 min 55 sec
Thousands of years ago, after emerging from relative obscurity, mankind began to form communities. The first ones were simple hunter gatherers, evolved to feed their own very small camps. Soon, these small camps and tribes began to join to each other, either through violence or simple needs. Either way, they saw joining forces as being the foundation for survival.
Over the millennia, agriculture built even larger tribes. They became large villages, then towns, then cities, then city-states. And even farther, empires and great Kingdoms. These people in the later ages eventually became obsessed with power and greed, driven by their beliefs that their higher powers were better than any others. Patton Oswalt, a contemporary comedian, put it simply as, “My Sky Cake is better that your Sky Baklava.” These divisions caused chaos within the overall Sapien community for millennia.
Then, after centuries of great strife, the “Enlightenment” was born.
The United States was built upon the principles of this enlightenment. The Deists that formed our Constitution knew the dangers of sectarian strife and therefore enshrined secular government in our most sacred document.
With this in mind, I stand before the most basic unit of Human democracy: the City Council. The core unit of our lives as humans living within an inherently secular system. It’s the local government that actually guides the daily lives of the citizens of this great nation.
Let us therefore, this afternoon, provide both our vocal and thoughtful support to this most fundamental institution of humanity today, and hope that reason and thoughtful reflection will guide our elected leaders to lead this great city to where it could be.
So be it.
#36
5 August 2014 – City of Sioux Falls (SD) City Council Meeting
Amanda Novotny: 281 words - 1 min 38 sec
Thank you Mr. Mayor, Council members, citizens of Sioux Falls, and all those present for this opportunity to provide an inspirational opening to your meeting.
Often at this time, you are asked to bow your heads. Instead, I ask you to lift your head up and look around. Turn your attention to this room - a room that has heard countless discussions, frustrations, and successes; a room where important decisions regarding your city are routinely made.
Now take a moment to soak in the presence of the men and women in this room, gathered here at this time and place to engage in their civic duty, to contribute and work towards creating a better community. Think of the hundreds and thousands of others who are also affected by the ideas shared here. Let all voices be heard and understood equally.
It is also often customary to read from a book during an invocation, and tonight will be no different - I’ll be sharing a quote from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in which Professor Albus Dumbledore said:
“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”
Although our differences may be many, we are bound together in similarity as members of the human species. As humans, we have the capacity to appreciate and thank each other; to utilize compassion and reason in our decision making. I ask those present to join me in showing gratitude to the men and women that serve the great city of Sioux Falls. We need only look to each other for guidance, and work together to overcome any challenges we may face.
#35
http://docs.siouxfalls.org/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=2124&doctype=AGENDA
5 August 2014 – City of Largo (FL) Commission Meeting
Joseph Rhinehart: 382 words - 2 min 28 sec
Thank you, council members, – and good evening, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, and fellow citizens.
First of all, I’d like to thank the Largo City Council for inviting the good folks at Atheists of Florida to offer the invocation this evening. I applaud their efforts to respond to – and to adapt to – the ever increasing diversity in our community today.
As an example of why this is so important, I’d like to invoke a recent and relevant historical sidelight: Which is to say, that this is not the first time that Atheists of Florida has been invited to give the invocation before a local city council. – Several years ago we appeared before the Tampa City Council and even though we were – I repeat – invited guests – three of the Council members were so traumatized by our mere presence that they refused to even remain in the same room with us, and walked out of the meeting before we ever uttered a single word.
Try to picture the firestorm that would have created if they had treated ANY other ethnicity or race in such a disrespectful manner.
But happily, based on today’s reception, it looks as if we are making progress towards a more compassionate, all inclusive world view. Again, I applaud your efforts.
We at Atheists of Florida have long advocated a moment of silence in lieu of an invocation, as an agreeable way to commence any meeting. - A moment to clear the mind, to focus on the business at hand, and to reflect on the best available options to achieve optimum effectiveness in one’s efforts to govern fairly and efficiently.
And so, before I yield the remainder of my time for just that purpose, a moment of silence, I wish to invoke you to remember that human beings are the solution to human problems, and that it is our responsibility, to the best of our abilities, to make the world, and to leave the world a better place. No one else can do it.
Ya know, in these surroundings, I don’t think I can go too far wrong by quoting the venerable Benjamin Franklin who famously said, “The good Lord helps those who help themselves.”
I will now relinquish the remainder of my time for a moment of silent reflection.
#34
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=largofl&eID=111
17 July 2014 – City of Shelbyville (KY) Council Meeting
Linda Allewalt: 489 words - 3 min 8 sec
Good evening. As this is a secular invocation and not a prayer, there is no need to stand during my presentation. Tonight I would like to have us think about “blessings”.
Last year the City Council passed a set of Resolutions outlining their new program for including Invocations in the City Council meetings. In the Resolutions, the Council stated that the main purpose of an opening invocation was “for the benefit and blessings of the Council”.
The word “blessings” drew my attention because it is a word heard often in our society in differing contexts. I wondered what the term really means. The origins of the word “bless” are from Old English and its meaning is connected to a human action. It refers to the action of sprinkling blood on a pagan altar. I don’t think that is what the City Council had in mind.
But what did they have in mind when using that term? It appears from reading the Resolutions and how the invocation system is set up that they feel the source of blessings comes exclusively from a divine entity. But is that true? And what do “blessings” have to do with the realm of government?
The Founders of our country provided us with a clue in this paragraph. “We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The Founders did not mention a divine source for their “blessings”, but a human one… we the people. We the people take the actions and make the laws to secure our blessings for ourselves and for future generations. Following these words are the contents of our Constitution… a vehicle to assist us in securing our blessings of liberty. The Constitution makes no mention of a deity in creating this vehicle, and its authors chose not to invoke blessings from a divine entity during their deliberations.
I would appeal to the City Council and those in attendance here to consider this:
In government, blessings are the actions we take and the decisions we make out of our common human desire to form communities and make them successful. The Council’s blessings come from working with fellow Council members in trying to fulfill their roles as representatives of all the people. They also come from the citizens who take the time to attend and offer their advice, their expertise, and even their criticism. These blessings do not need to be invoked. They are at your fingertips every day. So I would encourage the City Council and all those who make the efforts to ensure the success of our community to consider these observable and measurable blessings… to consider their true source, and to never forget to count them!
#33
17 July 2014 – City of Eustis (FL) Commission Meeting
David Williamson: 212 words - 1 min 14 sec
(Note: The agenda had the speaker's name and the correct name of the organization, but the title "Pastor" and the word "Church" were added to the introduction.)
As the community gathers this evening, let us briefly reflect on the things you, as a Commission, bring with you to do the business of improving the City of Eustis for residents, the many businesses, and its cherished visitors.
Compassion is essential for effective public service and it is cultivated through a lifetime of learning about the needs of everyone in the community and the harm that follows when those needs are neglected.
Your integrity and honesty are earned through life lessons you take from family, friends, and your own personal experiences of these principles in everyone around you.
Wisdom is often called for during an invocation, however all the knowledge needed is already right here in this chamber. Your fellow commissioners, the hard-working city staff, as well as citizens and business owners come to serve along with you and to be a resource to call upon.
As we unite with the common goal of improving the lives of all stakeholders and even those who will be affected by this evening’s decisions for generations to come, take solace in the fact that on our own we can do this, because of who we are, because we have one another, and simply because it must be done.
We are all in this together. We will make it happen.
#32
http://eustis.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=ddcd541e-0eb4-11e4-bdc2-00219ba2f017
15 July 2014 – City of Vero Beach (FL) City Council Meeting
Phil Katrovitz: 238 words - 2 min 20 sec
(Note: There is missing audio from the city recording but the entire transcript is below)
Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. I would like to ask you not to bow your heads. I would like to ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people of our city.
This is a room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration. But this is also a room where, by the very fact of being human, we have much more in common than we have differences. We share the same spectrum of potential for care, for compassion, for fear, for joy, for love.
Carl Sagan once wrote, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” There is, in the political process, much to bear.
In this room, let us cherish and celebrate our shared humanness, our shared capacity for reason and compassion, our shared love for the people of our city, for our Constitution and for our democracy - and let us root our policymaking process in these values that are relevant to all Americans, regardless of religious belief or nonbelief. In gratitude and in love, in reason and in compassion, let us work together for a better Vero Beach.
#31
15 July 2014 – Town of Greece (NY) Board Meeting
Dan Courtney: 340 words - 1 min 12 sec
Freethinkers, atheists, non-believers, whatever label you wish, this group comprises a significant part of our population. I am honored to be providing an invocation on their behalf, and on behalf of all the citizens of the town of Greece.
On July 4th, 1776, the 56 men who pledged their lives to the document that changed the course of history, agreed to the central tenet that, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
More than 238 years later, the central premise still echoes, however faintly, from the town hall to the white columned halls of Washington. Yet this premise, this foundation necessary for a free and flourishing society, is today, more than ever, under assault. This central pillar of a free society; this notion that is deeply heretical to authoritarian culture, proclaims that it is from the people that moral authority is derived. It is that within us, the citizens, that knowledge and wisdom must emerge.
The preservation of this premise does not come from accepting the status quo, but by asserting our rights and exercising our duties. That this premise still endures testifies to its truth, and we can say with confidence that it is in seeking the counsel of our conscience that we find the beginning of wisdom. It is in the exercise of our duty as citizens that we find the beginning of knowledge.
We, as citizens, the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega of our destiny, are not, as the great philosopher Immanuel Kant warned, mere means to the ends of another, but we are ends in ourselves.
This basic premise, this profound idea, guides us such that we need not kneel to any king, and we need not bow to any tyrant.
So I ask all officials present here, as guarantors of our Founders’ revolutionary proclamation, to heed the counsel of the governed, to seek the wisdom of all citizens, and to honor the enlightened wisdom and the profound courage of those 56 brave men.
#30
14 July 2014 – Winter Park (FL) City Commission
Chris Allen: 201 words - 1 min 12 sec
Let us give thanks for the opportunities we have to strive to reach our potential, to create happiness for ourselves and others.
Using the means we have within ourselves, determination, passion, intelligence, and sincerity in purpose, we can do more than dream.
Each person has the potential to persevere, to reach one's goals, and to make the best use of the life they have.
Our ability to achieve fulfillment should also be linked to a strong desire to help the less fortunate among us.
Helping others with no expectation of reward is noble but more importantly a means for one to achieve personal happiness.
Happiness, of course, is a goal for every person. By giving ourselves our time, talents, and treasures we can achieve greater joy.
If we judge a community in terms of the welfare of the weakest among us then personal giving, caring, and sharing are vital individual traits that when combined with others who care create and sustain a thriving civil society.
Let us realize and believe in our hearts that in order to improve ourselves and our families and to elevate the human condition each of us has to be that someone who does something for others.
#29
7 July 2014 – Groveland (FL) City Council
Paul Tjaden: 300 words - 1 min 57 sec
For tonight’s invocation I would ask that instead of bowing your heads you would just take a moment to look around at others who are here tonight. Fifty years ago, had you done that, the people you would be looking at would be people you had known most of your lives. They would be old friends from school or the church you attend on Sunday.
But since then, our community has seen incredible growth, with people moving here from other states and from countries around the world. We have citizens who are Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan, and people who profess no religious belief at all. I believe that any prayer in this diverse setting would cause at least some of our citizens to feel like outsiders, that they had entered a place where their requests or problems might be considered with suspicion or indifference because their beliefs differed from the majority.
Because of this and in respect to all of our citizens, I come before you to invoke the spirit of goodwill between all of us. To be sure, we do not agree about everything and we often feel fiercely protective of what we do believe. But there is one thing on which we all agree: We share the goal of making our community the best place it can be. We unite here with that aim and common purpose.
It is my hope that, at this council meeting and others, we will work together to make positive changes in our community. It is my hope that we challenge ourselves and others to improve our quality of life. It is my hope that respect is always extended to others. And it is my hope that logic and reason guide the decisions of all within and outside of this room.
#28
3 July 2014 – Volusia (FL) County Council
Jack Maurice: 221 words - 1 min 27 sec
Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't ask you to close your eyes, but to keep your eyes open to the serious issues this county government can and should solve or improve. I don't ask you to bow your heads, but to look up at what you can accomplish by applying your considerable talents and experience to the problems that confront you.
We gather here today on this eve of our celebration of independence to not only meet with our colleagues and friends with attention to a common goal but also to hopefully to commemorate the 238th anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.
I and other non-religious citizen’s thank you, for allowing a secular humanist to have this opportunity to "invoke" a minority point of view.
Consider this: each of us is a minority with respect to something. Each of us is also part of some majority.
Whether we have a minority or majority viewpoint we must pledge our best efforts to help one another and to defend the rights of all of our citizens and residents.
As you work together on behalf of all who live in this great city of DeLand may you gain strength and cooperation from one another through reason and compassion.
To all, have a great and safe holiday weekend.
#27
23 June 2014 – Orlando (FL) City Council
Chris Allen: 193 words - 1 min 15 sec
Let us give thanks for all that we have, cherish and possess--especially for the capacity to care and love, to improve ourselves, our families and community.
Whatever one’s viewpoint, either derived from faith or from reason informed by science, having the capacity to appreciate and thank others is ingrained in the DNA of The Human Condition.
We give thanks to the volunteers, the heart and soul of our community, who donate their time and talents to help the less fortunate.
And, in this setting, let’s recognize and laud the sacrifices made by many government workers, especially firefighters and police officers who risk their lives to safeguard others, no matter where residents live or if they are rich or poor.
Understanding the awesome responsibility of public service, we thank you, the mayor and city council members for using compassion and fairness, and for not acting for personal gain, or out of fear or favor.
As citizens and voters, we possess great hope that our elected officials make choices that give all people in this community, to the extent they can, an opportunity to achieve The American Dream…and to help build a greater Orlando.
#26
17 June 2014 – Martin County (FL) Board of County Commissioners
Joe Beck: 228 words - 1 min 42 sec
Martin County is a diverse community representing a wide spectrum of religious, secular, political, ethnic, and racial perspectives. Despite our diversity we are united by the democratic principles of equal treatment for all as contained in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. We are also united in our desire to develop policies and legislation for the benefit of Martin County and its residents.
We come to this meeting with divergent points of view that need to be discussed and carefully evaluated to ensure that wise decisions are made. While we may believe that our perspectives on issues like All Aboard Florida or the Indian River Lagoon are preferable, it is important that we express ourselves in ways that demonstrate respect for others as we plant the seeds of cooperation that are necessary for us to work together for the common good.
Let us be guided by reason and compassion in our quest to solutions for life’s problems. Should we find ourselves becoming displeased over what someone has said it can be helpful to remember that harsh words don’t educate others about our points of view. They only create tension and interfere with decision making.
Let us be guided by the advice that Aristotle offered the world twenty-four hundred years ago when he said, “We should conduct ourselves towards others as we would have them act towards us.
#25
http://martin.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=18&clip_id=2612
16 June 2014 – Osceola (FL) Board of County Commissioners
David Williamson: 199 words - 1 min 17 sec
Through the millennia we as a society have learned the best way to govern the people is for the people to govern themselves. Today, in this tradition, we travel from our homes and businesses across the county; citizens, staff, and those elected converge on this chamber to work as one community united and indivisible by nearly every measure. Each of us arrives as individuals with unique ideas and experiences but all with a need or, in a spirit of goodwill, to fulfill the needs of others.
Citizens request assistance and offer their concerns and we are ever grateful for their interest and for their trust in the process. Staff provides invaluable expertise in their particular field and we truly appreciate their continued service. Elected officials listen, debate, and choose the path forward for us all out of a sincere desire to serve and honor the people of Osceola County while shaping its future. We all offer our thanks in that often thankless task.
When we leave this chamber this evening let us carry with us this same spirit of service and goodwill tomorrow and every day that follows.
This is how we assemble to serve and to govern, ourselves.
#24
15 June 2014 – Dane County (WI) Board of Supervisors Meeting
Michelle Ritt: 99 words - 40 sec
I find continual inspiration in my family.
As a young child my grandmother instilled in me that community service is a way of life and me being here today is part of that. My daughter connected me directly to the country of India. Mahatma Gandhi said “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
My husband and me son brought to me a completely unexpected world. “Yoda said “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
May the Force be with us all.
#23
12 June 2014 – Wilkes-Barre (PA) City Council
Justin Vacula: 600 words - 3 min 3 sec
We come here to do the business of local government. Government officials have pledged to improve the quality of this community and are entrusted with doing so.
As we gather, we are reminded that although we have differences we are linked by our common humanity. When we work together to move our community forward in a spirit of mutual respect and common decency, we showcase what is best about our community, our state, and our nation.
We embrace many traditions and represent many demographics. We are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, humanists, atheists, agnostics, Wiccans, Pagans, unaffiliated, uncertain, and so many other things. We are young and old and everything in between. We represent many races and nationalities. We identify as libertarian, liberal, progressive, and conservative.
To be sure, we do not agree about everything and we often feel fiercely protective of what we do believe. But there is one thing on which we all agree. We share the goal of making our community the best place it can be. We unite here today with that noble aim and common purpose.
Citizens and government officials ought to enter meetings with a healthy dose of humility and doubt – being receptive to the ideas of others and having the willingness to change any and all of their beliefs given good reason, argument, and evidence. We ought to seek and welcome challenges to our beliefs. We should be concerned about whether our beliefs are justified and true.
Let us not have intellectual arrogance – outright dismissing the ideas of our detractors and declaring that our beliefs are non-negotiable, not up for debate or revision. Let us remember that our beliefs inform our actions and, because of this, often translate into real-world impact – having the potential to help or harm others. Let informed reason, evidence, and argument inform discourse not only at city council meetings, but also in all aspects of our lives. Demand good reasons, arguments, and evidence when people present claims. Thoroughly consider perspectives of those with whom you disagree.
For if we happen to discard our cherished beliefs, we make intellectual progress. While it may be difficult to admit being wrong or break away from tradition, changing our beliefs so that we perceive the world more accurately is a huge benefit – a sign of growth and maturity.
Let us remember horrid traditions in this community and nation which were justified mostly on the basis of ‘it was always done this way’ including coal mining which offered workers – boys and men who would work in extremely dangerous conditions – little to no protection. As we progress as a community and species, we make moral progress and break from tradition. Tradition alone is no justification for belief.
It is people, although they often disagree on matters they view as important, who come together to make change in our communities. It is through action, at local and even larger levels, by which we progress. It is through passionate debate, although it may seem uncomfortable, by which we challenge our own perspectives and learn from others – sometimes changing our own beliefs when there is good reason to do so.
It is my hope that at this council meeting and others – and even encounters in everyday life – that we work together to make change in our communities. It is my hope that we challenge ourselves and others to improve our quality of life. It is my hope that respect, when deserved, is extended to others. It is my hope that good argument, evidence, and reason guides the decisions of all within and outside of this room. Thank you.
#22
10 June 2014 - Portage (MI) City Council
Tim Earl: 300 words - 1 min 50 sec
In any diverse setting, prayer is by nature a divisive act. A public appeal to one god ignores and
marginalizes all of those who believe in another god, or no god at all. While the City of Portage may
have looked pretty homogeneous 50 years ago, today on my short street of 13 houses, we have families
from many different cultures and traditions including Christians, Jews, atheists, Muslims, Hindus, and
Sikhs.
I ask you to remember that you serve all of these citizens, and to avoid infringing upon the rights of any
group in favor of another. Wherever we say our prayers, or if we choose not to say them at all, we are
all a part of this community, and we all want to see it thrive.
And so I ask you to set aside any differences you may have and work together for the common good.
The different perspective each of you provides makes a positive contribution to the good governance of
our community. Diversity of opinion makes any group, including this council and this city, stronger.
I ask you to excel in your role as leaders by demonstrating an unwavering commitment to hearing all
sides of the issues that come before you and respecting those who have the courage to disagree or
provide alternative proposals.
Democracy does not mean a tyranny of the majority. If we ignore minority viewpoints, we foster
division and dissent within the community, which only grows worse as demographics change.
It makes no difference if your inspiration comes from the bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita,
the Guru Granth Sahib, or Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason. We may have different beliefs regarding an
afterlife, but our goals for this life should be the same: the peace and prosperity of our community.
#21
http://mediacenter.portagemi.gov/Video/2/0/455 (begins at 2 min)
2 June 2014 – Wheaton (IL) City Council
Ted Utchen: 97 words - 1 min
Let us rise each morning, and strive each day, to do only that which brings happiness and joy to others, and avoid doing things that cause others hurt and pain.
Let us use our minds and our reason to encourage behavior based on the mutuality and reciprocity inherent in human relationships, and let us always respect the dignity and worth of each other.
And let us, above all, love one another, not to obtain rewards for ourselves now or hereafter or to avoid punishment, but rather always to bring each other contentment and peace.
So be it.
#20
5 May 2014 – TOWN OF GREECE, NEW YORK v. GALLOWAY ET AL.
SCOTUS Blog Coverage of the case and the decision
4 April 2014 – Tampa (FL) City Council
David Tolliver: 641 words - 3 min 22 sec
[Indentured Servitude]
We journey to the new world
In search of better days
And if you were to somehow come
I’m sure you’ll change your ways
So I have a proposition for you
I see you owe an awful lot the state
Well, I can make arrangements
To have such numbers erased
Because it’s true, I could use more men like you
To help with triangular trade…
But You Won’t Be My Slave
You’ll just by chance work off your debts
Until this sum is paid”
The Willy Lynch Doctrines original intent was to suppress riots amongst slaves in anticipation of the Foreseeable war to come for generations to follow;
To break the will of Human beings from being human;
To create a class war between smokescreens and shields;
And to maintain power with the powerful and keep the power from the powerless
But there is no such thing as a powerless Human!
Additionally proven,
As an aftermath of wicked tactics
Willy Lynch is a historical personification that
Wickedness Wins Wars
For Walls are Smart
Smart tactics of warfare
Shields
Illusions shielding that which is not there
Smoke screens
Screening the illusions that wickedness will lead you to believe;
Willy Lynch had a methodology of creating walls between those who weren’t free
But You see, it didn’t start with slave, it started with the need for free labor
A selfless barter of time
A promise of something greater to make you leave old worlds behind
A false concept that it took your labor plus someone else’s power to provide
And evolution of wicked tactics over the years has allowed this concept to survive
The poor were never properly equipped with the script
Even white trash was granted white privilege
And once used it as leverage
Until the systematic leverage shifted
Supplying the very new demand to
Keep the mass consumers impoverished
And ignorance has long since became best friend to democratic injustices
Governmental dominance
Organizations like Equifax or the IRS
Overcrowded Corporations under paying the plantations
Management positions help to manage the distinction
Cost of living always rises past the price of your extinction
But Because we pay you minimum wage
We wont call it “Slave”
You’ll work your 40 hours plus
Until you’re in your grave
And Debt keeps you on ball and chain
ALL in slavery’s name
For the wicked will win every time we play the games they wrote the rules to
Don’t Let 4 scores fool you
40 acres and a mule you
Said it not 7 but 70 times 7 to forgive
Why give them benefit of the doubt
We gave them 490 plus years of foolishness to abolish the embellishment of our forgiveness
Since they 1492’d you
Trail of tears twisting from tracks of railways built by yellow railroad workers
Red skin reservations to gamble with your lives
Holocaust commemorations in memory of the 6 million plus
Plus the dictator looked like the very people he despised
Northern Eastern South African Apartheid
Genocide is genocide
It began long ago with the slavery of the mind
Racism is a tactic that those in command use to keep us blind
So don’t tell me it’s a color war
What is black and white
And red all over?
The signatures of W2s in blood signing away your lives
An indenture is a contract that will keep you on the climb
While digging the very grave beneath you deeper as you rise
Statistics or even definitions will present the argument that there are exceptions to the wicked ways of slave owners original intentions with the terms and conditions of contract living
I just don’t want to be indentured until I am in dentures barking louder than my bite
I just don’t want to say that I’m free just to say I’m free when I’m still a slave in my own mind.”
#19
3 March 2014 - Arizona State House of Representatives
Juan Mendez: 310 words - 1 min 40 sec
In keeping with the spirit of the Opening Prayer during which we make a petition honoring our most sacred beliefs, I share with you a poem I adapted after hearing it from someone I respect — a prayer from my Humanist worldview that appeals to all our common humanness.
Today I ask for us all
the grace to shout
the grace to shout when it hurts,
even though silence is expected of us,
And the grace to listen when others shout
though it be painful to hear,
The grace to object, to protest, when we feel, taste or observe injustice
believing that even the unjust and arrogant
are human nonetheless
and therefore are worthy of strong efforts to reach them.
Do not choose a path that leads to the heart of despair
but choose to fill yourself with courage and understanding,
Choose to be that person who knows very well
when the moment has come to protest
I ask for us all the grace to be angry
when the weakest are the first to be exploited
and the trapped are squeezed for their meager resources,
when the most deserving are the last to thrive,
and the privileged demand more privilege.
I ask that we seek the inspiration we find inside each other to make our voices heard
when we have something that needs to be said,
something that rises to our lips despite the fear that was created in hopes to silence us,
to make us feel unwelcomed.
Audre Lorde, writer and civil rights activist asked us,
To remember that when we are silent we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.
And so in closing I ask for us all to have the grace to listen when the many finally rise to speak and their words are an agony for us.
#18
13 February 2014 - Pensacola (FL) City Council
David Suhor: 337 words - 2 min 16 sec
Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. Tonight I would like to ask you not to bow your heads, but to look around at the women and men here in this moment, sharing this experience of coming together to improve our city. As we work to solve the problems we face, I won’t appeal to any god favored by the majority. No, I appeal to you, to dedicate your energy to the task before us as human beings sharing the goal of a fairer, more loving community.
I’m not here to ask the blessings of any common deity, but to call upon our common duty to love and honor each other, setting aside our individual beliefs for the greater good. In that light, I’d like to invoke the words of some others who shared my view. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I contemplate a sovereign reverence. That act of the whole American people, which declared that their legislature shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said, “We are a very religiously diverse country. All should be treated equally, so I don’t see how you could compose a prayer that is acceptable to all.” Even Jesus is said to have condemned public prayer, in Matthew, chapter six, saying, “Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy father, which is in secret.”
So today I begin this meeting differently, not by praying to the spirit of any one religion. Instead I ask that we invoke the spirit of community, thereby welcoming all our citizens. I’m not here to lift up my god above yours, but to call forth that most universal commandment: that we love our neighbors as ourselves. As Carl Sagan said, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”
Let this invocation begin a new tradition, where the nonbelievers among us feel as loved, valued, and honored here as any believer ever has. Thank you.
#17
4 February 2014 - Oak Harbor (WA) City Council
Robert Ray: 231 words - 1 min 12 sec
Thank you Mayor and council members for this opportunity to provide an inspirational start to your meeting. Normally you would bow your heads for an invocation in this chamber, but I am going to ask that you raise your eyes and think about a few things today. When this body comes together to govern, they do so with the consent of the citizens of Oak Harbor. Oak Harbor is a very diverse community with many different views and opinions.
My Secular Humanism, which is to say, reason and science, lead me to believe that we, as humans, can meet the challenges of these differences and create a society with less dissension and leave a better, more equal culture for future generations. It is incumbent upon this council to make the best decisions for the community. In this regard, I ask that you use reason, wisdom and empathy in your deliberations today.
To take into account the implications your decisions will have now and in the future. We should all plant an acorn, even though we may not live to hear the wind rush through its leaves or the joyous laughter of children playing in the comfort of its shade. We plant the seed for the benefit of future generations. In the words of Bertrand Russell, in order to do our part “One must care about a world one will not see.
#16
5 January 2014 – Boston (MA) Mayor’s Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service
Greg Epstein: 279 words
Mayor-Elect Walsh, and distinguished and honored guests of all backgrounds and beliefs:
It is my great honor, on behalf of the Humanist, secular, and non-theistic community, to share this poem, “To Be of Use,” by contemporary Massachusetts poet Marge Piercy, in honor of the important work you and all of us will soon be called to do.
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
#15
26 September 2013 - New Orleans (LA) City Council Meeting
Harry Greenberger: 188 words - 2 min
Secular humanism is not a religion, except in the sense described by Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln said, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.” Each of us is a minority. It might be race, religion, sexual orientation or nationality, but we’re all gathered here today, both religious and secular, I hope with a willingness to accommodate diversity and I’m sure with the shared belief that we must treat our fellow human beings with respect and dignity.
My invocation is to you, the city council, asking that you utilize the potential within yourselves and each other and apply your talents and your experience to address the problems and opportunities facing our community today. I invoke your ability to govern amid conflicting interests and issues, your sense of the true needs and welfare of the New Orleans people, your attention to a solution to rampant crime, your ability to work together in harmony even when there is honest disagreement. Let us commit together to inculcate the concepts of justice, equality, freedom, reason and compassion, into ourselves and our actions. Amen.
#14
http://noshablog.blogspot.com/2013/10/greenberger-delivers-humanist.html
23 July 2013 - Portage (MI) City Council
Tim Earl: 402 words - 2 min 13 sec
As you gather here today to see to the business of our city, I ask you to consider who you are here to serve. Not a deity, but the diverse population of Portage. This includes not only Christians of many sects, but also Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, non-believers, and others.
As Aristotle said over 2,000 years ago, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Our community is made stronger by the presence of different cultures, traditions, and viewpoints. The freedom each of us enjoys to follow our own spiritual path with no government interference, established by our constitution over 200 years ago, has served as a shining example for the rest of the world, and has contributed to the astonishing success of our nation. When we forget or ignore this principle of inclusion, we turn our backs on the wisdom of the founding fathers and tarnish their legacy, weakening our society in the process.
We don’t have to respect each other’s views. But we do have to respect each other’s right to hold those views and practice their beliefs without fear of persecution, as long as it doesn't infringe upon the rights of others.
But the differences between us are really not that significant. Nearly every religion claims that its holy book serves as the basis for human morality, and yet they’re remarkably similar. Even atheists, with no holy book of our own, share many of the same values as believers. Whereas a Christian may value all life as a gift from God, an atheist values life just as much because he believes that it’s all we have, and all that we’ll ever be. In the end, our goal is the same: to enrich the lives of others and make the world a better place for everyone. It’s our common humanity, not ancient texts, that unites us all and guides us to treat each other with dignity and respect.
And so I ask you to consider that common humanity as you deliberate tonight.
Because in this chamber, it doesn't matter what Jesus would do, or Buddha or Mohamed, or even Jefferson or Lincoln. What matters is what’s best for the citizens of Portage today and in the years ahead. Let that be the principle which guides your decisions.
#13
http://mediacenter.portagemi.gov/Video/2/124/389 (begins at 2 min)
21 May 2013 – Arizona State House of Representatives
Juan Mendez: 239 words - 1 min 17 sec
Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. I would like to ask that you not bow your heads. I would like to ask that you to take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people in our state.
This is a room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration. But this is also a room where, as my Secular Humanist tradition stresses, by the very fact of being human, we have much more in common than we have differences. We share the same spectrum of potential for care, for compassion, for fear, for joy, for love…
Carl Sagan once wrote, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” There is, in the political process, much to bear. In this room, let us cherish and celebrate our shared humanness, our shared capacity for reason and compassion, our shared love for the people of our state, for our Constitution, for our democracy — and let us root our policymaking process in these values that are relevant to all Arizonans regardless of religious belief or nonbelief. In gratitude and in love, in reason and in compassion, let us work together for a better Arizona.
#12
2 April 2013 – Wilmington (NC) City Council Meeting
Han Hills: 66 words - 36 sec
As the council gathers here to make laws affecting the people of Wilmington I ask you to lift your heads, to open your eyes and open your hearts. Our most serious duty is to look to the community we share, the examples we make, and the legacies we leave. That should be our greatest, most courageous and noble intention. Let this be our most constant success.
#11
http://wilmington.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=25&clip_id=3634
30 August 2012 – Tulsa (OK) City Council Meeting
Dan Nerren: 200 words - 1 min 35 sec
Let us open our hearts to the welfare of all people in our community by respecting the inherent dignity and worth of each person, and realize our differences of race, religion, and party affiliation are merely superficial. Our common humanity unites us all, and may we recognize that through our interdependence we share a common fate.
In order to achieve the greatest good as citizens of Tulsa, it is important for us to maintain an open mind, and honor and respect the human rights of each other. We should consider the benefit provided by differing perspectives, and be willing to question assumptions that serve only to obstruct our path to progress.
Rather than bowing our heads and closing our eyes in deference, we should open our eyes widely to face the reality that confronts us, without losing sight of our ideals of what we could achieve. Through the prudent use of reason and compassion we can ensure the success of this great city. Lastly, we must remember that in the face of adversity we need not look above for answers, but instead recognize the proven potential within ourselves and in each other to overcome any challenges we face. Thank you.
#10
9 August 2012 - Escambia (FL) County Board of County Commissioners
David Suhor: 219 words - 1 min 46 sec
[NOTE: David shared on the YouTube page--linked below--that he never made claims about being a Christian musician, but he let his credentials lead the Board to believe what they would. Regardless of his faith or faithlessness, we are glad to share his invocation here. Thanks David!]
Anyone's Invocation
Heads bowed...
Mother, father, gods of ALL people,
we come today in our humble way to shape a small part of your creation
Gathering to a task, in your diverse and glorious presence,
together we invoke your unique blessings and your life essence
May the efforts of this council blend
the justness of Allah with the wisdom of Odin
May Mithra the everlasting ground them with the grace of mother Gaia
May Yahweh forgive their shortcomings and Beddru foresee their salvation
MAKE light their mission, Brahma and Dionysus
and imbue each decision with the mercy of Isis
Whatever your virtues, name or form,
may we be worthy of this wholly equal assemblage
BaHA and Elohim we beseech you Krishna and Ek Onkar, come
illuminate our civic path by moon, water, earth and sun
And we praise YOU, Jehovah of Christ, Huītzilopōchtli, and Ba'al
for the sanguine sacrifice that frees us all
And for the bounty of reason, science and logic, we thank the ONE deity
none of us knows, that of humanist, atheist and agnostic
Divine love, lead us, enlightened by Buddha and Eshu, empowered by Thetan spirits
that we may govern with the wisdom and the good of ALL gods of our nation
PLEASE impart our humble congregation
with prudence, prosperity and peace this day
and so we pray, AMEN
#9
July 2012 - Portage (MI) City Council
Tim Earl: 394 words
I represent no congregation or denomination. But I appreciate the invitation to give this invocation on behalf of the non-believers in our city, which includes those who do not subscribe to any particular religious group and those who deny the existence of a supreme being altogether.
It’s easy to forget or pretend that we don’t exist because we are a small minority. But polls indicate that we are the fastest growing religious demographic in America right now.
We include doctors, lawyers, teachers, and people of all walks of life who live moral lives and contribute to the welfare of our community. As a veteran I can even assure you that there are indeed atheists in foxholes, contrary to popular belief.
And so, while I would prefer that the practice of invocations be discontinued, I recognize that that is unlikely to happen here in the near future, so I thank you again for this opportunity to represent a minority viewpoint.
And so, without appealing to a higher power which I do not believe exists, I ask that we put forth our best effort to listen intently, resolve our differences, reach common goals, and advance the progress and prosperity of our community.
Because with or without prayer, that's what needs to be done - and prayers don't pay the bills, maintain the roads, or do any of the work that this council and our city manager do so effectively on our behalf. As human beings, all we can do is use the talents and wisdom which nature, education, and experience have given us to overcome the challenges we face.
And when the task before you is difficult, I ask that you do not look upward for guidance from some higher power which is most likely an outgrowth of our own fear of mortality, but instead look inward to your own sense of morality and reason, and also look outward to the members of this community who come forward to lend their own assistance and support.
For only through a spirit of cooperation and unity can we continue to make the City of Portage such a wonderful place to live, work, and raise our families.
In closing, it’s important to remember that you don’t need a god to hope, to care, to love, or to live. And we certainly don’t need one to help conduct city business.
#8
5 January 2011 – Grand Junction (CO) City Council
Joe Alaimo: 304 words - 2 min
Public services are those that are soles essentials of modern lives that, for moral reasons, [are] considered fundamental human rights. It’s the day to day job of a public servant to provide those rights to as many as possible. The right to clean water and the right to live in dignity and peace are examples of these.
These services are not belief-based. They are the same for all men and women, all religions, and all walks of lives.
Sometimes, public servants, face ingratitude or hostility when they disagree with members of the public and that is unfortunate.
The served must never forget to be grateful for those who choose public service. One can disagree with a policy but one needs to do so with civility and with dignity so that we may share the greater goal of living together in a free society.
For their part, the public servant must never fail to respect the dignity of those with different opinions or beliefs. It would be easier to govern in a world with one mind but the price would be too great.
So today, I thank you, and the 16% of non-religious citizens thank you, for accepting an atheist to give what has historically been a religious invocation.
But there is one more thing I would ask: Many believers and non-believers alike dream of a day when the strength to take on the task of public service need not be found by bowing the head, closing the eyes, and praying for it. Instead, we hope for a day when whomever chooses to serve, in whatever capacity, can lift their head, open their eyes, and with compassion and reason find strength in the hands, hearts, and eyes of their brothers and sisters.
One day, perhaps today, we will have reached that greater goal.
Thank you.
#7
7 December 2009 - City of South Portland (ME) Inauguration Ceremony
Andrew Lovley: 238 words - 1 min 32 sec
Today we have come together to mark a new beginning of governance in the city of South Portland. What lies ahead is an untold opportunity to affirm our ability, and our responsibility to serve the greater good - of which there is no higher purpose.
We must open our hearts to the welfare of all people within our community by respecting the inherent dignity within all of us, and realize that our differences of race, religion, and party affiliation are only superficial. We are united by our common humanity, and through our interdependence we share a common fate. In order to achieve our greatest capabilities as citizens and leaders of this community, it is important for us to maintain an open mind. Let us consider the benefit provided by differing perspectives, and be willing to question assumptions that only serve to obstruct our path to progress.
Rather than bowing our heads and closing our eyes in denial or deference, we should open our eyes widely to accept the reality that confronts us, without losing sight of our ideals of what it could be. Through the prudent use of reason and compassion we can ensure the success of this great city. Lastly, we must remember that in the face of adversity we need not look above for answers, but instead recognize the proven potential within ourselves and in each other to overcome any challenges that may arise. Thank you.
#6
28 July 2009 - Cobb County (GA) Commission
Ed Buckner: 534 words - 4 min 4 sec
Thank you and certainly anybody can stand if they wish. For any of you who are bowing your heads, I’d respectfully recommend against doing that as well. I’m Ed Buckner, a Cobb County resident and taxpayer, and the national president of American Atheists. According to my dictionary, an invocation is done to call on a higher power and since we all know that the only supreme power in Cobb County is the citizenry, I speak now in the name of the 700,000 people who live in this county, especially the majority (and yes, I do mean over half) of those 700,000 who are not members of any church, mosque, temple, or other religious organization.
And even more especially, I speak in the name of the overwhelming majority, including anyone I've ever met who do not want their government to decide for them regarding anything regarding religion or any gods. I speak as well for those political leaders who despair that success in politics cannot be achieved without hypocritical piety from politicians and who would prefer to run for office and to govern based on competence and political philosophy rather than on beliefs, real or pretended, in any supernatural beings.
I speak, oddly enough, on behalf of Southern Baptists who know their own faith and message which declares in chapter 17 that Church and State should be separate and that the church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. I speak in the name of all Americans who know our history and who know for example that in 1797, the US Senate voted unanimously in favor of, and that President John Adams then signed, a treaty with Tripoli that specified that the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.
I invoke all of these people to urge Chairman Samuel S. Olens, Commissioner Helen Golen, Commissioner Bob Ott, even though he is not here, and my own Commissioner, Woody Thompson, and the thousands of dedicated employees to work hard ethically, and honestly, on our behalf, to represent us well, [in] all things unrelated to religion of course. And to please avoid the arrogance of thinking you can or ever should express any religious beliefs other than your own. For any of you who are made uncomfortable by my remarks, who think this is more a provocation than an invocation, who would prefer not to hear such comments at a meeting you came to expecting government, instead of religion and philosophy, please join me in urging that the Cobb County commissioners and planning commissioners cease to open their meetings with public religious invocations of any kind.
For Christians such exercises are a plain violation of Matthew 6:5-6 and, more importantly, they are for all of us an insult to our right to choose our own religion and religious representatives for ourselves, if we want any at all. And these invocations are a violation of the letter and intent of the Constitution of the state of Georgia, of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and of the 14th Amendment, ratified exactly 141 years ago today. Go and sin no more. Thank you.
#5
http://communications.cobbcountyga.gov/tv23/boc2009/07-28/290.asx
1 August 2008 - University of North Dakota Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
Cadet Julia F. Cicci: 363 words
Commander, Cadre, staff, families, friends, believers and nonbelievers; we have come together to represent our diverse cultures and beliefs on this beautiful and prestigious day to honor the past, present and, now, future, leaders of the United States Army. For this invocation, I come to you, not as a chaplain or any other person of God, but, as a U.S. Army Soldier in hopes that we can take a moment for ourselves and reflect on the true meaning of today’s University of North Dakota Army ROTC’s commissioning ceremony.
Let us recognize the devotion and sacrifices that the cadets have made and will continue to make throughout what I hope will be long, prosperous and fulfilling careers as commissioned Army officers. Yet, I imagine these sacrifices could not have been accomplished without the love and support from all of you. Therefore, we wish to continue to invoke your strength, love and wisdom so that our future leaders will always know that they have the continual and undivided support of the United States of America behind them throughout their entire lives. So, I now ask, on this grand day, August 1, 2008, let us unite as one today in celebration, and recognize the exemplary and dignified achievements each cadet has earned.
May they invoke the power and courage to remain forever faithful to the U.S. Army values in which they will bear true allegiance to our nation’s most sacred document, the U.S. Constitution, as well as maintain the integrity and honor necessary to lead this great nation to victory.
We should also take a brief moment to remember the family members and friends that could not be here with us today and may we never forget the fallen soldiers who died for us so we didn’t have to; we are grateful and forever in debt.
It has been a true honor serving with these cadets. I thank you for your magnanimous service and abiding dedication to one of our nation’s finest military branches, the United States Army. On behalf of everyone here, let me wish all of you all the happiness and success in your future endeavors. Thank you for your time; please be seated.
#4
18 October 2004 – Cape Coral (FL) City Council Meeting
Tom Clark: 153 words
What makes this country great is not that everyone thinks alike but the diversity of its people.
We are gathered today, both religious and secular members of our community, with the shared belief that we must treat each other with dignity and respect.
In this invocation I don't ask you to bow your heads, but to look up at what you can accomplish by working together in a civil manner.
I don't ask you to close your eyes, but to keep them open wide to the problems that we face as a city.
With your talents and insight you can lead this community to a better future.
As you work together on behalf of all who live in this city, may you draw strength and encouragement from one another through compassion and reason.
Remember, being a member of the majority doesn't necessarily make you right, just part of a group that thinks alike.
#3
29 July 2004 – Tampa (FL) City Council Meeting
Michael Harvey: 353 words
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.
#2
http://www.americanhumanist.org/hnn/archives/?id=151&article=0
25 March 2004 – Charleston (SC) City Council Meeting
Herb Silverman: 305 words
Thank you for this opportunity to "invoke" a minority point of view. Each of us is a minority in some way. It might be race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or any other aspect in which we may be regarded as different. Each of us is also part of some majority. It is when we wear our majority hats that we need to be most mindful of how we treat others. We must pledge our best efforts to help one another, and to defend the rights of all of our citizens and residents.
What divides us is not so much our religious differences in this diverse country, but the degree of commitment we have to equal freedom of conscience for all people.
We are gathered today, both religious and secular members of our community, with the shared belief that we must treat our fellow human beings with respect and dignity.
In this invocation, I don't ask you to close your eyes, but to keep your eyes constantly open to the serious problems that city government can solve or improve. I don't ask you to bow your heads, but to look up at what you can accomplish by applying your considerable talents and experience to the issues that confront us.
As you work together on behalf of all who live in this city, may you draw strength and sustenance from one another through reason and compassion. I'd like to close in a bipartisan manner by quoting from two presidents I greatly admire--one a Republican and the other a Democrat.
First, the Republican:
When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.
- Abraham Lincoln
And now, the Democrat:
It's remarkable how much you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
- Harry S. Truman
#1
http://ffrf.org/outreach/convention/item/19628-an-atheist-invocation-and-its-aftermath