A Secular Invocation

Introduction

I recently discovered that the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) had created a Nothing Fails Like Prayer contest. Anyone in the country who delivers a secular invocation or an atheist homily before a governmental body is eligible, providing he or she provides a video and a transcript of the invocation.

I overcame my shy nature and stood before the elected leaders of the St. Pete Beach City Commission on the evening of November 28.

A Secular Invocation

I rise to offer a secular invocation that speaks to all citizens of St. Louis Pete Beach. No need to bow your heads or close your eyes to consider a few reflections upon ideals and values ​​that permanently unite, as opposed to temporal issues that momentarily separate us.

We share values ​​that override by many times the hot button issues of the day that divide us. Yes, the people of our town, like Americans in the great cities and rural communities across the land, have varying passions about our leaders and political parties. We have very different preferences, for or against, gun control, universal health care, changes to the tax code, women's reproductive rights, immigration policies, the extent of global warming and religious privileges - and even a few not so great issues, like whether football players have a right to take a knee during the national anthem.

But the ideals, the values ​​we share usually mitigate or resolve our temporal perturbations. This nation's ideals and values ​​are not found in holy books, but in the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Such values ​​address human rights, safeguards in favor of the family, provisions for education of the young, care for the health and wellbeing of all the people, support for critical thought, for reason, science and the pursuit of happiness.

These secular treasures give us our moral guides, regardless of which religion, if any, we embrace. Let us devote less energy seeking favor from the Infinite, and more energy creating a little more temporal heaven here in St. Petersburg Pete Beach. Let's do what we can to spread a gospel of cheerfulness, happiness and hope.

America's greatest orator of the 19th century, Robert Green Ingersoll, embraced liberty of thought and expression as our surest moral guide. Such freedoms nourish the ethical, the idea of ​​justice, of conscience, of charity and of self-denial, when necessary, for the common good.

Intellectual l iberty is as holy as our Constitution, as sacred as our flag. It is the blossom and fruit of justice, the perfume of mercy. Such liberty, in summary, is the seed and soil, the air and light, the dew and rain of American progress, love and joy.

Thank you so much for your work - and for allowing this invocation.

Summary

In March of 2016 in the Arizona State House of Representatives, a member of that body, Democratic State Representative Juan Mendez, gave an invocation that inspired my own.

He began by giving thanks that he lived in a pluralistic society and that we are capable of accept our differences. He noted that religious faith is not a requirement for a moral compass and that we don't need tomorrow's promise of rewards to do good deeds today. He also reminded legislators that the Supreme Court, while ruling in a 2014 case (Greece v. Galloway) that prayer is allowed at government meetings, that the Court also explicitly stated that all faiths or those with no faith beliefs must be allowed to have their time.

A howl-fest of protestations and lamentations followed.

The Arizona House majority leader, Steve Montenegro, also a Christian minister, decided that a solemn god-fearin invocation was needed, so he called upon a minister in the audience to provide a real rootin-tootin prayer to Jesus. Afterwards, many representatives expressed their displeasure with Mendez's secular invocation. Some were offended, others saddened and a few outraged.

I'm happy to report that the town council members of Pete Beach were more courteous, tolerant and open-minded than the legislators in New Mexico after Rep. Mendez 'invocation. Not a single council member stuck his head out the window and screamed, I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!