PHOENIX — Members of a satanic group are set to give the prayer at an upcoming meeting of the Phoenix City Council, triggering a debate about religious freedom and whether such a display is appropriate for the venue.
Satanic Temple members Michelle Shortt and Stu de Haan are expected to give the invocation at the council's Feb. 17 meeting after the group submitted a request in December. Despite the objections of some council members, the city has decided to let the satanists speak as scheduled.
Phoenix City Attorney Brad Holm released a statement Thursday evening, defending the city's position. The city typically holds a short invocation at the start of formal council meetings and has included members from a variety of faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism.
"Consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's direction, the city cannot dictate religious viewpoints or the content of a prayer," Holm wrote. "In addition, government may not exclude a denomination or a religion from praying under these circumstances."
Councilman Jim Waring said he thinks the city should have told the Satanic Temple members "no," and let them fight the issue in court. He said he thinks the action is intended to be offensive to residents and questioned whether it's a gimmick to get the city to stop doing a prayer at council meetings altogether.
"Frankly, I don't know that we should be capitulating so readily to this," Waring said. "I do think standing on a principle has a merit. I'll probably just leave."
De Haan, who lives in Tucson, said he applied to speak at a council meeting to ensure minority voices are heard. He said the group does "not believe in a literal Satan" and instead views the biblical Satan as "a metaphor for rebellion against tyranny."
"We're citizens of this government and we would like our voices to be heard," De Haan said. "If they don't want to accept, constitutionally what must happen is that all voices must be taken down from the public forum. It's basically all voices must be heard or none at all."
De Haan would not disclose what the group is planning for its invocation, but said, "We don't intend on doing anything offensive."
The controversy has prompted a range of statements from city leaders. Councilman Sal DiCiccio took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to call the move "Another dumb idea by the city..."
Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Stanton and Councilwoman Kate Gallego said they support letting the satanists speak. Stanton released a statement, saying, "the Constitution demands equal treatment under the law" even though he disagrees with the group's message.
Gallego also pointed to First Amendment protections, adding, ""I just believe we're a diverse society and if we have prayer, we welcome all points of view."
