A Tulsa City Council has voted to replace opening invocations with a “moment of silent prayer or personal reflection.” The decision comes after a pagan priestess offered up a prayer to Medusa at the opening of a meeting this past November. The priestess, a woman by the name Amy McAdams, offered up the prayer at the request of then-outgoing council member Crista Patrick. During her invocation, she called on “the Gorgonea, champions of equality and sacred rage,” and referred to Medusa as the “monstrous hero of the oppressed and abused.” The prayer was quickly labeled satanic, with Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt blasting it on social media. “Satan is trying to establish a foothold, but Oklahoma is going to be a shining city on the hill,” he wrote.
Due to the controversy, the council voted 8-1 to replace opening invocations with a moment of silent prayer or personal reflection. Councilor Christian Bengel abstained from the vote. Councilor Laura Bellis proposed the rule change. “Of course, we have invocations where anyone can sign up of any faith for, but the one time they may be there, it usually is a Christian prayer, and may send the message that their government is not for them or they don’t belong,” she said of the proposal.
Bellis acknowledged complaints she had received from her constituents following the incident with McAdams. “That really gave the impetus to say, ‘I don’t want anyone to be in one of our government meetings and feel that what’s being shared is alienating to them or unwelcoming or infringing on their sincerely-held beliefs,” she said. The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) supported the move in a statement. The group said it was “pleased” to learn the council had voted to “end its divisive practice of starting meetings with prayer.” “The national state/church watchdog wrote to the City Council in November urging members to end the practice of opening meetings with religious invocations in response to pressure from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Superintendent Ryan Walters. They and other Christian nationalist officials had urged the council to restrict opening invocations to Christians after a pagan prayer was delivered at a board meeting.”
The group applauded the council for including diverse faiths and lack of faith. “Government meetings should focus on serving the public good, not on promoting religious practices,” said Dan Barker, FFRF co-president. “This change ensures that the City Council chambers are welcoming to everyone, regardless of their personal beliefs.”