- October 18 - Tom Clark, Cape Coral, FL
- July 29 - Michael Harvey, Tampa, FL
- March 25 - Herb Silverman, Charleston, SC
Cape Coral (FL) City Council Meeting
18 October 2004 | 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.
Tampa (FL) City Council Meeting
29 July 2004 | 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.
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/city-council-in-florida-snubs-atheist
Charleston (SC) City Council Meeting
25 March 2004 | 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
http://ffrf.org/outreach/convention/item/19628-an-atheist-invocation-and-its-aftermath