City of Tavares (FL) City Council

3 December 2014 | 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.

City of Lake Worth (FL) Commission Meeting

2 December 2014 | Preston Smith | 199 words (1:50)

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?

City of El Paso (TX) City Council

2 December 2014 | David Marcus | 235 words (2:00)

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.

http://agenda.elpasotexas.gov/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=225&doctype=AGENDA

Town of Lady Lake (FL) City Commission

1 December 2014 | 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.

Los Angeles (CA) Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

12 November 2014 | Indra Zuno | 92 words (1:38)

Indra Zuno: Let us approach our daily work confident in the knowledge that all solutions to the challenges we face come from ourselves. Lets us be accountable for our own actions, never blaming others for our shortcomings and never allowing others to take responsibility for our mistakes. Let us behave morally and ethically because it is good in itself, and the prosperity and welfare it brings to our communities is more than enough reward.

Let us be grateful because in times of trouble, we have each other to turn to. Let us cherish each breath we take in our brief time on earth as the unique, fleeting and precious gifts that they are, following in the footsteps of Americans that have come before us, like Mark Twain, Kathryn Hepburn, A. Phillip Randolph, Loreen Hansberry, Pat Tillman, Carl Sagan, Jack London, and Susan B. Anthony.

Far and above anything or anyone, I’m grateful to my mother for her boundless love and support. Lastly, I want to thank the generous people of this country and this county who have shown me kindness in good times and in bad. You have truly made Los Angeles my home.

Osceola (FL) Board of County Commissioners

20 October 2014 | Michael Mello | 242 words (1:42)

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.

Ocoee (FL) City Commission

7 October 2014 | 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.

Huntsville (AL) City Commission

25 September 2014 | Kelly McCauley | 196 words (1:22)

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.

Escambia (FL) County Commission Meeting

25 September 2014 | David Suhor | 167 words (2:40)

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.

Seminole County (FL) Commission Meeting

9 September 2014 | Jocelyn Williamson | 223 words (1:21)

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.

Marysville (WA) City Council Meeting

8 September 2014 | Robert Ray | 390 words (2:03)

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.

St. Petersburg (FL) City Council

4 September 2014 | Gloria Julius | 130 words (1:30)

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.

Lake County (FL) Commission Meeting

26 August 2014 | Paul Tjaden | 291 words (1:45)

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.

Clearwater (FL) City Council Meeting

20 August 2014 | Dave Kovar | 290 words (2:30)

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.

City of Colorado Springs (CO) Council Meeting

12 August 2014 | Eric Williams | 275 words (1:50)

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.

City of Glendale (AZ) City Council Meeting

12 August 2014 | Brooke Mulder | 263 words (1:34)

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.

City of Sioux Falls (SD) City Council Meeting

5 August 2014 | Amanda Novotny | 281 words (1:38)

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.

City of Largo (FL) Commission Meeting

5 August 2014 | Joseph Rhinehart | 382 words (2:28)

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.

http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=largofl&eID=111

City of Eustis (FL) Commission Meeting

17 July 2014 | David Williamson | 212 words (1:14)

(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.

City of Shelbyville (KY) Council Meeting

17 July 2014 | Linda Allewalt | 489 words (3:08)

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!

City of Vero Beach (FL) City Council Meeting

15 July 2014 | Phil Katrovitz | 238 words (2:20)

(Note: There is missing audio from the first part of 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.

Town of Greece (NY) Board Meeting

15 July 2014 | Dan Courtney | 340 words (1:12)

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.

Winter Park (FL) City Commission

14 July 2014 | Chris Allen | 201 words (1:12)

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.

Groveland (FL) City Council

7 July 2014 | Paul Tjaden | 300 words (1:57)

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.

Volusia (FL) County Council

3 July 2014 | Jack Maurice | 221 words (1:27)

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.

Orlando (FL) City Council

23 June 2014 | Chris Allen | 193 words (1:15)

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.

Martin County (FL) Board of County Commissioners

17 June 2014 | Joe Beck | 228 words (1:42)

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.

Osceola (FL) Board of County Commissioners

16 June 2014 | David Williamson | 199 words (1:17)

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.

Dane County (WI) Board of Supervisors Meeting

26 June 2014 | Michelle Ritt | 99 words (0:40)

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.

https://ffrf.org/publications/freethought-today/item/21584-nonbelievers-continue-to-give-secular-invocations

Wilkes-Barre (PA) City Council

12 June 2014 | Justin Vacula | 600 words (3:03)

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.

Portage (MI) City Council

10 June 2014 | Tim Earl | 300 words (1:50)

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.

Wheaton (IL) City Council

2 June 2014 | Ted Utchen | 97 words (1:00)

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.

Tampa (FL) City Council

4 April 2014 | David Tolliver | 641 words (3:22)

[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.”

http://65.49.32.148/Presentation/TampaCity/998fadc6-160c-4e34-993b-47020e300507/TCC%20-%20Tampa%20City%20Council%204-3-2014/presentation_file/mgpresenter.html?GUID=998fadc6-160c-4e34-993b-

Arizona State House of Representatives

3 March 2014 | Juan Mendez | 310 words (1:40)

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.

Pensacola (FL) City Council

13 February 2014 | David Suhor | 337 words (2:16)

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.

Oak Harbor (WA) City Council

4 February 2014 | Robert Ray | 231 words (1:12)

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.

Boston (MA) Mayor’s Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service

5 January 2014 | 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.

https://www.facebook.com/gepstein/posts/10101211239927271