St. Louis (MO) Board of Aldermen

23 November 2018 | James Croft | 524 words (3:20)

Good morning and thank you to Alderman Reed for asking me to join you this morning. I’m James Croft, I’m clergy at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. We are a Humanist congregation, which means that we don’t teach belief in god and we don’t pray. So, this morning I’m going to give my invocation in the form of a story.

I moved to St. Louis from Boston in June 2014. My friends back in Boston didn’t really understand why – when I told them I was moving here they responded, in their harsh Boston accents, “Oh I’m so sorry!” It was more like a beloved pet had died. And certainly, coming here was a move out of my comfort zone. But I was following a calling. I wanted to come here to work at the Ethical Society and to serve this community.

Two months after I arrived Mike Brown was killed and – we all know what happened. I got involved with clergy of many different religions to respond to that, and so began many months of street protests and marches and panel discussions.

Because of this work I was invited to speak at a big community meeting in Chaifetz Arena. Some of you may have been there. A whole bunch of clergy up on the stage talking about what we should do about racism. But halfway through that meeting young protesters decided they had heard enough, and they marched up onto the stage chanting “Let us speak! Let us speak!” Luckily Traci Blackmon, who was the MC that night, realized the importance of what was happening and gave over the mic to the young people.

I will never forget, never - there was one girl – 11 years old, baby-faced and hardly tall enough to see over the podium - and as she spoke of what she had seen on the streets of her city, her eyes shone with intensity, her face radiant with conviction. She said to the crowd:

“I want you to tell me how you really feel…Mike Brown didn’t get the chance to say how he felt before he died. It’s almost inhuman. What makes humans human is because they have feelings…But what most these people do is that they say how they feel…and how motivated they are, and what we should be doing – but they don’t do it.”

And the audience roared.

My job as clergy – and your job as elected representatives of this city, is not just to say how we feel, and how motivated we are, and what we should be doing, but also to do it.

So, let us have the courage to step out of our comfort zones to confront injustices we may not even know exist yet.

Let us work alongside people who are different to us – people of all religions and none – to better our community.

Let us listen to the most marginalized voices, and know when to hand over the mic.

Let us feel what the communities we represent feel – even when they have no chance to tell us themselves.

And let us not just say what should be done – let us do it.



Orlando, FL, City Council Meeting

22 October 2018 | Joseph Richardson | 222 words (1:25)

Mayor and Commissioners,

Thank you very much for allowing me to give the invocation today on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community.

One of the things I’ve noticed and admired about the city of Orlando is its open arms.

It’s wonderful to see the many ways that Orlando is inclusive with respect to its residents and the way it works for the benefit of all its citizens and not just some.

At a time where divisiveness seems to be rampant, Orlando is showing the way with events, proclamations, and activities that reach out to everyone setting a superb example for all of Central Florida and beyond.

It’s neither a pithy quote nor deeply philosophical, but Franklin Roosevelt was unapologetically blunt when he said…

“We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.”

It is very heartening to see Orlando doing its part to further this very American ideal of inclusion.

And despite all the administrative necessities that come with your job, I encourage you, as you work this afternoon, to put aside personal preferences, to evaluate hard data, to consider deeply the effects of your decisions, to judge issues rationally, to debate respectfully, to decide fairly, and to continue to include everyone.

Thank you for your service.

Winter Park, FL, Commission Meeting

24 September 2018 | Jocelyn Williamson | 145 words

Thank you, Mayor, commissioners, city staff and citizens of Winter Park.

On this September afternoon, we gather to listen and address the needs of the people of the City. So let us focus solely on the task at hand.

Carl Sagan wrote “We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.”

Today - may we use only our best skills and judgment.

May we keep ourselves impartial and neutral, as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter that is placed before us.

May we lean forward, keeping in mind the welfare of all the city citizens, embracing reason and free inquiry, working harmoniously together to transform our city through love and to accomplish good works with compassion and consideration for all.

Thank you.

San Antonio City Council

12 September 2018 | Nick Lee | 294 words

Watch the video

This morning, I do not ask you to bow your heads in prayer. Rather, I draw your attention to the citizens who are gathered here today to do business with the city. They come from all parts of the city, and from different economic circumstances and from ethnic backgrounds. Yet, they all hope to receive from you an equitable hearing of their concerns.

And beyond this room, I ask you to remember all one-and-a-half million people whom you are collectively pledged to serve. Bear in mind the diversity of cultures, economic interests and religious backgrounds which are represented in this community. In terms of religion, this includes not only the many varieties of Christians, but also Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, atheists, freethinkers, and others. At this point, I draw your attention to some religious leaders who are gathered behind me here in support of this secular invocation.

Every citizen of San Antonio looks to each of you to apply wisdom, integrity, and rational thinking to the affairs of the city, and to treat all fairly and without favor. As a secular humanist, I believe that we have the power within ourselves to solve life’s problems and challenges through logic, reason, compassion, and compromise. As our elected representatives, we hope your decisions today will be based on the common good, with an eye to their impact on all citizens and on future generations.

On behalf of the many thousands of atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and secular humanists who live and work in this community and contribute to its prosperity, I thank you for this opportunity to present what I believe to be the first secular invocation in the 300-year history of the city of San Antonio. I hope it will not be the last.

Thank you.

Casselberry, FL, Council Meeting

10 September 2018 | Haley Jones | 235 words (1:10)

Good evening, mayor, city commission, staff, and community members. Thank you for allowing me to open tonight’s meetings with a secular invocation.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance for those tragically lost on September 11th, 17 years ago. 9/11 will always be a reminder to all of us of the importance of unity and looking past our differences to become a stronger nation, especially when times are particularly challenging.

In a time where we feel so divided as a people, I ask that we all seek out ways to feel more unified so we can work towards making our local communities the best they can be.

I have lived in Central Florida my entire life and I know we are a community that supports each other, not despite our difference, but by embracing our diversity.

We all are coming to this meeting today from different walks of life, we all hold an array of views and beliefs, but this evening let’s reflect on the importance of unifying. Each of you on the Commission are elected by your peers to represent a diverse citizenry so let us focus on what brings us together and makes our community so special.

In closing, I want to thank you for your commitment to religious equality by allowing the Central Florida Freethought Community to represent the non-religious citizens today and thank you for your service to the city of Casselberry.

Clark County Council Meeting Washington

4 September 2018 | Stuart Riley | 418 words

I want to thank the councilors for changing the invocation policy and allowing me, an atheist, the opportunity to give this secular invocation.

There is no need to bow your heads because this is not an appeal to a higher power, I only ask that you listen with an open mind and think rationally and critically on my words. Our constitutional republic was created as a consequence of the American Enlightenment which applied rational, scientific reasoning to politics, science, and religion. While the Enlightenment promoted religious tolerance it also promoted the idea of a secular government deriving its power, not from a supreme being, but by the consent of the governed. The ideas of the American Enlightenment were apparent in our constitution which enumerates our rights that cannot be infringed upon by our government nor by the tyranny of the majority, who, united by a common interest, may seek to restrict or eliminate the rights of the minority simply because their of views, race, ethnicity, beliefs, or lack of belief.

For deists like Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Payne, and Washington a supreme being does not intervene in human affairs and the ideas of morality and ethics are self-evident by the laws of nature. While drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson asked Franklin to edit the document. Franklin left the document mostly untouched but changed the last three words of Jefferson’s phrase, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable” to read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Although this is a small change it has significant implications and offers some insight into the views of our founders. Franklin thought it was important to make this change because he knew that the self-evident truth is a matter undeniable, secular, empirical fact, rationally drawn from our own collective understanding of ethics and morality. For these principles it is our hope and expectation that our councilors continue to find themselves the guidance they need to do what is right by virtue of our self-evident sense of morality and ethics, following reason and truth wherever it may lead. To enable them to perform their duties to the best of their ability and based on the facts so that they can best represent all the residents of the county regardless of whether those facts support their deeply held beliefs.

Thank you all and the council for patiently listening and for your time. And once again I want to thank the council for this opportunity to give this secular invocation.

Thank you.

Clermont (FL) City Council Meeting

24 July 2018 | Cynthia Lodyga | 400 words (3:35)

Good evening, Mayor Ash, council members, staff, and citizens.

Our country is in the midst of ideological polarization the likes we haven’t seen in fifty years. This can lead us to focus on our differences and allow cynicism and negative emotions to take over pulling us further and further apart from one another.

Now more than ever we must make the conscious to rise above our differences, serve one another with empathy and compassion, accept and learn from our mistakes, be humble in our victories, honest in our defeats, make decisions based on reason and logic leveraging the best knowledge we have, and embrace this human condition that we all share.

The power to solve our problems, to find common ground, to adjudicate ideas equally regardless of where they come from lies within us, within you.

Council members and mayor, as you move into the work of governance this evening, allow me to share with you the words of a contemporary American poet, Marge Piercy, in honor of the work you do for our community.

The people I love best jump into work headfirst 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 like 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 a 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 and the fire must be put out. The work of the world is common as mud. Botched it smears the hands and crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphora for wine and oil, hokey 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. Thank you.

Osceola County, FL, Council Meeting

9 July 2018 | Jocelyn Williamson | 199 words

Thank you, Commissioners, city staff and citizens of Osceola County. Let us take this moment, before we begin, to pause and reflect on why we have come together.

We assemble today to work together for good of the County.

We gather with confidence in the practice of democracy and with hearts and minds open to the wisdom in every voice among us.

Thomas Jefferson, once called town meeting “the wisest invention ever devised by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self-government and for its preservation.”

We recognize that vigorous debate is essential to democracy, and part of our revolutionary tradition.

So as we gather this afternoon, let there be a free and unhampered exchange of ideas, questions and opinions.

Let us be mindful of the standards of tolerance, reason and civility recognizing the diversity with which we thrive and giving the most respect to those of differing views.

May we employ our best judgment keeping ourselves impartial and neutral as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter before us.

And may we always act in accordance with that which is best for our community and our fellow citizens.

Thank you.

Wentzville Board Of Aldermen Meeting Missouri

27 June 2018 | Brian Farmer | 297 words

Thank you, mayor, board of aldermen and alderwoman, for your thankless duty and service to the city of Wentzville.

Real world problems require real world solutions. Our community greatly benefits from your intervention and your leadership for the tough decisions required to make Wentzville a thriving community. So thank you for your service and your dedication to our community. Community is what the Board of Aldermen meetings are all about. You are setting the tone and building our community with the decisions made at these meetings.

With the tremendous growth Wentzville has seen over the last decade, your constituency is becoming more diverse than ever. Many people live in this community with great diversity of ethnicity, race, and religion. After all, Wentzville is the “Crossroads of the Nation.” We need to harness our diversity to work together. When our city leadership has access to a wide range of ideas, visions, and perspectives, then our community benefits from a vast range of potential solutions.

On the city website, Wentzville is described as a “dynamic suburban environment” and it states the vision of Wentzville is a community of neighbors working together to build a better future. So let’s not lose focus on being that dynamic suburban environment. Let’s continue to seek change and progress as a community of neighbors, working together, with a broad set of ideas and perspectives. Jimmy Carter referred to America as a beautiful mosaic of different people with different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, and different dreams. No matter your color, ethnicity, and creed, whether it’s religious or not at all, all of us are an equal and valued part of this beautiful mosaic, the community of Wentzville. So let’s continue to build this community on the strength of our differences.

Thank you very much.

Sanford, FL, City Council Meeting

25 June 2018 | Joseph Richardson | 202 words (1:12)

Thank you for this opportunity to provide the invocation on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community.

Last Thursday was World Humanist Day. The American Humanist Association offers this description of humanism. It "affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity."

As it applies to the city of Sanford, the work you do tonight dovetails with this philosophy. Specifically, to add to the greater good of Sanford.

I have no doubt that is the reason each of you is here, to help improve the lives of the citizens. Indeed, it is the reason for many of the activities that occur in Sanford and the surrounding area.

This meeting and your deliberations will improve the community of Sanford; everything you do in your job as commissioner moves the city toward this goal.

And so, even with all the administrative necessities that come with your job, I encourage you to keep that goal of the greater good in mind, to put aside personal preferences, to evaluate real data, to consider deeply the effects your decisions will have, to judge issues rationally, to debate respectfully, and to decide fairly.

Thank you for your service.

Casselberry (FL) Commission Meeting

25 June 2018 | Anna Lonergan | 291 words (1:36)

Thank you Chairman, Commissioners, staff, and community members for giving me the opportunity to offer some opening words for this meeting.

I am a senior at the University of Central Florida, and I have lived in Central Florida my whole life. This summer I am preparing to graduate and for the first time in my life, I will soon be living outside of this gorgeous state. Being faced with this move has led me to reflect on the place that I have called my home for 20 years. Today I would like to share these reflections with you.

Even in the Sunshine State, there can be darkness. Inequality. Injustice. Hatred. But I have seen the residents of Central Florida rise up and conquer these, time and time again. I have seen resilient men and women repairing not only their own hurricane damage, but also their neighbors’. I have seen parades, marches and protests in which our citizens have spoken out for what they believe is right. I have seen amazing research come out of the University that has helped improve lives across the globe. I have seen a community full of wonderful people of all different races, religions, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I am thankful for this community.

Central Florida is a special place-- one that I am happy to have known. As you conduct your governmental duties this evening , I implore you to keep each and every resident of Casselberry in your mind. Govern with a sense of duty, love and compassion for each and every constituent, even those who may be very different from you. Strive to listen earnestly, think critically, and live truthfully. Let your decisions tonight and every night lead to a better future for all.

City of Deland (FL) Council Meeting

21 May 2018 | Jocelyn Williamson | 190 words

Good evening Mayer Apgar, commissioners, city staff and citizens.

We come together at the beginning of another week, to listen and address the needs of the people of the City of Deland.

Tonight, as you honor the Public Works Department - let us remember that vital role they play in connecting and protecting the community. It is through their concerted effort that we maintain the high quality of life in Deland.

May we openly listen and develop new ways of relating to neighbors AND to the strangers we may soon call our friend.

Let us to find a sense of humility where we have privilege, and strength where we find and face oppression.

In our struggles may we learn compassion; and in our power, may we learn temperance.

As a community, may we be a safe harbor in a world that is often harsh toward difference.

This evening - May we lean forward, keeping in mind the welfare of all the city citizens, embracing reason and free inquiry, working harmoniously together to transform our city through love and to accomplish good works with compassion and consideration for all.

Thank you.

City of Ocoee (FL) City Commissioner Meeting

15 May 2018 | Jocelyn Williamson | 167 words

Good evening Mayor Johnson, council members, staff and citizens.

As we convene this evening to focus on the needs of city of Ocoee,
Let us remember that when we share with others that which is most important to us,
Listening begins.

When we acknowledge the concerns of others,
When we say those concerns matter,
Compassion begins.

When we stand united against hatred, violence, and injustice,
Courage begins.

When we experience the full presence of each other,
Because of our shared humanity,
In spite of our disagreements
This is where understanding begins.

May we be open to others’ ideas and beliefs,
respectful of our differences, not threatened by them.

May we grow in understanding of our own motives,
May we replace fear with knowledge, helping us to be patient and charitable in our dialogue.

While we often focus on our differences, this evening let us also seek to understand the ideals and values we share.

Today and tomorrow, let us value one another more than we did yesterday.

Maitland (FL) City Council Meeting

23 April 2018 | Danny Alfred | 252 words (1:53)

Good evening Mayor McDonald, council members, staff and citizens.

As we convene this evening to focus on the needs of city of Maitland, let us pause a moment.

Last Sunday was the international recognition of Earth Day. The celebration in Maitland will be next Sunday at Lake Lily Park.

Earth Day began in 1970 when two senators, a Democratic and a Republican, collaborated on a single issue they both cared about.

And through their cooperation, environmental protection came to the forefront national politics.

And today, Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world. Each year it is celebrated by more than a billion people.

So, let us follow their example of bipartisanship and team work they set for us 48 years ago and take it to heart as we celebrate the planet we collectively call home.

Just as the rain rinses clean the soil, may we enter this evening’s meeting with our hearts washed clean of bitterness.

As the sun brings warmth to our days, may the warmth found here in the community of Maitland bring us joy.

May we rejoice in the company of others—friends and strangers, who greet us with compassion and care.

Too often we focus on our differences, this evening, let us remember the lessons of those who disagree, yet have collaborated with to accomplish great things for the benefit of all.

And, most importantly, let us seek to understand one another better—by beginning with those ideals values we have in common.

Thank you.

Volusia County (FL) City Council Meeting

3 April 2018 | Ed Sullivan | 292 words (1:45)

I’m Ed Sullivan. I’m a resident of Enterprise and a Volusia County resident. I want to thank you for inviting us here.

Our sincerest gratitude for inviting us here today, and thank you for the work you do every day on behalf of our communities. We believe that there is goodness and wisdom in humanity; that our compassion and our morality grow from our common interest and from the empathy we develop for our fellow human beings; that we are at our best when we act as a community united by our shared values and not divided by those things which set us apart.

Today, let us invoke our intellect; that it help us to arrive at answers to our most pressing questions and to help build a stronger and more resilient society, capable of meeting all future challenges with confidence and optimism. Let us invoke our sense of community; that it guide us in helping to make everyone feel welcome, and remind us that there are many more things that unite us than divide us.

Volusia County is home to nearly half a million people, with tremendous diversity, and this council has welcomed all without judgement. You understand the value in our diversity, and know that we are better when we act as one community, indivisible.

Finally, let us invoke the spirit of freedom envisioned by our founders; that our government be free from undue influence of religious institutions, that our personal lives and our religious institutions be free from government interference, and that we may each fully realize our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On behalf of all your constituents, we wish you the best as you work in our public interest here today.

Thank you.

Manchester-By-The-Sea Town Meeting Massachusetts

27 June 2018 | Jim Diedrich | 371 words

Mr. Moderator, distinguished Town Officials, my fellow citizens of Manchester-by-the-Sea. I’m honored to have been asked to deliver a nonsectarian invocation to begin our town meeting.

Most invocations start by asking to bow your heads. Instead, I would ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all the men and women here, in this moment, who have come together to share in this extraordinary and unique New England experience, and to dedicate ourselves to working toward the betterment of our town and its residents.

Tonight, in this place, there may be moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration. But, this also a place 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 and for love.

Let us give thanks for all that we have, all that we cherish, and all that we possess — especially for the capacity to care and love, to improve our families, our community and ourselves. Whatever one’s viewpoint, either derived from faith or from reason and science, having the capacity to appreciate and thank others is ingrained in the DNA of the human psyche.

Let us also give thanks to our unpaid elected and/or appointed town leaders, and to the many volunteers, who are the heart and soul of our community. These people donate their time and talents to help all. Let us recognize and laud the sacrifices made by our town employees, especially our first responders — our police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who risk their lives to safeguard all of us.

Carl Sagan once wrote, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” I would add the word “understanding,” as well. In this room tonight, let us cherish our shared humanness, our shared capacity for reason and celebrate our shared respect for all the people of our town, for our Constitution, and for our democracy. And let us root our decision-making process in these values that are relevant to all Americans, regardless of our individual belief or nonbelief. Let us all commit to working together for a better Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Thank you.

Word Count: 371

*This transcript was provided to Freethought Today by Jim Diedrich. There is no video available, the accuracy of this transcript cannot be verified.*

Clermont (FL) City Council Meeting

27 February 2018 | Choice Edwards | 254 words

Namaskar.

I represent the Central Florida Free thought Community and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Personally, I prefer, separation of our government from Church, Mosque, Temple, and Synagogue.

Our hope of one nation indivisible is as fractured and divided as it may have been immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Nonetheless, I continue to advocate for One Nation, indivisible with the attainment of liberty and justice for all.

Mayor, Ash, members of the Council, as we, the citizens collectively participate in the civic opportunity to observe municipal government in action, we are thankful for this prosperous and diverse city we have come to appreciate.

A community diverse ethnically, economically, educationally and religiously; we are, indeed, blessed.

We know our members of the city council are dedicated to continuing the smart and manageable growth of Clermont, the gem...with the hills, the choice of champions.

Like our nation, we in Clermont, strive for one nation indivisible, under the guidance of the Constitution and law, with the still unrealized Utopian goal of liberty and justice for all.

Clermont, the city I trust, to champion choices.

On this almost last day of the month in which we formally observe the achievements and the struggle for equality of more recent Americans of African Ancestry, I invoke intelligence, wisdom, tolerance, citizenship, brotherhood and sisterhood.

As the council gets on with its business, I wish for all of us, especially for those of us who courageously place ourselves in harm’s way: wisdom, light, life, love, peace, power, prosperity, passion, poise, beauty, joy, health, wealth, romance, and all the excitement you can handle, remember, if you ain’t laughin’ you ain’t livin’

Shalom, Namaste, peace be unto us all.

Maine Senate

15 February 2018 | Tom Waddell | 204 words

Watch the video

Good morning, I am Tom Waddell. I am the president of the Maine chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. We support everyone’s religious freedom by advocating for separation of church and state.

As you fulfill the Senate’s solemn responsibility of making decisions that will affect everyone living here in Maine, I urge you to rely on and trust in the collective character, honesty, integrity of your colleagues for guidance today and every day.

The wisdom of our Founding Fathers gives much to rely on as well. I would like to invoke the words of two American Presidents. Thomas Jefferson reminds us that the purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation or state to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors. And John Quincy Adams inspires us with, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”

Thank you for your sacrifices that each of you have made to be a member of the Maine Senate. We the people of Maine appreciate and rely on your collective wisdom and the personal commitments you have made to Maine’s future.

Thank you.

Seminole County (FL) Council Meeting

13 February 2018 | Kathy Starke | 182 words (1:28)

Thank you Chairman Dallari, Commissioners, staff, and community members for the opportunity to offer some opening words for this meeting.

I’m a wife, mother of 4, business owner, and member of the Central Florida Freethought Community. I have lived in Seminole county for 7 years and love the beauty of this county, the wildlife, and the many fun things do to here.

This moment of reflection is to remind us that we are a diverse human family with common values and needs, with varying beliefs, politics, and backgrounds, but are here to work in harmony even when there may be honest disagreement.

In light of President Lincoln’s Birthday yesterday I would like to add: Just as he fought for the abolishment of slavery and the equality of mankind, we too in this day of age, are looking to our government officials to do the same for us.

Today and moving forward, we ask that you use evidence based knowledge, as well as compassion and inclusiveness, in guiding your civil discussions and decision making that affect all members of society. Thank you again.

Orlando, FL - Summit on Religious Freedom

30 January 2018 | Jocelyn Williamson | 155 words

As we assemble this evening,
Let us remember that when we share with others that which is most important to us,
Listening begins.

When we acknowledge the concerns of others,
When we say those concerns matter,
Compassion begins.

When we stand united against hatred, violence, and injustice,
Courage begins.

When we experience the full presence of each other,
Because of our shared humanity,
In spite of our disagreements
This is where understanding begins.

May we be open to others’ ideas and beliefs,
respectful of our differences, not threatened by them.

May we grow in understanding of our own motives,
May we replace fear with knowledge,
helping us to be patient and charitable in our dialogue.

While we often focus on our differences, this evening let us also seek to understand
the ideals and values we share.

Today and tomorrow, let us value one another more than we did yesterday.

Eustis (FL) City Council Meeting

18 January 2018 | Joseph Richardson | 347 words (2:15)

Mayor and Commissioners,

This past Tuesday was the 232nd anniversary of the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, a day we’ve come to know as “Religious Freedom Day”. Penned by Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia Statute was one of his three proudest achievements. We know this because of his specific instructions to include it on his gravestone along with “Author of the Declaration of American Independence” and “Father of the University of Virginia”.

This statute was the prelude to the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing everyone the freedom to believe in the religion of their choice or to reject them all.

Barely two pages long, the statute is worth reading from time to time to remind us of the importance of this freedom and the reasoning behind it. This is the enacting clause just as he wrote it:

This is the crux of the natural right that Jefferson asserts: that each of us is free to believe or not; that none are required to support the religious opinions of others; and that all are guaranteed full participation in civil matters regardless of religion or lack thereof.

Jefferson’s radically inclusive statute has stood as a lighthouse for 232 years directing us toward a successful collective life. Regardless of our individual beliefs, let us now welcome each other to participate in these communal efforts, respect each other as we work out solutions, and wish each other the best as we go our separate ways.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Florida House of Representatives

11 January 2018 | Tee Rogers | 193 words (1:14)

It is an honor to represent your Humanist, Atheist, and other non-religious constituents and colleagues with a secular invocation.

Those you serve and those around us today include people of different cultures and races, gender identities, levels of financial stability, and backgrounds. They vary in physical and cognitive abilities. They speak many languages. They include people of many faiths and non-faith perspectives. But while we are diverse, we are united by our common humanity.

The deliberations in this chamber are of the highest consequence to the people of Florida. As you work together toward solutions that address challenges facing our state, may you have the fortitude to make difficult choices while holding the needs of the diverse public at the forefront of your decisions.

As we seek to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this month, I am reminded of his words: “The time is always right to do what its right.”

May your leadership be guided by integrity and compassion to uplift all people today and every day of this legislative session.

Thank you for your service and your work today to make a positive, meaningful difference for all.

Lake County (FL) Commission Meeting

9 January 2018 | David Williamson | 335 words (2:06)

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Happy New Year, Commissioners, staff, and citizens.

Whether here voluntarily this morning or as part of your duty of service to the County, thank you for being here.

Through the millennia we’ve learned the hard lesson that the best way to govern people is for people to govern themselves.

Today, in this tradition, we travel from our homes and businesses across the County to participate in this Great American Experiment.

Citizens, staff, and those elected, we all converge on this chamber to join as ONE community, indivisible, with the shared purpose of service to one another—service to those we know—and to those we may never meet.

While we arrived as individuals; each with unique ideas and experiences, we ALL have a need to fulfill.

Citizens collaborate with, and request assistance from, their county government and we are grateful for their courage to speak and for their trust in the process.

The needs brought will be met by others—those who have a different need—a need to serve.

Service is offered by the County staff who provide INVALUABLE advice and expertise.

Their years of service combined provides decades of knowledge and experience. Their wise counsel is appreciated more than can be expressed in a few words.

Elected officials listen, deliberate, debate, and decide the path forward for the people of Lake County and its cherished visitors.

We can never offer our thanks enough, for the thankless task of public service.

While we work together here, and later today, when we leave this chamber, let us carry with us this same spirit of goodwill; this same desire to help one another today, tomorrow and every day that follows.

Because together we can accomplish far more than we can on our own.

This is why and how we decided to assemble, to serve, and to govern, ourselves.

It is why our nation’s motto for the Seal of the United States of America is:

“Out of many—one. E Pluribus Unum.”