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Federal appeals court wrestles with Boston City Council invocation issue

By adamg on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 3:47pm

The Courthouse News Service reports on a hearing today before the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on the City Council's decades-long policy of having a local member of the clergy open its weekly meetings with an invocation.

The hearing came on the Satanic Temple's appeal of a district court judge's ruling allowing the council to continue not inviting the group to give an invocation.

Neighborhoods: 
Boston
Topics: 
Politics
Religion
Free tagging: 
Satanic Temple
City Council


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Comments

By anon on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 4:15pm.

Have any of the councilors commented on the issue? You'd think at least one of them would acknowledge they should just retire the Invocation system.

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By peter on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 8:06am.

One city councilor stated that it would be “absurd” to invite the temple to speak because it’s headquartered not in Boston but in nearby Salem (home of the witch trials). Another called the temple’s request a “publicity stunt” and added, “I would not consider anyone that doesn’t have a positive impact on my community, my constituents, my family and me personally.”

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By lbb on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 8:33am.

...favoring an establishment of religion is "having a positive impact on my community"?

(I guess if it's your religion, yeah...)

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By fungwah on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 11:37am.

So only invocations given by Christian Scientists then?

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By Vicki on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:02pm.

Christian Scientists, rabbis whose synagogue isn't affiliated with any larger Jewish organization, if one of them is in Boston proper, maybe some non-denominational Protestant ministers, there's probably a Wiccan priestess or priest whose coven is within city limits...

but not most of the people they're currently inviting.

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By fungwah on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 5:40pm.

Couldn't you technically argue they don't have any headquarters at all?

But regardless, as far as "out of town headquarters", Salem is a lot closer than Rome, Constantinople, London, King of Prussia...

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By StillFromDorchester on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 5:33pm.

You can't exclude, if you are inviting religion into the body politic, you have to let everyone's faith in

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By Rwgfy on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 5:47pm.

Send in the goons

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By Angry Dan on Tue, 05/07/2024 - 6:18pm.

The U.S. Bill of Rights
Amendment 1

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This isn't hard. City council shouldn't get to use the power of the government to promote their favorite religions or exclude the ones they dislike.

Councilors can go knock on doors like Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons if they want to "spread the word" or head to the churches/temples for campaigning to religious groups.

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By Vicki on Wed, 05/08/2024 - 2:06pm.

The 14th Amendment means that states can't choose either a church to establish within the state. In the early years of American independence, some though not all states did favor a specific Christian church.

(Broadly speaking, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment means the Bill of Rights applies to actions by individual states; this also means people can demand a jury trial in state courts. And, I suppose, that they can't make you house state National Guard troops in your spare bedroom.)

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By Lee on Thu, 05/09/2024 - 8:47am.

… allow them to do an invocation?

It’s absurd to have any invocation.

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