The city council of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has decided to eliminate prayer from its meetings following an invocation dedicated to Medusa by a pagan priestess last fall.
On Wednesday, the councilors voted 8-1 to replace the traditional opening prayer with a moment of silence or personal reflection, as reported by Public Radio Tulsa.
The report clarified that residents who have previously signed up to deliver invocations at the meetings will still have the opportunity to do so.
Councilor Christian Bengel abstained from the vote, articulating that the spirit of the First Amendment of the Constitution revolves around the principle of listening to diverse viewpoints, including prayers that may not align with one’s personal beliefs.
Additionally, Councilor Laura Bellis expressed her concern over ensuring that the invocation does not lead residents to feel that their government is unrepresentative of their beliefs.
She remarked, “While we allow invocations from individuals of any faith, it appears that the majority of invocations tend to be Christian prayers, which may convey a message of exclusion to certain constituents.”
The impetus for this policy change emerged in late November of the previous year when then-Councilor Crista Patrick’s pagan priestess, Amy McAdams, delivered the opening invocation.
During this invocation, she referenced Medusa, portraying her as the “monstrous hero of the oppressed and abused,” as well as a figure emblematic of “the Gorgonea, champions of equality and sacred rage.”
“That really gave the impetus to say, ‘I don’t want anyone to be in one of our government meetings and feel that what’s being shared is alienating to them or unwelcoming or infringing on their sincerely-held beliefs,’” she said.
Bellis proposed a moment of silence to replace the invocation because meeting attendees can use it however they see fit without imposing their beliefs on anyone else.
The name was changed to “moment of silent prayer or personal reflection” after Councilor Phil Lakin suggested the name would indicate religion is not excluded.
