This past July, atheist Tracy Jones delivered the invocation address at a meeting of the Chester City Council (in Pennsylvania).
In a video of that speech, which was just brought to my attention, Jones spoke about how “the fact that we have a prayer before we have these meetings, I find it uncalled for,” to audible gasps from the audience:
His request was simple and sensible: Unless you can invite people of all faiths to deliver these speeches, you should do away with this ritual altogether.
Given the reaction, you’d think he suggested all babies within a 5-mile radius be burned at the stake.
I’ve asked Jones what the reaction was from the audience after he finished his speech and whether anything changed for the better. I’m not optimistic.
(Thanks to Nikki for the link)