Members of The Satanic Temple in Tucson, Arizona have been given the go-signal to lead a prayer during the Phoenix City council meeting set on Feb. 17.
The decision was met with protest from within the council, with one member calling it "another dumb idea" from the city.
"Well, it's definitely going to be making a mockery of everything. They want to mock the City of Phoenix, the taxpayers, and the people who want to take this stuff seriously," said Councilman Sal DiCiccio, according to FOX10.
Brad Holm, the lawyer for the city, said the invocation will be allowed after a representative of the Satanic Temple recently signed up to pray at the next available formal Phoenix City Council meeting.
"Consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's direction, the city cannot dictate religious viewpoints or the content of a prayer. In addition, government may not exclude a denomination or a religion from praying under these circumstances," the lawyer said.
But DiCiccio warned that the politicians who pushed the satanic prayer for the sake of diversity and inclusivity are "about to get pushed back."
He said he, along with Councilmen Michael Nowakowski, Jim Waring and Bill Gates have "created a plan" to oppose the city hall's decision.
"If council members pushing for diversity want a satanic prayer then they need to be out front and put their own names on it. No hiding in the background and behind process," he said, vowing to push the plan on Feb. 3.
Phoenix would become the only city in the U.S. to allow a satanic prayer, he pointed out.
Mayor Greg Stanton said he is supporting the satanists to say a prayer during the council meeting as "the Constitution demands equal treatment under the law," according to the Arizona Republic.
Councilwoman Kate Gallego said, "I just believe we're a diverse society and if we have prayer, we welcome all points of view."
Satanist Michelle Shortt, who is one of two who will lead the prayer, said, "we take Satan as a metaphor,"
"You know this is about the issue, it's about religious liberty and democratic plurality," said Shortt.
She said the group will do the invocation in Phoenix and not in Tucson where they are based because "we don't have a place to do that here, and we would like to be represented in our state's capital."
