A prominent Satanist delivered the opening prayer at a Nevada County Commission meeting, sparking outrage among members.
The address at the Washoe County Commission meeting on Tuesday ended not with an “Amen,” but with a “Hail, Satan.”
It was delivered by Jason Miller of Reno Satanic and caused one board member to storm out in protest.
Ironically, that staffer, Commissioner Clara Andriola, was the one who came up with adding invocations to the meetings in the first place.
The 67-year-old successfully campaigned last year for prayers to be added as a precursor, but may now regret that decision.
The committee – which is being forced to hear the famous Satanist story here – unanimously agreed last year to add prayers before the meeting.
The disturbing invocation was delivered by Jason Miller at Tuesday’s Washoe County Commission meeting — and ended not with an “Amen,” but with a “Hail, Satan.”
“The new era is dawning and these decisions will play a role in it,” Miller said at some point during his relatively short story, which began with a bit of Latin that included references to Satan and Lucifer.
“For our liberation, for here and now is our day of joy, here and now is our chance,” he continued.
“May we take this glorious day and its enchanting nights to celebrate the wonders of the natural world, as we are all part of its boundless mysteries.
“Hail, Satan,” he finally declared.
After the speech—in which Miller asked the devil to “apply (his) leading acts of nobility and justice to the decisions made in (the) chamber—most of the five-member board seemed puzzled for the most part.
Chairman Alexis Hill, after uttering an irritated “OK…”, tried to move the conversation forward.
When she asks the Secretary of State to establish a “public comment” period, she can’t help but stammer her word.
Miller, meanwhile, proudly walks offstage – with an undeniable spring in his step.
But even after the rant was over, several speakers that followed repeatedly brought up the Satanist’s unapproved sermon.
Chairman Alexis Hill and Commissioner Mike Clark — who later called the Satanist an “idiot” — listen to Miller’s unsanctioned sermon, which lasted only about a minute.
It saw the boss of the famous Nevada group asking the devil to “bring (his) leading actions of nobility and justice into the decisions made in (the) room,” while referring to “The New Age… that these decisions will play a major role’. role in’
Most of the five-member board was largely confused, with Hill letting out an exasperated “OK…” afterward.
Commissioner Clara Andriola, the one who came up with adding invocations to the meetings in the first place, stormed out in protest
Andriola, when Miller was finished, came back and weighed in – taking time to distance himself from the man’s message
Mike Clark, another commissioner, called Miller a loser while also criticizing Andriola’s relatively new policies. “If you open it, this is what you get,” he said
Andriola, after returning after Miller finished, weighed in herself and took the time to distance herself from the man’s message.
“I would like to publicly state that I completely disagreed with the invocation presenter today,” she said.
“I would also ask the Legal Department to clarify how the province must comply and what compliance requirement the appeal is subject to.”
A knowledgeable staffer then offered her an answer, although probably not the answer the official wanted.
“That’s a trend that’s happening in several places around the country,” Assistant District Attorney Nate Edwards responded.
“That group or a similar group in communities registers for local invocations.”
“The case law in the country and the federal law in the country is that if you don’t have to open your floor for invocations,” he continues.
“If you open your floor to invocations, it’s federal law that you have to give everyone a turn to sign in.”
Finally, he concludes, “So, I guess you have to compare the good with the bad.”
Miller — whose group has participated in the annual Pride parade and done outreach for the region’s homeless — then took to Instagram to tout the performance as a victory
Andriola responded by explaining how she wants the region’s largely faith-based community to spread prayers or faith-based messages in the future.
Commissioner Mike Clark called Miller, whose group has participated in the annual Pride parade and provided assistance to the region’s homeless, “a loser.”
“If you open it, you get this,” he said of Andriola’s policy, despite having voted for it only a few months ago.
However, Assistant District Attorney Edwards defended the Satanist – who hours later would tout his actions as a victory on Instagram.
“Not only is this the first time this has been done, this is the first satanic invocation made before any governmental body in the state of Nevada,” Miller posted on Instagram on his group’s official social media page.
When local publication This Is Reno asked if residents could anticipate future readings, the group on Facebook issued an ominous, if open-ended message.
“The need was met,” said an unidentified respondent.
The Reno Satanic website, meanwhile, describes the group as non-theistic – and a group that promotes messages that are not against religion, but related to reason and critical thinking.
“We do not believe in a real Satan, nor in God,” the site’s FAQ page says.
‘Many from a religious background or from the Western tradition see Satan as a symbol of rebellion against tyranny and the unjust.
“We appreciate the idea of Satan in the sense of the Adversary.”