Religion

rug

(82,333 posts) Tue Dec 9, 2014, 06:40 PM Dec 2014

Lake Worth Commissioners Walk Out During Atheist Invocation

By Chris Joseph
Tue., Dec. 9 2014 at 3:01 PM

The mayor of Lake Worth and a handful of commissioners walked out as an atheist was about to give an invocation before a meeting last week.

Like many cities, the commission allows a religious invocations to be given before holding their meetings. But as atheist Preston Smith walked up to the podium to begin his invocation, Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo and three city commissioners got up and left the chambers.

"Duly noted," Smith said as they walked out. Triolo's explanation for leaving wasn't over Smith being an atheist but over an offensive tweet the mayor says Smith tweeted out earlier this year.

Video of the mayor and commissioners walking out on Smith before his invocation has been getting thousands of hits on YouTube since last week.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2014/12/lake_worth_commissioners_walk_out_during_atheist_invocation.php

5 replies

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Lake Worth Commissioners Walk Out During Atheist Invocation (Original Post) rug Dec 2014 OP

Nobody should be forced to stay yeoman6987 Dec 2014 #1

They don't force the students to say the pledge in schools Mariana Dec 2014 #3

Then they shouldn't have ANY invocations. Cartoonist Dec 2014 #2

He's a big a blowhard as any I've heard struggle4progress Dec 2014 #4

Ending was pretty smooth though. Nice. AtheistCrusader Dec 2014 #5

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)

1. Nobody should be forced to stay

Reply to rug (Original post)

Tue Dec 9, 2014, 06:44 PM

Dec 2014

In schools, they do not even force the pledge anymore. I applaud anybody's right to be free to refrain from any prayer.

Mariana

(14,854 posts)

3. They don't force the students to say the pledge in schools

Reply to yeoman6987 (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 9, 2014, 11:37 PM

Dec 2014

but I don't know of any in which the students can walk out because they don't want to hear it.

Cartoonist

(7,316 posts)

2. Then they shouldn't have ANY invocations.

Reply to rug (Original post)

Tue Dec 9, 2014, 09:55 PM

Dec 2014

I think that was the point the Atheist was trying to make. If these same people don't walk out of the next Christian invocation, then they will admit that they are bigots of the worst kind.

There's another matter. They have business to do. Did they come back when the invocation was done? That's another reason not to have them in the first place.

struggle4progress

(118,278 posts)

4. He's a big a blowhard as any I've heard

Reply to rug (Original post)

Wed Dec 10, 2014, 12:23 AM

Dec 2014

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

5. Ending was pretty smooth though. Nice.

Reply to struggle4progress (Reply #4)

Wed Dec 10, 2014, 01:57 AM

Dec 2014

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