Town Council Meeting in Iowa Opens with Invocation to Satan
Matt Dalbey’s prayer, which ended with “Hail Satan,” drew objections from council members and a local pastor under the city’s open invocation policy.
- Former Ottumwa council member Matt Dalbey opened the October 6 meeting with an invocation ending in “Hail Satan.”
- Pastor Rick Bick called the invocation a curse and demanded that the council reverse it, while Mayor Benjamin Foote called for 30 seconds of silence.
- Dalbey said the invocation came from the Satanic Temple of Iowa, which he described as non-theistic and not worshiping a satanic deity.
- Ottumwa’s January policy allows invocations reflecting religious, nonreligious, or other beliefs.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Iowa city council meeting erupts after former member opens meeting with satanic prayer and 'Hail Satan'
The Ottumwa City Council in Iowa erupted after a former member opened a meeting with a satanic prayer ending in "Hail Satan," prompting a pastor to demand action.
Satanic Prayer Causes Uproar at City Council Meeting
In this Ottumwa Courier article, Chad Drury reports that a satanic invocation ending in “Hail Satan” overshadowed Tuesday’s 80-minute Ottumwa City Council meeting. Former council member Matt Dalbey opened the City Hall session with a prayer used by the Satanic Temple of Iowa, of which he is a member, and told the Courier it “has […]
Iowa city council erupts after starting with satanic prayer: ‘A curse put on the city’
"Dear dark father" and "Hail Satan" were the words that kicked off the Ottumwa City Council's first meeting this month after former member Matt Dalbey stepped up to read its regular invocation.
‘Hail Satan’ Invocation Sparks Ottumwa Council Backlash
An Iowa city council meeting opened Tuesday with an invocation that ended with “Hail Satan,” prompting a local pastor to call the remarks a curse and demand an immediate response. The Ottumwa City Council held its regular meeting October 6 at City Hall. Resident and former council member Matt Dalbey delivered the invocation before the […]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
