Fountain Hills Town Council must not exclude citizens through rhetoric

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, my daughter and her family were invited to attend the Town Council meeting, which was recognizing Stellar Students from the elementary school, which included their son. What occurred was over 13 minutes of religious proselytizing by the pastor delivering the invocation and then by members of the council.

Some quotes: “Do not be afraid to live your life in such a way that hell rejoices at your death. In fact, that should be your life goal for Charlie Kirk,” “This is not our home and heaven awaits those who are believers,” “May we all be courageous, so bold, so effective, so faithful, so obedient to the Lord, so relentless in our pursuit of his glory.” This religious content included violent vitriol towards the left. Mentions of murder, demons and hell were discussed in front of elementary school children.

I encourage residents to view the video recording of the meeting. To my understanding, this would be in clear violation of state and federal statutes which require government bodies to practice religious neutrality. These statutes clearly state that council conduct cannot endorse particular religious content or promote a specific message during an official meeting.

Government, from our town councils to our White House administration, must adhere to the laws of our Constitution and not exclude citizens through their rhetoric and actions.

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