Satanic group leads invocation at Ottawa County board meeting amid lobby uproar
OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Protest and support chants erupted in the lobby steps away from the Ottawa County board podium, where a leader of a West Michigan satanic group led the commissioners in prayer before a meeting Tuesday night.
Standing tall with a smile in the middle of a small room with every seat filled, a man identifying himself as Luis Cypher with the Satanic Temple of West Michigan greeted residents and commissioners before delivering the opening invocation.
"That must be destroyed by truth, should never be spared. It's demise. It is done. Hail Satan. Thank you very much, we wish everyone a wonderful evening tonight," Cypher said while raising his hand with his index finger and pinky extended in the air.
What appeared to be over 100 individuals flocked to the lobby ahead of the meeting, signs were waved reading "One Nation Under God" as well as chants of "Hail Satan!" and "We Love Satan!"
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners adjusted its policy of allowing invocations by any religion following a federal lawsuit filed in 2023 by an LGBTQ+ advocate and pastor at St. John's Episcopal Church, Reverend Jared Cramer.
The suit claimed the board, under Chairperson Joe Moss, ignored his request to deliver an invocation and had only pastors of Christian churches as invocation speakers at the podium.
Following the complaint, Ottawa County created a policy for invocation based on a principle protected by the First Amendment.
It can be summarized as follows:
The First Amendment is not a majority rule, and government may not seek to define permissible categories of religious speech. Once it invites prayer into the public sphere, government must permit a prayer giver to address his or her own God or gods as conscience dictates.
The allowance of a Satanic Temple, described on their website among other things as a "leading beacon of light in the battle of abortion access," sparked an uproar at the Tuesday night meeting.
Ottawa County residents took advantage of the public comment period to advocate toward beliefs of God, shaming the Satanic temple.
"Tonight you all had failed miserably in your primary responsibility. You have out of the respect for a flawed custom of men allowed worship not only to a false ideal of man's creation but to the greatest enemy of the all good God who allowed you to fill these positions," one resident said at the podium while holding a cross.
The West Michigan county government has been under the spotlight in recent events, even leading to an investigation by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in recent years.
During a 2023 board meeting, the new wave of elected commissioners heard hours of public comment on a string of controversial decisions including the firings of two county leaders and eliminating the county's diversity, equity and inclusion department.
In December 2023, The Board also changed the county's motto from "Where We Belong" to "Where Freedom Rings."
According to the county's policy, "Just as anyone is allowed to speak during the public comment segment, anyone is allowed to request to give an invocation."