Kenai Borough Assembly keeps invocation, hears from deeply divided residents

Some children took part in the Aug. 23, 2016, protest with their parents. (Photo by Daysha Eaton/KBBI)
Some children took part in the Aug. 23, 2016, protest with their parents. (Photo by Daysha Eaton/KBBI)

Invocations, or prayers, will continue to be said at the beginning of Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meetings, despite recent debate about whether they are appropriate.

The Assembly voted at their regular meeting Tuesday not to introduce an ordinance that would have eliminated the invocation and another that would have changed the invocation to a moment of silence.

Both the ordinance that would have done away with the invocation and the one that would have replaced it with a moment of silence failed to advance to introduction after a 4-4 votes.

But that was only after impassioned testimony from deeply divided residents.

Religious leaders testified like Dr. Keith Hamilton, the president of a local Christian College, who spoke in support of keeping the invocation.

He said that a moment of silence would be just filling in time.

“A moment of silence is an uneasy and somewhat distracting and awkward time,” Hamilton said. “No one really knows what to do at that time. I always pray quietly but there is a pervasive uneasiness that always fill(s) in the room.”

Earlier this month an invocation by a member of the Satanic Temple was offered before the Assembly sparking a protest and a counter-protest.

Some residents have said that prayer at a public meeting is inappropriate and that the invocation, as practiced, seems exclusionary to non-Judeo-Christian faiths.

Many want it eliminated or a moment of silence instituted.

Others, such as Christians, say it must stay, but most do not want faith leaders from other religions to be allowed to participate.

Velvet Danielson of Soldotna is one of them.

She cited a Peninsula Clarion newspaper poll that said that the majority of local people surveyed preferred Christian prayer.

“The majority, 64 percent are not in favor of a non-Christian prayer, which I am definitely not either,” Danielson said. “I was very, very appalled that this would be let to go on in this building. And I would like to publicly un-hail Satan.”

Homer Assembly Member Kelly Cooper asked a follow-up question: “So you believe the invocation should only be from Christian denominations?”

“Absolutely,” Danielson said.

“And do you not believe in freedom of religion?” Cooper said.

“I believe in the Constitution,” Danielson said. “I support the Constitution but it is common sense that biblical denominations would be the ones that honor God and our community and our country.”

South Peninsula Assembly Member Willy Dunne pressed Danielson further.

“My question was similar to Ms. Coopers, but I guess specifically, you would think the Borough Assembly should prohibit say Buddhist or Muslim or Hindu believers from giving the invocation?” Dunne asked.

“Absolutely,” Danielson said. “This is a Christian Nation.”

On the other side of the issue was Carrie Henson of Soldotna.

Henson, who considers herself atheist, said community members need to stop labeling each other and explained her beliefs.

“Because I am free from religious dogma I judge others not based on their opinions or ideologies, but by their actions and how they treat people, and especially those that they may not have much in common with,” Henson said.

Debbie Carey from Ninilchik suggested the Assembly read a mission statement instead of the invocation.

“State what you want to accomplish, how you are going to accomplish it and why you are here in the first place,” Carey said. “This could be read at the end of the pledge by either an Assembly Member or a constituent of the borough.”

Assembly Member Gary Knopp, who representing the Kalifornsky area, said that he believed removing the prayer could lead to removing the Pledge of Allegiance, which is also said at the start of meetings, and he questioned Carey’s idea.

“If we don’t draw the lines (then) at what point do we quit saying the Pledge?” he said. “I want to throw that at you, that’s what is coming next.”

“I don’t see the mission statement as taking God out of the room,” Carey said. “I think the mission statement is inclusive of God because God wants us to do good and wants us to state that we are doing good.”

State Sen. Peter Micciche, who represents the Central Peninsula, said he hopes the Assembly can follow the model of the state Legislature, allowing people from diverse belief systems to say the invocation.

“It is not just about your individual beliefs; it’s recognizing everyone’s beliefs,” Micciche said. “So I hope that you will put some sideboards on what happens when someone provides an invocation.”

But instead the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly decided not to address the issue that has been bubbling up for months and is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

KBBI - Homer

KBBI is our partner station in Homer. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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