Kenai Assembly's invocation policy was ruled unconstitutional. Now atheists and a 'pastafarian' are [View all]

Kenai Assembly’s invocation policy was ruled unconstitutional. Now atheists and a ‘pastafarian’ are set to open meetings.


On Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, there’s a list of people signed up to read invocations to open borough Assembly meetings in 2019. The list includes Christian pastors, atheists and a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Such is the result of a battle that has simmered for years in the borough over whether the Assembly could have rules related to religion — specifically, who could say invocations before its meetings.

In October, the Alaska Superior Court struck down as unconstitutional a policy saying that only a representative of an Assembly-approved religious group could give invocations before Assembly meetings.

The Assembly passed a resolution in November to adopt a new policy, which allows any borough resident to submit a written request to offer an invocation.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/2018/12/31/kenai-assemblys-invocation-policy-was-ruled-unconstitutional-now-atheists-and-a-pastafarian-are-set-to-open-meetings/

Cross-posted in the Alaska Group.