Satanic Prayer at Iowa City Council Meeting Sparks Outrage and Debate
A former council member's invocation invoking "dark father" and "Hail Satan" led to a pastor demanding the curse be reversed, highlighting divisions over a new invocation policy.
An Iowa city council meeting descended into disarray Tuesday when a former member recited a prayer invoking Satan, prompting immediate backlash from an attendee who called for the "curse" on the city to be lifted.
Matt Dalbey, a former Ottumwa City Council member, took the podium to deliver the invocation, beginning with "Dear dark father" and "Hail Satan." He continued, "Let us embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat at the tree of knowledge. Let us demand that individuals be judged for their concrete actions not their fealty to arbitrary social norms and illusory categorizations."
Following Dalbey's prayer, the council members faced the American flag without reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. A pastor in the audience, identified as Rick Bick of New Life Center, immediately approached the podium, stating, "That ‘Hail Satan’ is not welcome here. It needs to be done now." He urged the council to "reverse this curse that was put on our city."
Ottumwa Mayor Benjamin Foote then called for 30 seconds of silence for reflection. The incident underscored concerns raised by Council Member Cara Galloway, who had been the sole vote against a January policy change allowing any faith or philosophy to open council meetings. Galloway had warned the policy was a "slippery slope" that could lead to such controversies, anticipating that groups like the Church of Satan might be permitted.
Dalbey later stated he was a member of the Satanic Temple of Iowa but clarified that the organization is "resolutely non-theistic" and does not involve worship of a deity. This aligns with the general stance of prominent Satanic organizations, which often emphasize individualism and personal freedoms rather than theistic worship.