Municipal governments throughout the Las Vegas Valley kick off meetings with a prayer, and the clergy who offer blessings represent different faiths and denominations.
Aron Ra had his turn at the May 19 Clark County Commission meeting. He stepped up to the dais wearing a long black coat with pointy shoulders and fake horns atop his head.
Some in attendance, including commissioners, stood and listened quietly.
The activist said he was representing the Satanic Temple, an atheist group that advocates for several causes, including the rejection of all forms of religion.
“Let us never bow our heads or bend the knee and obey psalms to any faith from the past that is based on ignorant bigoted savagery,” Ra said. “Hail Satan and hail thyself,” he concluded.
His official invocation was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The rest of the meeting continued without disruptions.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ra explained that he had flown to Las Vegas to make a point about separating religion from politics.
The move stirred controversy and triggered the debate Ra intended about whether prayer belongs in public meetings at all, although the U.S. Supreme Court permits it.
Commissioner: Activist used divisive, demeaning language
Commissioner April Becker chose not to be in the room for Ra’s invocation. In a Facebook post, she accused Ra of violating the county’s decorum rules by using divisive and demeaning language against others.
“It is not a time to argue your political beliefs, there is time given during public comment to voice these types of opinions,” she said in the post. “I understand our Constitution, all faiths are able to and have participated in the County’s invocation.”
She noted that invocations at county meetings predate her tenure. Others she’s heard, Becker said, steer in a positive direction.
“It is delivered peacefully and is usually an encouraging message,” Becker said. “Unfortunately this did not occur before the (commission) meeting.”
Neither the elected officials nor the county endorse statements made by members of the public during meetings, said a statement from a Clark County spokesperson.
“Invocations offered at the start of the Board of County Commissioners meetings are intended to be in alignment with constitutional principles such as freedom of religion and the First Amendment,” the statement said. “Government entities may not exclude speakers because of their personal beliefs, faith traditions or views that may be controversial to others. The County does not tolerate hate speech.”
Becker said she believes that breaking meeting rules should lead to consequences. In her view, she said, Ra should not be allowed to give another invocation.
On X, the Church of Satan chimed in on the debate after a user described Ra as a “Satanic Priest.”
“That’s not a Satanic Priest, it’s a political activist trolling you,” the church posted.
Becker and Ra could not be reached for additional comment.
Supreme Court precedent
Legally, the Supreme Court has settled the debate over prayer at public meetings, most recently in its 2014 ruling in Town of Greece v. Galloway.
A resident who sued the New York town alleged that its chaplain choices in the majority-Christian municipality violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, according to the Harvard Law Review. The clause forbids government from establishing a religion or showing preference to one religion over others, or to religious beliefs over nonreligious beliefs.
The town had not denied anyone the opportunity to participate and didn’t regulate what the chaplains said, although it also did not publicize that giving the invocations was open to everybody, the publication noted.
The court ruling affirmed the prayers as long as interested participants aren’t discriminated against for their beliefs, said Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.
Although the ACLU advocates against prayer in public meetings because, in its view, elected officials should strictly conduct government functions, the county didn’t err in allowing Ra to speak, he said.
“You can either prohibit prayer as a whole or you have to maintain nondiscrimination in selecting who’s offering the prayer,” Haseebullah said.
The practice can lead to unforced errors and legal vulnerabilities, he said, adding that replacing prayer with a moment of silence can prevent future problems.
“My suggestion would be for lawmakers to really understand what they’re actually doing in terms of allowing for prayers in these public meetings,” Haseebullah said.
Pastor Jason Adams of the Good Samaritan Lutheran Church at the Lakes has given invocations at Las Vegas City Council meetings twice a year for more than five years, most recently on May 20.
“When I go, my role there is to give an interfaith prayer that is not particular to one religion or another,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I don’t know if people always notice that.”
Adams said that it is crucial that all attendees feel included.
“I think we have to be aware of the people that are gathered at that place,” he said. “And it is a responsibility, I believe, to honor all faiths and those of no faiths as we go into those spaces.”
Other Southern Nevada municipalities allow prayer at their City Council meetings.
North Las Vegas said it keeps a list of faith organizations and sends them dates with open spots each year. Henderson said it is open to all faiths and has no set policy on how it selects its speakers.
Las Vegas said it also has a list of clergy to whom the City Council refers. Additionally, it offers interest forms for others who want to give an invocation “if an opportunity becomes available.”
“The city generally schedules invocators several months out and rotates through the list to fill any available opportunities,” a spokesperson said.
The Clark County School District ended the practice at its board meetings after it received a complaint in 2020. That followed a 2018 federal court ruling that set a distinction for prayer at public meetings between legislative bodies and school boards because the latter includes the presence of children.
Argument breaks out at meeting
Ra showed up to the Las Vegas City Council meeting a day after his County Commission appearance, again wearing his horns.
For the past several months, a woman seen with him has been attending city and county meetings to advocate for the separation of church and state.
The woman, who has identified herself only as Shoshana, tried to again state her case during the City Council’s initial portion of public comment, when the city states that attendees are allowed to speak only about actionable items on the agenda.
Frustrated that the woman had repeatedly broken the rule, Mayor Shelley Berkley did not allow her to continue. She subsequently let Kim Blandino, a resident who was at the meeting to talk about another issue, speak.
He told the council that the United States was founded on the Bible’s principles. An argument broke out. Ra tried to step in, but Berkley stopped him.
“We’re done with this,” the mayor said. “We all take our responsibilities as representatives of the city very seriously. I will not allow this City Council to degenerate into name calling.”
A city spokesperson later told the Review-Journal that Ra’s organization had submitted an interest form in February to give an invocation.
The city offered the Satanic Temple and others a chance to do so at that day’s meeting, but someone else had responded first, a statement said.
“Currently the city has an opening on Aug. 5, 2026,” the spokesperson said. “That opportunity has been offered to the Satanic Temple, and the Temple has not accepted.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
