The WaPo headline is misleading (as a read of the article shows). The Phoenix City Council has had a long tradition of opening sessions with a prayer. Not surprisingly, those have always tended to be Christian prayers. Someone noted that actually restricting the prayers to Christian groups was a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. A member of the local Satanic Temple applied to get into the queue for the invocation. Rather than allow that, the City Council has voted 5-4 to replace the invocation with a moment of silence.
That's all pretty straight-forward Constitutionality 101. If you are going to have government-sponsored expressions of religious faith, you cannot arbitrarily decide with religions get to make those expressions. That's the sort of thing that's kept the Satanists out … and often the Muslims … and before them the Jews … and before them the Catholics … and the Baptists … and the Quakers … and …
Sadly enough, some Phoenix pols aren't happy with this solution because they think it means the "Satanists" have won against the "Christians" (despite the fact that the Satanic Temple didn't ask for the invocation to be changed to a moment of silence, but did reasonably expect to have their own prayer included as an invocation). Those politicians vow to have a citizen referendum to overturn the decision — which, presumably, will then let the city in for a protracted legal battle that will end in a lot of money being spent and much the same result.
I understand not liking the message from people you don't agree with. But our Constitution explicitly protects us from people's religious or political opinions from being silenced or oppressed. That doesn't just protect the folk at the Satanic Temple; that protects everyone.
How the Satanic Temple forced Phoenix lawmakers to ban public prayer
The issue came down to a controversial vote.
Very well said, and I've been partially following it as it appears in my stream.