Writer: iopanic
Subject: A Satanic Invocation
Link: Tumblr / 05.11.2026
A Satanic Invocation (Hail Freedom of Thought)
Invocation given by Matt Dalbey of Ottumwa, Iowa
I stand before you as a member of The Satanic Temple. I stand before you as a resident of Ottumwa, as an Iowa native, and as an American. I stand before you as an advocate for religious liberty, free expression, and pluralism.
If it should be that we agree on few things, let us agree that we are, each and all, free to hold differing convictions, and none among us may claim the authority to constrain Freedom of Thought, the fundamental right to develop, to hold, and to express on equal terms, our deeply-held beliefs. For even should one’s beliefs be formulated in error, correction can not come from coercion; force can overcome neither heart nor mind, and far greater an evil than a misguided inquirer is the tyranny of forced conformity and thoughtless acceptance of injustice.
In a time when sectarian divides are now increasingly invited to make themselves known in public forums, causing needless strife in diverse communities, let us celebrate our shared respect for individual dignity, personal sovereignty, and a unified, uncompromising rejection of tyrannical authority. If we agree on no other things, let us agree that each is their own master of their fate, and whatever ultimate power we claim to serve, let us never invest in ourselves the power to take that freedom from another.
Hail Ottumwa. Hail Iowa. Hail Satan.