Just days before Americans head to the polls, another city council meeting has become the center of controversy over a Satanic invocation, this time in Battle Ground, Washington.
The controversy unfolded at the Battle Ground City Council’s October 5 meeting, where a representative associated with The Satanic Temple delivered an opening invocation that rejected traditional religious beliefs and concluded with a declaration praising Satan.
The moment came as the city implemented its policy allowing members of the public to deliver religious or philosophical invocations before council proceedings.
A woman with a buzzcut and a demonic shirt named Bast, a representative from the Satanic Temple, delivered the city’s opening “prayer.”
The Satanic Temple speaker said:
“This invocation today was inspired by the seven tenets, or ethical principles, of The Satanic Temple. Thank you. A non-theistic organization that believes in compassion, empathy, justice, autonomy, freedom of speech, scientifically based beliefs, accountability, and wisdom.
Let us begin.
Let us never bow our heads or bend the knee in obeisance to any faith from the past that is based on ignorant, bigoted savagery.”
She closed with: “Hail Satan, the archetype or symbol of the bringer of knowledge, and hail thyself.”
The clip spread on Thursday after The Vigilant Fox posted the city video.
WATCH:
Another one: On Monday night, October 5, Battle Ground, Washington City Council opened its regular meeting under a policy it adopted in August, and the first speaker to take the slot was from the Satanic Temple.
Bast from the Satanic Temple: “Hail Satan, the archetype or symbol of the bringer of knowledge, and hail thyself.” https://t.co/Newjb6s3xO
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) October 8, 2026
This is the predictable end of a policy the council wrote for itself. On August 3, Battle Ground voted 5–1 for Resolution 26-04, opening a slot of up to three minutes before the Pledge on a first-come, first-served basis, once a year per speaker, open to every faith “or lack thereof.”
Councilor Jeanie Kuypers was the only no vote. Councilor Shane Bowman was absent. The Reflector quoted Mayor Overholser afterward: there would be “literally no filter,” and the city wanted to “lower the barriers to allow whoever wants to bring an invocation to bring an invocation.”
They got what they ordered. Local reporter Dominick Bonny noted that the Satanic prayer opened the first meeting held under the new rule.
This latest controversy comes immediately after another Satanic invocation sparked outrage in Ottumwa, Iowa.
As The Gateway Pundit reported Wednesday, the Ottumwa City Council opened its October 6 meeting with an invocation addressed to a “dark father.”
The speaker, identified as Matthew Dalbey, concluded with the words “Hail Satan.”
But the Iowa meeting did not end without objections.
A man identified as Rick demanded that city leaders reverse what he considered a curse placed on the community.
Mayor Ben Foote subsequently called for 30 seconds of silence for prayer or reflection, despite an objection from Councilwoman Cara Galloway, who insisted the meeting proceed with its scheduled business.
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