OTTUMWA, Iowa—The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) has just launched a petition drive asking Mayor Benjamin Foote of Ottumwa, Iowa, to cancel a Satanic invocation scheduled for November 3, which is also Election Day.
The controversy began after Matthew Dalbey, a member of the Iowa chapter of The Satanic Temple, delivered an invocation to Satan at the October 6 City Council meeting.
“Let us stand now, unbowed and unfettered by arcane doctrines born of fearful minds. Let us embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the Tree of Knowledge and dissipate our comforting delusions of old. That which will not bend must break, and that which can be destroyed by truth should never be spared its demise. It is done. Hail Satan.”
The invocation sparked immediate backlash. After acknowledging that they had been “fielding calls all day about the invocation,” the City of Ottumwa issued a statement defending it:
“An invocation policy was passed on January 20, 2026, that started the practice of invocations at regular meetings… We cannot discriminate against a denomination and everyone that is invited to perform the invocation has followed the correct protocol. We are not informed ahead of time what will be said for an invocation nor do we automatically endorse what the speaker is saying. We encourage everyone to review the policy.”
As of October 20, the American TFP’s petition has gathered more than 3,700 signatures.
The petition asserts that a city council should not provide a public platform for Satanic invocations.
“Satan is not an amusing symbol or a harmless expression of rebellion. He is the eternal adversary of God, the corrupter of souls, and the very embodiment of rebellion against the divine order. Invoking him in a public ceremony gives official recognition to evil. And as both of us know, evil has no rights!”
Furthermore, the American TFP expresses concern that this upcoming invocation is slated to take place on Election Day:
“On Election Day, Americans go to the polls to determine the direction our nation will take. Do we want Satan influencing those decisions?”
This petition comes at a pivotal moment in the debate. On October 14, the Ottumwa Courier reported that Mayor Foote asked city council members for feedback in a subsequent meeting.
One of those present, Olson Miller, argued that the Satanic invocation disrupted the decorum required for a City Council meeting:
“What happens the next time Mr. Dalbey is scheduled to give another invocation in a few weeks? If he delivers a similar one to last week, are we going to go through this entire ordeal again? Will another council person step up and take the focus of the hate? At what point does the damage caused by how these situations are handled outweigh whatever purpose the invocation is supposed to serve?”
According to The Christian Post, Mayor Foote is considering banning Dalbey from delivering the November 3 invocation.
The petition’s thousands of signatories made the following plea to Mayor Foote:
“Satan is the enemy of God, not someone to be welcomed into the official proceedings of our city government. America is one nation under God, not the devil.
Furthermore, this invocation is a direct attack on the Faith of thousands of your constituents. Please listen to our concerns and cancel the scheduled Satanic invocation before it takes place again.”
To sign the petition, please visit:
https://www.tfp.org/petition/stop-ottumwas-satanic-invocation-on-election-day/
Photo Credits: © Boscophotos ,–(CC BY-SA 4.0)–; alessandro – stock.adobe.com
