PLUMSTED – Not many communities feature an invocation at the start of their municipal government meetings. Plumsted is one notable exception and recently their invocation was presented for the first time by the New Jersey Satanists.
Previously, invocations were presented on a rotation basis by a member of the clergy in the township. Jim Gutacker, who is listed as the director of Child Evangelism Fellowship located in the township according to their website, was chosen as Plumsted’s chaplain earlier this year. He has conducted most of the invocations since then.
Michael Silvestro Jr. known as Reverend Leviathan and John Belasco are members of the New Jersey Satanists, previously affiliated with the Satanic Temple of New Jersey. They have continuously asked the governing body during past Committee meetings about having a chaplain representative or to serve as the chaplain.
They also repeatedly requested to have the opportunity to conduct an invocation before a Township Committee meeting just as several Christian denominations have had.
The Committee had been warned that there were precedents in other communities involving legal action when a policy of this type was not enforced equally. A list of approved clergy representatives was developed in the instance that the chaplain wasn’t present.
Gutacker was absent during the month’s meeting. Deputy Mayor Herb Marinari – who chaired the meeting in the mayor’s absence – asked anyone in the audience who was approved clergy if they wished to come forward and provide the invocation.
Belasco was in the audience and having memorized the satanic invocation, came forward and provided it. While Belasco’s invocation concluded with a “hail Satan” Silvestro told The Jackson Times that members of his group do not worship Satan but take inspiration from “a literary character with admirable qualities who rebelled against authority and stood for his beliefs despite the odds against him.”
The invocation noted the need for leaders to be guided by wisdom, that individuals “be judged by concrete actions, and to stand firm against any authority that threatens a personal sovereignty of one or all.”
“I am happy our congregation was able to be represented. I think it was only done because someone wasn’t there and because the Township Clerk Jennifer Witham spoke up and said John was on the approved list to do the invocation,” Silvestro told The Jackson Times. “If it wasn’t for her speaking up, I doubt the invocation would have happened.”
Silvestro is also on the township approved clergy list. “We have records of them contacting the Alliance for Defending Freedom that says ‘the Satanic Temple is here, what do we do?’”
The Alliance for Defending Freedom is a conservative Christian group that, according to their literature, stands for First Amendment rights and religious freedom. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called it a hate group for the way it treats LGBTQ people.
Silvestro added that “this is about freedom and rights. I am for holding governments accountable. If you have rules and bylaws – especially if you make them – you should follow those rules. There should be transparency no matter who is in charge.”
Belasco, a resident of Jackson, said that two meeting invocations were presented by a clergyman who was not on that approved list in recent months.
He added that he thought the mayor’s absence played a role in his being allowed to present the invocation and “for the Committee to actually follow the procedure.”
Mayor Dominick Cuozzo also serves as the pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in town. He was quoted in an article in The Asbury Park Press stating the township “gives opportunity to all local not-for-profit community groups.”
“We want them to use our municipal facilities,” the mayor stated. He added that he had “no intention of ever treating anybody with discrimination.”
The Bible Baptist Church is another religious entity that had previously held services at Town Hall. The New Jersey Satanists have also held services at Town Hall. The facility is subject to certain rules and those groups who apply to use it must comply with those regulations.
National Recovery Month
Deputy Mayor Marinari thanked Belasco for his words and then called for a moment of silence remembering those “we lost in Georgia” during another school shooting incident. The Committee moved on to business which included a proclamation noting September as National Recovery Month.
Bowen presented that proclamation. National Recovery Month was established in 1989 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Recovery Month is used to promote new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, to support the recovery community, and to highlight the dedication of those who make recovery in all its forms possible.
