Mayor banishes Satan from Florida town

PEOPLE & EVENTS

Residents of Inglis, Fla., can sleep easier at night: By official proclamation of the mayor, Satan is officially banished from the community.

Mayor Carolyn Risher wrote the proclamation Halloween night. It reads in part, "Be it known from this day forward that Satan, ruler of darkness, giver of evil, destroyer of what is good and just, is not now, nor ever again will be, a part of this town of Inglis. Satan is hereby declared powerless, no longer ruling over, nor influencing, our citizens."

The proclamation goes on to say, "The body of Jesus Christ, those citizens cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb, hereby join together to bind the forces of evil in the Holy Name of Jesus. We have taken our town back for the Kingdom of God.... As blood-bought children of God, we exercise our authority over the devil in Jesus' name. By that authority, and through His Blessed Name, we command all satanic and demonic forces to cease their activities and depart the town of Inglis."

According to the St. Petersburg Times, Richer printed the proclamation on town letterhead and made five copies. She posted one in her office alongside pictures of Elvis Presley and a painting of the Last Supper. The others were stuffed into hollowed-out fence posts at the entrances to town. On the fence posts are painted the words "Repent," "Request" and "Resist."

Richer told the newspaper she got the idea to send Satan packing after a local minister, Pastor Richard Moore of Yankeetown Church of God, erected the fence posts and asked his congregation to skip one meal a day for 40 days.

The newspaper reported that Richer has a lot of support in the community of 1,400, but not everyone is pleased with the proclamation. "One person's beliefs are fine, but not on town letterhead," resident Steve Young said. "It doesn't seem appropriate."

Copyright Americans United for Separation of Church and State Jan 2002
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