A small group representing Abilene's atheist community held protest signs during the public prayer portion of Thursday night's Abilene City Council meeting.

The group left shortly after, but Jeremy Wood, who had been part of the protest, later returned and addressed the council in public comments.

Wood said he had previously approached Mayor Anthony Williams asking that a "secular invocation" be performed to include the nonreligious community in Abilene, a request, he said, that ultimately was denied.

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"You have denied us equality, and so we decided to demand our first amendment rights," Wood said, adding that the group had approached Williams looking for "equal representation for all constituents," not seeking to end the practice prayer at public meetings.

"We're just looking for equality," he said. "... Freedom of religion is not possible without freedom from religion."

Wood presented the council with a copy of a book by Andrew L. Seidel "The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American," which he encouraged them to read.

He then left as the public comment period ended.

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