PITTSBORO - The chairman of the Chatham County commissioners would not say Friday whether he would comply with the ACLU's request to stop invoking Jesus Christ's name in prayers at government meetings.

"[W]hen it is my turn to pray, I will use my personal judgment just like my fellow commissioners will," Bunkey Morgan wrote in a letter responding to the civil liberties group.

Morgan also blamed political opponents for causing a stir over the board's sectarian prayers, saying he thinks the American Civil Liberties Union learned of the practice from a citizen and not a Feb. 17 article in The News & Observer as an ACLU spokeswoman has said.

"The individual said I offended him with the opening invocation because I included Christ in my prayer," Morgan wrote in the letter. "At the same time, he informed me he was a member of the [Chatham] Coalition, and 'they would clean our clocks in the upcoming election.' "

Jeffrey Starkweather, chairman of the Chatham Coalition, said no member of the group had contacted the ACLU. He also denied that any member approached Morgan about his prayer.

On April 10, the ACLU of North Carolina sent a letter to Morgan asking the board to "stop the practice of using sectarian invocations at Chatham County commissioners meetings."

In addition to the letter to Morgan, the ACLU sent letters to the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners, Clayton Town Council and Raleigh City Council, which the newspaper reported also invoked Christ's name at their meetings.

Though prayer at government meetings is allowed, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that sectarian prayers are unconstitutional.

In their discussion about the letter at a meeting Monday, the Chatham commissioners were indignant.

"No man is going to tell me how to pray," Morgan said.

Commissioner Patrick Barnes said the ACLU would spend its time better by picking up trash on U.S. 64.

Morgan also criticized the timing of the ACLU request.

"Your letter addressed to me was received Easter weekend, what a coincidence," he wrote in the first line of his letter.

But the ACLU of North Carolina's executive director, Jennifer Rudinger, said that the law is clear on this issue and that courts have agreed prayers at government meetings must not reflect any particular faith.

She also said she did not understand why Morgan was making the matter political or what he intends to do next.

"It's not exactly clear from the response we received whether or not the practice of leading off official government meetings ... with prayer will be brought into compliance," she said.

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