Alabama —
The Mt. Pleasant Senior Center in Enterprise, Ala., will not force seniors to participate in a pre-meal prayer after FFRF pointed out the violation of seniors’ rights.
A senior center attendee reported that during meals at the center, the manager of the center, acting in her official capacity as a senior center employee, would stand up and call on a senior to pray and bless the food before patrons eat. The prayers were routinely given in the name of Jesus Christ.
“Coercing seniors to participate in public prayer doesn’t just violate federal law, it also violates our citizens’ rights to be free from religious proselytizing,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote.
The legal representative for the center, Rod Morgan, wrote back to FFRF to confirm that the concerns had been addressed. “I further explained that any prayer must be voluntary and initiated by one of the seniors, that no county employee or volunteer could call for, prompt or initiate a prayer,” Morgan wrote. “I ensured that they understood that they have the right, and indeed are welcome, to pray silently or audibly, so long as it is of their own volition.”
