Ban on Prison Religious Program Challenged (public funds for Christian proselytizing)

Interested inmates at Newton Correctional Facility in Iowa receive teaching material that declares: "Criminal behavior is a manifestation of an alienation between the self and God. Acceptance of God and Biblical principles results in cure through the power of the Holy Spirit. Transformation happens through an instantaneous miracle; it then builds the prisoner up with familiarity of the Bible."

Rooted in evangelical Christianity and supported by more than $1.5 million in public funds, the method of the rehabilitation program is clear enough. A key question is its constitutionality. A trio of appellate judges, including former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, is reviewing a lower court's decision that the program violates the separation of church and state. People on both sides of the dispute say the outcome could influence the future of President Bush's faith-based initiative, which links government and religious institutions in efforts to solve social problems.

"This puts into jeopardy not just faith-based nonprofits in a prison setting," said Mark Earley, president of Virginia-based Prison Fellowship Ministries, whose affiliate, the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, runs the Iowa program. "I think you'd see a precipitous drop in the number of faith-based organizations willing to provide services to governments."

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which sued to stop the program, said a courthouse defeat for InnerChange "could well be the death knell for these kinds of programs, whether they're funded by state or federal money."

"Americans," Lynn said, "can't be required to submit to any religious indoctrination to get benefits, whether those people are behind bars or on the outside."


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/24/AR2007022401230.html

"This puts into jeopardy not just faith-based nonprofits in a prison setting," said Mark Earley, president of Virginia-based Prison Fellowship Ministries, whose affiliate, the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, runs the Iowa program. "I think you'd see a precipitous drop in the number of faith-based organizations willing to provide services to governments."

If they don't get privileged access to the captive audience in prison so as to build their ranks, they're gonna take their marbles and go home? Wow. That tells me a lot about their motives for being there in the first place, and it isn't just to "save souls."

What do you think we are? Christians?

They did so out of the goodness of their hearts, and it cost them time, money and a fair amount of gas to go out there to do it, but they thought it was worthwhile. Can't see why religious people should be subsidized for doing something recovering addicts do for free. Of course they didn't make unrealistic promises about magical change either. :shrug:

These so-called "Christians" could learn a lot - if they wanted to learn anything.

presented here is the first thing I thought of when reading the story.

...I wouldn't be thinking about knocking off that liquor store....

"Criminal behavior is a manifestation of an alienation between the self and God."

For the LIFE of me, I don't know what stops me from running AMOK!

"Criminal behavior is a manifestation of an alienation between the self and God."


I don't believe in god yet I'm not a criminal. I guess there's something faulty in their reasoning. :shrug:

people to "talk in gibberish, err, tongues" and roll on the floor. What a character!

and love
and compassion
and all those other 'good' things.

about the religious affiliation of most criminals? I would like to konw how the "Christians" and atheists fare in this distribution.

That will show if the "alientation from god" has any truth to it.

It's about .21% (stat from http://holysmoke.org/icr-pri.htm)

my favorite quote in this story

This goes to the heart of the establishment clause

When churches proselytize to people on the street they do it for free, but they want money to do it for people in prisons or they can't be bothered. :wtf: is wrong with that picture?

There's not enough money for the government to fairly fund all religious organizations, so they should fund none.

I have no problem with prison ministries, my church has one. They give interested inmates something positive to do, and hand out Bibles and other reading material to people who don't always have access to a lot of different reading material. But my church's ministry doesn't get any federal money for it.

...organizations willing to provide services to governments."


WILLING??? that should read, 'ALLOWED'. lord (pun intended) knows, this is about the mentioned '$1.5 million in public funds' more than anything. i cannot comprehend this surviving a court challenge.

These people should be required to sell churches or something to get it to us, if that's what it takes.

Now.

And I'm not kidding. They had no right to that money.