Saturday, June 03, 2006

Prison Ministry unconstitutional

You have to be kidding.
The case, brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy group in Washington, has been widely viewed as a major challenge to the White House's faith-based initiative, President Bush's attempt to deliver more government funding to religious groups that provide social services, particularly in prisons.
Nope, you can't have those crazy Jesus people trying to convert prison inmates. What good would come of that?

Can someone please explain to me the harm being done. There are many, many examples of violent criminals who turned their lives around with help from this program.
As vice-president of the Sons of Silence biker gang, Ron Gruber knew the taste of power. He told those underneath him what to do and they did it. "I had drugs. I had women. I had a nice gun. I filled myself up any way I could."
Oh wait, I forgot how well we are doing with the traditional corrections system.

Perhaps the only way to turn criminals into productive citizens is to change their hearts. But that is now unconstitutional.

3 comments:

pappy said...

Come on Cowboy, If all those inmates turn to God and dont return what would we do with all those prison bureaucrats.

jj said...

There is nothing wrong with the program other than they are using Govt. money.

From your link-
violated the U.S. Constitution by setting up a government-funded program to rehabilitate prison inmates by immersing them in Christianity.

If they wanted to help and use their own funds no problem. Some people have no problem with this program as long as it is a Christian group receiving taxpayer money.

If this is allowed think about what would happen if a Muslim group wanted taxpayer money to do the same thing.

Still OK with it? How about satanism?
The Govt. has to be neutral on religion for if you let one religion in the government purse it opens the door to ALL religions even the ones you do not like.

Walt Lucas said...

Why would you think I would be opposed to a Muslim prison ministry?

Satanism? Hey whatever it takes to get these people from breaking into my house, killing, raping or harming my family, I am all for it. If they want to be Druids and worship trees and stones, more power to you. The government has been paying prison chaplains, Rabbis and Imams for decades. Heck, New York State had Warith Deen Umar on its payroll as an Islamic Chaplin for years. Do a Google search on him, if you want to look for problems in faith based programs, he is the poster child.

As long as the ministry is there to help transform an inmate into a productive and safe citizen, I don't have a problem with it. A peaceful Jew or Muslim or Christian as my next-door neighbor is far preferable to a secular criminal.