It seems, despite some minor damage control comments directed at the Jewish community, that the federal government is getting rid of non Christian chaplains in federal prisons. Volunteer chaplains can still do prison visits but chaplains paid for and approved by the federal government will now be Christian.
Now, a Christian minister can give comfort to persons of other faiths. Indeed, a Muslim inmate who I worked with became deeply involved in a Church group in prison (and converted at least one other inmate to Islam in the process). Prisoners will still be able to pray.
But here's the real problem. Leaving aside the apparent unfairness and minor cost saving, who is going to minister for free to inmates?
Not the mainstream ministers.
It will be the fiery radicals who will look for converts among those locked away. It happens in the US and the UK. And these preachers preach radical religion; religions of peace and love are not for them.
Radicalized religious prisons are not a good thing. But that's what this new cost saving (if that is the real reason for the policy) will tend to.
4 comments:
Does the same logic hold true for Ontario schools?
Is there any danger in denying all religions but one access to public funding for schools?
Come on James, are you pimping for political gain or do you really believe that? You know that the reports in the papers are sensational and biased. What is being done is all chaplains will have to minister to all faiths, and that will get rid of hiring part timers for every conceivable religion.
And why does the prison system pay ministers anyway? This should be part of their religious duty, not a government job.
Stow it, Rat. Way to illustrate Mr. Morton's point about volunteer zealots not being as interested in public safety. Who's actually worked with fed. prisoners & understands that it's part of the mission of Corrections to help violent offenders try to get a handle on their anti-social urges & that those who help them do that are thus doing a service to the tax-payer? And that many of those who don't respond well at all to psychologists may do so with religious counselors? And who's just being a troll running interference on Opposition blogs whenever the Conservative Ministers do something stupid again?
Ooo, an Anonymous person calls me a troll and tells me to stow it! I'll get right on that.
In te meantime, I'm trying to read your rebuttal but it's rather badly written:
"Who's actually worked with fed. prisoners & understands that it's part of the mission of Corrections to help violent offenders try to get a handle on their anti-social urges & that those who help them do that are thus doing a service to the tax-payer? And that many of those who don't respond well at all to psychologists may do so with religious counselors? "
I'm not sure if there are one or three questions in there or if it's really just some kind of statement that you put question marks on. But I'll give it a try:
Spirituality is not the government's business nor should we pay for a convict's access to the spiritual leader of his or her choice. We do not try everything to rehabilitate violent inmates nor should we try every religion. The second that becomes a right then we'll be paying for Tom Cruise and Rev. Moon (PBUH) or the guy who wants marijuana use protected by his church. When you pay for ANY you have to pay for ALL. Toews has done the right thing and said Corrections Canada will not pay for any religion specifically, that spiritual counseling will be done by all chaplains for all inmates or it will be done by volunteers. Any other method gets ads targeting Wiccans and every other made up religion. Some people even include Christianity in that.
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