Posted on 12/28/2004 8:13:52 AM PST by bedolido
WASHINGTON - A religious liberties lawsuit brought by a Satan worshipper, a Wiccan witch, a white supremacist, and an adherent of an ancient Viking religion is drawing the impassioned support of major national religious groups as it approaches a hearing before the Supreme Court.
The case is potentially the most important religious liberties case on this year's docket, impacting how far a state can go to accommodate the religious practices of its citizens and whether Congress can require states to be more accommodating.
The case was filed by a group of Ohio inmates - Jon Cutter, J. Lee Hampton, John Gerhardt, John Miller, and Daryl Blankenship - who are demanding access to religious books, medallions, and costumes, as well as the right to worship in groups while in custody.
Ohio prison officials have dismissed their religious claims as a cover for gang activities, noting as an example that one of the plaintiffs belongs to a church that has been linked to the Ku Klux Klan. Their lawyer countered that they are sincere: Mr. Blankenship, who practices a polytheistic Nordic religion called Asatru, fasted for weeks in protest of prison rules and was hospitalized.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
I get nervous whenever the Govt gets in the practice of deciding what is a "legitimate" religion and what's not.
I would guess that most people think other people's religions equal "weird beliefs".
Less than half of all Britons now believe in God: survey ^
Results of,...'Clockwork Orange'.....BBC Pervert T.V. coming to a living room near you?
/sarcasm
I see your point... I guess I just have never understood prisoners suing over their rights being violated. I mean, of course their rights are being violated. They are being detained in a cell all day long.
I see you were a Marine 'Winger from '88-'94. I was one from '86-'95. Quite possibly you were the guy I remember. Small world, eh?
By the way, I found it amusing not because I thought the viewpoint was trite, which I didn't, but because of the awkwardness of having the religious tolerance policies tested. It was a good demonstration that those policies were not just lip service, but would actually be followed.
Asatru and other obscure religions may seem like "weird beliefs" to you and me, however they are long standing recognized religions.
Where were you stationed? I was a 400 Div Engine Mechanic. First station was at Beaufort, SC with MALS-31.
"The case was filed by a group of Ohio inmates..."
That's as far as I got. Let the General Population *work it out*, and stop wasting taxpayer money.
If the orthodox Jews, Mormons, ACLU, and People for the American Way all agree on something, it must be right.
Actually Asatru is a legitmate and well-organized religion. The article is misleading in that poor paragraph structure implies that the inmate whose religion has ties to the KKK and the inmate who adheres to the Asatru religon are the same person. Ain't so -- Asatru is very serious about keeping any white supremacist stuff out of its ranks. The first sentence of the article is clearer, listing "a white supremacist" separately from "an adherent of an ancient Viking religion".
That may be who Asatru is practiced in prisons, but it's not how it's practiced outside of prisons. Surf around a bit.
So do they also forfeit the right to practice Christianity?
no.
You mean John and Therezzza did this?
I think there have been court cases that have dealt with this subject. If I'm not mistaken, it's always been upheld that "freedom of religion" does not extend so far as to cause bodily harm to another.
If a bunch of prisoners want to go around hanging themselves, why is this a bad thing? Especially if they get the part about where the rope is supposed to go wrong...
And don't the Conquistadors and other Europeans drink the blood of some human who gave himself up for a sacrifice?
I did a good chunk of time at C&E school in the stumps, but was also at MACS-2 there in Beaufort. I also served as I&I staff at a reserve squadron, and spent some time in Okinawa, too.
Well done.
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