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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 19326
[Civil]
Date Posted:
1/29/2008
6:27:25 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 12,251
RSS: 14,312
Comments: 18
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Multiple-Faith Rule Disturbs Prison Chaplain
Author: Ian Demsky Source: Tacoma News Tribune (WA)
Title: MULTIPLE-FAITH RULE DISTURBS PRISON CHAPLAIN
  Tom Suss loves his job.
A chaplain at McNeil Island prison, he’s been with the state Department of Corrections for more than 15 years.
But Suss took a voluntary leave of absence at the beginning of the year because a new Corrections Department policy allowing inmates to profess multiple religions has put his faith into conflict with his duties as a state employee.
At issue is whether in the state’s efforts to protect inmates’ freedom to worship, Suss should have to compromise his own religious convictions.
Suss’ dilemma raises other questions, too:
What does it mean to belong to a particular faith or tradition? Can you just say, “OK, I’m Jewish now” (or Hindu, or Catholic, or Buddhist, or whatever), or must you be accepted into that faith through certain sacraments and rituals? Is it meaningful to claim you’re both a Catholic, believing in one triune God, and at the same time a pagan, espousing the existence of many gods and goddesses? Who should get to decide?
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Community Thoughts: There are 18 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Only His Religion | Jan 29th. at 11:06:47 pm EST
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Rubyglare (Sacramento, California) - Email Me
should be allowed, that is part of his religious belief & that's why he's having "trouble" with non-Christians, pretty simple. All of the 12th House religions have this basic component, even Bhuddism-if it didn't then where have all the priestesses in Asia gone? Those saffron-colored robes are worn only by males now, shaved bald like Ancient Egyptian & Ancient Roman priests.
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| What's The Real Question Here? | Jan 29th. at 7:35:19 pm EST
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Aidan Odinson (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
Yes, it is possible to follow more than one path. Most Buddhist clergy I've met, for instance, consider it perfectly all right to be a Buddhist and something else at the same time. But, it depends on the paths involved.
The Rabbi quoted in the article is correct, at least as far as the Jews I've known are concerned: either someone is Jewish or not Jewish, never Jewish "and" anything else.
If it is permissible, then OK. But let's not open the door for someone to "game" the system so that, for instance, someone might get two sets of holidays.
Let's also understand that most chaplains are members of the clergy of particular denominations. If a chaplain's denomination does not go along with something, then the chaplain has to follow the policies of his or her indorsing agency.
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| Institutions | Jan 29th. at 5:51:43 pm EST
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Ananta Androscoggin (Greene, Maine) - Email Me
To hold a job as an institutional Chaplain is not the same thing as being a pastor in a church of your own denomination.
Unless they begin to build prisons for each separate religion, anybody who works as a Prison Chaplain must try to aid ALL OF those who are under his care, whether they are of his own sect or not. If he or she cannot directly do so of their own training and experience, it behooves them to assist the prison management in finding some outside clergy who are willing to work with that government's prison system to serve prisoners who follow either their own religion, or one closely related to it.
I've read quite a few postings around the 'net about the Pagan presence in the U.K. prison chaplains' forces. Why can't we here in the States step forward as well?
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| Why Should He Be Disturbed? | Jan 29th. at 4:58:44 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
If he was hired as a Catholic Priest, then that is what he should remain. If there are no other denominations dealing with the prison population--then he must do what he can within his own calling, unless he has a special dispensation to do otherwise.
If there are certain things about a prisoner's faith that he finds disturbing, it wouldn't hurt to have a networking individual to deal with a problem he doesn't feel he should handle.
A priest does have it slightly easier. He can say no to certain things, but he still has a responsibility to look into the matter one way or another. Even if he can deny someone his service-for whatever reason- why can't he call someone else in to handle the matter?
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| I Don't Think Religion Hopping Is His Issue | Jan 29th. at 2:43:15 pm EST
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Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
Catholics and many other abrahamic religions are very exclusive. You must undergo specific ceremonies to be considered a member of their faith. You are not allowed to take communion at a catholic church UNLESS you have been officially declared a catholic with this privilege. No other religion's baptism will do. Same with many other faiths. You don't get to just declare you are jewish, mormon or muslim either. He seemed to have a problem, not with pagans with a christian pantheon but with a wiccan/catholic mix or satanism/mormon or some other mix where the abrahamic religion would not accept people who followed the other traditionas well.
If he believes it is a sin to give communion (in the catholic tradition) to a non-catholic of any type, how could he give it to a witch and live with his calling? Or a satanist? I would never ask him to do so as it would be a true violation of his core beliefs. Giving counsel to such a mixed religion claimant would be different, but not sacraments or religious items his faith holds sacred. Having more types of spiritual counselors would help but would not solve the problem a catholic priest or a baptist or a morman or a rabbi should not be required to give sacraments he holds sacred to someone who's professed belief in another tradition makes doing so a sin. Prison should not give you religious rights you would not have in the outside world. Of course, in the outside world you could lie to your priest about what you did outside the church.
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| Blah | Jan 29th. at 11:54:02 am EST
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Just A Wolf (Seward, Michigan) - Email Me
Considering the problems of how these people ended up in jail, is the multiple-faith rule really a big concern? If I were a prison chaplain, I would have many other concerns on my mind. As for the prisoners playing the system, who really wins? At the end of the day they are still in jail.
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| *** | Jan 29th. at 11:34:49 am EST
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Titania (Smallville, New York) - Email Me
I find it interesting that a clergy person is saying that inmates will profess a religion for personal gain, yet Chuck Colson would have us all believe that Prison Fellowship is the best program to reduce recidivism. He conveneintly ignores the real possbility that the particpants motives may only be to garner special treatment. I also must take exception with the comment that inmates should not be able to get in prison what they can't get on the "streets," i.e., dual religion. That is outright incorrect. Also, if the chaplin is unable to fulfill the duties for which he is employed to execute, he should step aside. Religious accomodation for state employees (as well as private sector employees) should be made whenever it does not conflict with the duties as assigned.
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| Why Not Just... | Jan 29th. at 11:31:44 am EST
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Serpent (Caldwell (close to Nampa) , Idaho) - Email Me
...work on training more chaplains of other or alternative faiths to work in the prison systems?
It falls to each individual how they choose to express their spirituality. While I personally think that on the surface levels there are too many differences for most religions to be practiced simulteneously by a person, when you can look past all of the hype and tradition and 'man-made' stuff, they really are quite compatible.
Mainstream or evangelical Christianity doesn't mesh well with Pagan traditions, but Christian mysticism or gnostic traditions do.
Of course, for this priest, that isn't a possibility because he's Catholic and isn't going to view Christianity from a more gnostic or mystical point.
People in prison are searching for something. Some of them are searching for spiritual connection... and some of them are searching for an excuse to get out of their cell for just a little bit longer each time a chaplain can come around. Unfortunately, some of them are searching for a way to abuse the system as well.
Train more chaplains instead of expecting the few chaplains which are available to take on the burden of teaching everyone's choice faith to them. If there were more Pagan chaplains to 'take up the slack', this Catholic priest wouldn't have felt he had to contribute as much to the Pagan side of the inmate's spiritual seeking.
"You want a set of tarot cards? Well, I can't give you that, but Raindancer is a trained Pagan priest. He would be the one to go to for such things. I'll be here when you want to study catechism."
Something like that would be great :)
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| See It Both Ways... | Jan 29th. at 10:42:36 am EST
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Serena Moonsilver (Monroe, Michigan) - Email Me
I think it is possible to blend two religions without coming into too much conflict for youself. However, the hardcore on either side may not be accepting of your new belief. And Catholicism and Paganism? Look at Celtic Christianity and you get a pretty good idea how such a system might work.
I do agree that it seems that the new rule is too exploitable by prisoners however to get "perks". The old rule seem to make sense as it didn't really prohibit worship as long as the prisoner could find someone on the outside who could vouch that it was a viable combination.
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| ... | Jan 29th. at 7:01:24 am EST
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
I can't believe I'm typing this, but I agree with the chaplain. Common sense explicitly states that christianism and Paganism doesn't mix. The angry, "small-sized" Semitic war "god" doesn't like actual Gods, and its followers follow suit with members of other religions, even other followers of that "god."
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| Interesting | Jan 29th. at 6:56:23 am EST
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Errapel (Lowestoft, England) - Email Me
I can actualy understand this chaplain's concerns. He isnt trying to push his beliefs on others, but he feels that doing his job might conflict with his religious views. I think he is taking the right desicion, stepping back to decide what is the best thing to do.
On a side note, anyone notice the numbers of various faiths? Pagan1,839, Catholic1,534, we've more people than the Catholics. Although I'm not sure if this is a good thing (more pagans in jail) . Still interesting.
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