Increasingly, however, some evanglical Christians are viewing their faith as a means for social control. Such utilitarian religion underlies the rationale for the faith-based prison wing in Iowa. The federal courts have ruled that using tax dollars to fund religious indoctrination is unconstitutional. The case in on appeal. Today's New York Times has published an update on this story under the title "Religion for a Captive Audience, Paid for by Taxes." Here's a quote:
"The state has literally established an Evangelical Christian congregation within the walls of one of its penal institutions, giving the leaders of that congregation, i.e., InnerChange employees, authority to control the spiritual, emotional and physical lives of hundreds of Iowa inmates," Judge Pratt wrote. "There are no adequate safeguards present, nor could there be, to ensure that state funds are not being directly spent to indoctrinate Iowa inmates."
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