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According to Allie Martin, a writer for the American Family News Network at OneNewsNow.com, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has asked the chaplains at the Federal prisons to "remove non-approved' faith books from chapel libraries." Apparently, the move is an attempt to make sure prisons do not become "recruiting grounds for Islamic and other religious groups" that may tend to violence.

How absurd! Purging the libraries of religious books, according to Mark Early of Prison Fellowship, is like "swatting a fly with a sledge hammer." I couldn't say it better myself. Prisons have thousands of religious books, often donated by churches, and many fear what will happen if all the religious books, excepting the 150 still allowed, are tossed of our Federal Prisons.

At least two prisoners agree and have filed lawsuits claiming a violation of their constitutional rights, and Early has made a call for action asking people to contact their representatives in Congress.

Yes, maybe there are a few books in the library that are from extremist groups. Yes, they should be banned. However, purging all religious books because of the actions of a few seems like overkill. If any one needs good religious books, it is our citizens in prison. Many have come to find God through their religious readings. Recruitment may happen in prisons, but it is not through the books at the library. Religious books have helped countless prisoners to find God and turn their lives around. Even if one does not believe the tenets of many religions, they often promote peace instead of violence. Get rid of the violent, but not the purveyors of peace.

I see this as another attempt to remove any and all religious expression from the USA. People have become so afraid of religion, in light of Islamic Jihadists, that they are willing to have everything removed in an attempt to keep them from gaining more members. There is also a group that would like to completely separate church and state and another that wishes to wipe out religion altogether. They see religion as the cause of all the world's problems.

I am not saying these groups are involved in this decision. I am saying that they have the same mentality as those who would purge our prison libraries of good, helpful books in an attempt to keep a few from converting to violent sects. It won't work, and it will backfire on them because the good influences will be gone but the inside (and outside) recruiters will not.

Federal Prisons should not purge their libraries of Religious books. They should instead embrace these books and seek to find more that are inspiring to the prisoners. This is another move to micro-manage people's lives. It is an attempt to slap a band aid on a festering wound that needs much more. The band aid is about as futile to healing an infected wound as purging books from a prison library is to stopping recruitment into violent sects.

Instead, let us get rid of books that promote violence, whether religious or not, and keep the others that have never been shown to cause violence in those who read them or those who practice them.

Learn more about this author, Angela S. Young.
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