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Wednesday, October 3, 2007
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A federal appeals court has rejected an Alabama inmate's bid to build a fire in a pit at a state prison as part of his religious worship. Tony Lee Smith, 38, wanted to build a fire at St. Clair Correctional Facility to practice an ancient polytheistic Nordic religion called Odinism, according to his lawsuit.

On Tuesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that prison officials did not violate Smith's religious rights by refusing his request. The prison had feared a backlash because the religion is said to incorporate white supremacist beliefs.

Smith's attorney, Henry "Hank" Sherrod III of Florence, said Smith had never been a white supremacist.

According to the suit, prison officials gave Smith a candle.

Information from: The Tuscaloosa News, http://www.tuscaloosanews.com

2007-10-03 11:09:57 · 11 answers · asked by r4_dragon_bartender 3 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

11 answers

In a world where politics is fueled by religion I could see where they would deny him his request.But at the same time I think that a happy medium could've been reached.
In a world where violence is fueled by religion/s I could see where they would deny his request.
And in a prison society things like religion is a dime a dozen and becomes more of a monkey see monkey do kind of thing.Even though he may sincerely believe in his religion.Another following the religion could pervert it to fit his or her own schemes.Allowing him to have a personal fire could you imagine the riot amongst other prisoners that alone could and would cause?
Not to mention if a group of prisoners who don't follow that beleif get ahold of fire.I could just imagine where that would go....The harm that could create and cause.
I think giving him a candle was a good happy medium it wasn't what he exactly wanted but it was close enough in my opinion.
When looking at it from all views I'd say denying him his request was reasonable...
And I practice an alternative religion...on that note Odinism isn't based on race.I think it was ignorant to even mention that Odinism has facets of white supremacy.Ignorance perverts religion/s & belief/s....

Just My Opinion,
M.G

2007-10-03 11:25:20 · answer #1 · answered by Malia G 4 · 1 0

Odinism is not White-Supremacist per se. And it is an existing varient of Norse practices.

That being said, even though I am a Hellenic Polytheist, I agree with the way that prison officials handled the request. A fire in a pit could have been used for purposes other than religious by inmates and the officials have the responsiblity to consider that as well as the inmate's religion.

The fact that they allowed Smith a candle says TO ME that they at least recognized that he was practicing a religion. Many pagan inmates are not even allowed an open flame for security purposes.

I PERSONALLY feel that they WERE being fair.

2007-10-03 11:19:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anne Hatzakis 6 · 3 0

Prison Inmates have to accept that they might lose some freedoms for committing crimes. The right to have a large flaming pit might be one of the losses, the prison gave him a candle, and he was not stopped from his Ritual, just the flaming pit part of it. With most Pagan religions, it does not matter...It is the intent of the Ritual that gives it the Power, not the fire...His Ritual would have still worked...if he was sincere in his beliefs...Now, how sincere can a man in prison be about a religion? That is another question to be asked....

2007-10-03 11:20:23 · answer #3 · answered by Icefire 3 · 3 0

i feel that when you commit a crime that you have willingly given up your rights. so when the prison allows you the freedoms that you do get you should feel lucky for them.

and any reasonable Pagan will know that a candle flame can be substituted for a pit-fire. the presence of fire is what is needed. the size fo the fire is seldom importent.

furthermore, in prison a large open fire is a recipe for disaster. even the small candle could be used to cause problems.

they did not tell him that he could no practice. they just said that you cannot create a dangerous situation on our grounds.

they were more than fair.

2007-10-03 11:29:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

There are always some instances when freedom of worship are compromised. Sikhs cannot wear a kirpan (a ceremonial dagger required to be on the person) while boarding an aircraft. A pagan cannot be skyclad should he or her attempt a Gardnerian ritual in a public park.

It is incumbent on civic authorities to be as tolerant as possible, so never to needlessly stifle freedom of belief. But sometimes, common sense has to intervene for safety and public order's sake.

2007-10-03 11:15:57 · answer #5 · answered by evolver 6 · 3 0

speaking as a Jewish guy who married a Catholic lady 37 years in the past, i'm able to declare incredibly that until eventually now we've been married all factors of religion have been desperate. I asked her if she might convert for the sake of any infants we would have. She pronounced no. She asked me the comparable question. I say no. They we pronounced the destiny infants. She and that i did no longer care with regard to the "regulations" on what the youngster's faith could be. We have been valuable they'd no longer visit temple Friday nights and church on Sundays until eventually they have been sufficiently old to comprehend the adaptation. We pronounced this long and not undemanding and got here to the consensus that the infants could be raised Jewish. in the event that they had to alter religions later that became there determination. additionally, we by no ability advised them they had to marry every person in any faith. We by no ability lived close to Jews. My youngest daughter married a Baptist. Her 2 infants at the instant are not Bapish, they are the two Jews. the alternative became hers and her husbands. i do no longer think of that Judaism will disappear from the earth by ability of intermarriage. in spite of everything we've survived plenty worse. EDIT: i individually experience further and further Jewish as I age. On March fifteenth I grew to become 60. I raised my 2 daughters Jewish on Air rigidity Bases around the U. S. and Japan. there have been many cases we've been the sole Jews on that base. yet I nonetheless taught them the ropes as far as being Jewish. If there became a temple close by we'd go as generally as achievable. My spouse might visit temple with us. She became by no ability asked if she became Jewish and he or she by no ability pronounced that she became a Catholic. She did belong to the Jewish different halves club, and provided nutrients for after amenities. She taught Sunday college or perhaps taught me extra approximately Judaism. What i particularly have confidence is that being Jewish is a strategies set. i became born totally Jewish. My spouse became no longer. My infants have been born and raised totally Jewish and so are my grandchildren. If an Orthodox Jew gadgets than it particularly is his concern, no longer mine. I, my spouse, my daughters, and while my grandchildren get sufficiently old are all proud and content fabric with our Jewish historical past.

2016-10-06 01:21:41 · answer #6 · answered by geissel 4 · 0 0

Maybe he should have stayed out of prison.

2007-10-03 11:21:34 · answer #7 · answered by Milepost 6 · 1 0

Why don't they just give him a bible???

He could burn that

2007-10-03 11:15:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3 0

its kinda weird, and long

2007-10-03 11:13:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

its reasonable

2007-10-03 11:13:13 · answer #10 · answered by slopoke6968 7 · 2 0

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