WSJ Opinion Journal, June 11

Copy/Pasted from the Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal - June 11, 2007

Throwing the Bible Out With the Bathwater?"Inmates at the federal prison camp in Otisville, N.Y., were stunned by what they saw at the chapel library at the end of May: Hundreds of books had disappeared from the shelves," the Associated Press reports:

The removal of the books is occurring nationwide, part of a long-delayed, post-Sept. 11 federal directive intended to prevent radical religious texts, specifically Islamic ones, from falling into the hands of violent inmates.
Three inmates at Otisville filed a lawsuit about the policy, saying their constitutional rights were violated. They say all religions were affected.
"The set of books that have been taken out have been ones that we used to minister to new converts when they come in here," inmate John Okon, speaking on behalf of the prison's Christian population, told a judge last week.
Okon said it was unfortunate because "I have really seen religion turn around the
life of some of these men, especially in the Christian community."

If the plaintiffs' allegations are true, it would appear that the federal government is trying to treat Muslim and Christian texts "equally," even though they are not equivalent in their effects on inmates. (Has anyone ever heard of a prisoner converting to Christianity and consequently becoming more violent?)
The idea of the government making theological judgments--picking and choosing religious books, or favoring one religion over another--is dicey. But in certain contexts, it is necessary. Consider this story from the Washington Post (hat tip: blogger Paul Caron):

Florida evangelist Bill Keller says he was making a spiritual--not political--statement when he warned the 2.4 million subscribers to his Internet prayer ministry that "if you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!"
But the Washington-based advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State says the Internal Revenue Service should revoke the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of Bill Keller Ministries, nonetheless.

Here's a passage from Keller's follow-up sermon:

Why men of God, great groups like the Southern Baptist Convention are willing to support a man who is part of a satanic cult is beyond my ability to comprehend. I realize he is running to be the commander-in-chief, not the theologian-in-chief. I realize that he has a great marriage, great kids, and says he will stand for family values. He actually might be one of the best men there is to be President and lead this nation.
Even if all of that was 100% true, it is still no excuse to support a man who is part of a satanic cult, whose election to the most powerful office on the planet will give worldwide credibility to that satanic cult, will cause millions of people to join their ranks, and ultimately cause them to die in their sins and spend eternity in hell! His candidacy alone has already been a non-stop infomercial for the Mormon cult!

The IRS will have to decide whether Keller crossed the line by advising his congregants about how to vote or stayed within it by basing that advice purely on religious considerations. If the IRS can figure that one out, maybe its auditors should be the ones to review the collection of the Otisville prison library.