A judge recently sentenced an Oklahoma teen to 10 years probation, the terms of which included regular church attendance, for a manslaughter charge.
Tyler Alred, now 17, had been drinking when he crashed a pickup truck on Dec. 3, 2011, according to Tulsa World reports. The accident killed a 16-year-old passenger who was reportedly a friend of Alred. Although not legally drunk, it is reported that because Alred was below the legal drinking age he was still considered to be under the influence of alcohol. He was sentenced after pleading guilty, and the terms of probation included the church mandate. Alred, a regular church-goer anyway, reportedly does not object to the probation requirement involving church attendance.
However, that particular requirement has raised issues of separation of church and state by a University of Oklahoma law professor. In addition, University of Tulsa law professor Gary Allison told KTUL that the church requirement "speaks to maybe forcing people to do religious activities that they would otherwise not do on their own free will … I don't know why a church would want to have someone come to it under the force of government."
So what do you think? Should a judge be allowed to impose a church requirement as a term of probation or is this a violation of the separation of church and state?
As far as our healthcare enforcement goes, I was happy to see the AHCA replace the most corrupt system in America, who makes it's profits off the pain and suffering of mankind. I was growing sick of paying for every uninsured person's trip to the ER room by way of my own higher insurance rates!!
BTW, most people that left Europe due to religion left because of religious persecution, not to flee religion but to practice freely here.
If we accept this, why not accept WHATEVER a judge decides. What makes you believe our freedoms will ever be safe after this BS?
When you break the law and are convicted - you lose the right to control your own life. Your rights now belong to the criminal justice system and the judge. No questions asked. You do what you are ordered to do or face even more severe consequences. Any church that is worth its salt and not a "carnal-religious" institution, will welcome the probationer with open arms. They would want to help this young man on his journey to redemption, if such a journey is within his reach. If this young man never entered the church, he may have even less of a chance of redemption. Perhaps this judge truly has the young man's best interest at heart; that would make him very unlike many other judges who are just on power trips because they can play "God" with someone else's life. Try not to lump this issue into your anger over politics and government, or church and state. Try to consider that this judge's order may actually be the best thing to ever happen to this young man! Wouldn't that be the Christian way?
Thank you amy. You can go back to sleep now.
I don't see how anyone believes in camp-side stories anymore.
Our founding Fathers stipulated separation of church and state to prevent the government forcing us to atted a specific church. Not to deny God or outlaw religion.
Are you talking about the Republican congress that has a 10% approval rating and only remains in office because of contributions from the Plutocrats, corporations and gerrymandered safe districts?
Did you FORGET again that the Senate run Harry "Unicorn" Reid is OTHER half of that 10 percent rated CONGRESS? The half that WOULDN'T even VOTE on a budget? Or the winner of the Whitehouse LOST 10 million of his voting supporters in 4 YEARS?
A government official indicating that religious organizations can contribute positively to society? Why it’s sacrilegious to those who believe GOVERNMENT is the only true religion! For a judge to order religion though does cross a line of sorts. Only works if the Church was consulted prior to the sentence and was willing to take the responsibility.
Good God!
Anyhow...being a regular voluntary churchgoer in the first place obviously did not provide him with better judgement, so what good would FORCING him to go?
As Steven Stills said 45 or so years ago, " I don't know if I want White America to remember, or forget that Jesus Christ was the first non-violent Revolutionary"