http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/ln8_0416.html
Religious Life in Prison Authorities cooperate with faithbased efforts from Christian to pagan. By JEFF ABELL [EMAIL PROTECTED] MOUNT PLEASANT For some, a higher power can be found behind four walls, decorated in ornate stained glass and topped by a steeple reaching toward the heavens. But for Wayne Smith, God's love reaches further than the confines of a single church. It extends to those without hope, those who have lost their way, those whose sins have led them to county jails and state prisons. In his home behind the barbed wire fences and security walls of the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, Smith feels God's blessings each day and spreads a message of redemption to his fellow inmates. "God is in this place, behind every locked door and in every cell. He's here right now ... if you have a heart to see God you will find him," said Smith, who is serving a 45year sentence for thirddegree kidnapping and assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse. "I believe this is the place God is needed the most." Smith's spiritual journey began seven years ago in the Black Hawk County jail in Waterloo as he awaited his day in court. Smith heard the message of Jesus Christ while growing up in Waterloo, but those sermons eventually became the white noise of a life filled with gang violence. Sitting in a sparse room at the prison, Smith reflects on the person he once was and said he barely recognizes the man he sees. Smith said if it wasn't for the penal system he may have never found the faith that sustains him in good times and bad. "When I was first jailed, I was at a crossroads and I could have went either way," he said. "I use to run with a gang and I saw myself as nothing and a nobody. "Looking back, I feel ashamed of the man I was before Jesus came into my life," he continued. "We all have our crosses to bear, but with God I know my burden will never be too heavy." Smith pleaded guilty to the charges levied against him and was sent to the classification center at Oakdale for assignment to a prison. While at Oakdale, Smith's faith was tested by the same gang members who were his friends on the outside. "God told me in Oakdale not to pick up were I left off," he said. "It was a time when I had to walk by myself because I didn't want to associate with the gangs. I didn't want to go back to that lifestyle. But I soon realized I never truly walked alone because God was there with me." Smith's faith has been nurtured on a steady diet of weekly Bible study sessions with fellow inmates and church services at the Mount Pleasant prison led by local pastors from Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. Along the way, Smith said he bore witness to those who once dealt in violence and intimidation laying prostrate before "the grace of God." "At first, a lot of them thought I was lying about my faith and they mocked me," Smith said. "I prayed to God that these men would be filled with grace. You led by example and some times people will follow. This is what my Lord teaches." Smith said Christianity is practiced throughout the state's penal system in a variety of ways. At the Mount Pleasant facility, prisonerled Bible study sessions are used to complement church services held several times a week. "These preachers help to keep Jesus' message alive here," he said. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, pagan Faith at the state's correctional facilities extends beyond the tenants of Christianity. Every week those of Muslim, Jewish, pagan, satanic and other beliefs gather for services, in study groups or privately to practice their religion. At the Mount Pleasant facility, it's chaplain Lee Harder's job to coordinate the religious schedule of inmates with a mixture of beliefs as varied as those outside the prison's walls. "There are as many ways to worship as there are people," said Harder, who is an ordained Baptist minister. "We have 12 different groups who meet or hold services at the prison. We strive to meet the religious needs of all inmates whether they are Christian, Muslim or something else." Roughly 150 to 200 inmates attend Protestant church services each week in one of two rooms set aside for worship. About 30 Roman Catholics either attend Mass or a Holy Communion service weekly. Deacon Joe Demeter of St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant makes the trip to the prison three times each month to preside over Communion service for a small, but devote group of inmates. Demeter said there is a mixture of longtimers and new arrivals in attendance, but all share one thing in common a desire to reconnect with their church and to maintain a relationship with their Lord. "This keeps them in touch with their faith and gives them a sense of peace that carries over after I have left and they return to their cells," said Demeter. The teachings of Muhammad are represented at the prison with three Sunni Muslim inmates regularly attending prayer services and a Quran study group. In past years, Harder said the Nation of Islam also had a presence at the prison. "They have prayers and then an inmate leader does what most Christians would think was a sermon," said Harder. Religious faiths represented by fewer followers meet in the prison's library for fellowship and spiritual enlightenment. The lone Jewish inmate at the prison receives religious instruction on audiotape, Harder said. Occult groups also have a place at the prison. The Church of Satan as well as a Wiccan group have around 20 followers out of an inmate population of 966. Among these groups there is often crossover attendance between services despite the differences in the their beliefs, Harder said. Wicca is a religion based, in part, on the northern European pagan belief in a fertility goddess, and is generally associated with the supernatural and magic, according to Harder. While Satanists honor the fallen angel Lucifer and reject all other religions. "They don't worship in the same way, but there are Wiccans who attend The Church of Satan services. Which is odd because Wiccans don't believe in Satan and Satanists don't like other religions including Wicca," said Harder. "At their services, the Satanists mainly shout hail Satan a lot and talked about what's wrong with other religions." Regardless of the religion, Harder said providing inmates the opportunity to cultivate their faith remains a priority of the state's correctional department. One reason, Harder said, are studies that indicate inmates involved in a religious group tend to be less violent than those who are not. "It gives them a sense of inner peace so they won't go out and commit an act of violence. The self hate and fear that leads to violence is replaced by a sense of self worth ... a calmness," said Harder. County jail ministry Miles away from Mount Pleasant, Wendell McComb of LaHarpe, Ill., stops in Oquawka, Ill., at the county jail for a familiar visit. With a Bible under his arm and good intentions in his heart, McComb is a man on a mission. Inside the jail, McComb, founder of the nondenominational Jail Ministry for Jesus, shares Bible teachings as well as lending an ear to prisoners. McComb and 25 other ministers travel to county jails in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. "There are a lot of ministries going on in state prisons, but very little at the county jail level. Inmates in county jails end up in prison and we want to get to them before they go out and commit worse crimes," said McComb. "Their need for a spiritual awakening is strong." Sentiments Smith agrees with, and a philosophy he hopes to carry with him if he is paroled from prison. "People who are here are at a crossroads. They can turn to God or they can turn their hearts to evil. I'd be dead right now ... I know I'd be dead if I hadn't open my heart to Christ," Smith said. "Now I feel and inner peace I can't explain. I know people back in Waterloo will think if Jesus can change Wayne Smith then he can change anyone." Gargoyle's Occult Services - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/drgargoyle __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Visit our Psychic/Paranormal message boards at http://www.skatemd.com/forums/index.php Arcade, Journals, Chats, Boards, Fun! Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paranormal_stuff/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
