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Pagan Prisoners

Prisons have been in the news lately, not so much concerning who is there but what they are allowed to do when they are there. It appears that, for whatever reason, more prisoners want to practice paganism and witchcraft. It is not clear whether this is a genuine desire or whether an attempt to get away from any other religious services. This of course comes on the heels of the Royal Navy allowing Satanic rituals to be performed on board ship.

The Theological email newsletter Ekklesia reported that the prison service has hired a pagan priest to give 'spiritual' advice to those who call themselves pagans. The full story can be read here but the following extract gives the essence of the story:

"Prison chiefs have hired a pagan priest to give spiritual advice to three inmates serving life sentences, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The prisoners have converted to paganism and, under prison service rules, are allowed a chaplain in the same way as those with Christian or other religious faiths.

To deny them a pagan chaplain would infringe their human rights, said John Robinson, the prison governor at Kingston Prison, Portsmouth.

This is not the first time this has happened. In 2003, a pagan priest Mike Pearse was hired by prison bosses after more than 40 inmates held in jails across the country claimed in a survey of religious beliefs that they were pagans.

Former prisons minister Ann Widdecombe called it "silly nonsense" at the time, but for others it reflects the realities of a pluralist society."

Just a couple of weeks before, the Daily Mail (Tuesday 18 October, p.7), reported that prisoners were free to practise witchcraft in their cells. According to the article prisoners would be allowed to set up altars, burn incense, keep a twig as a wand and use Tarot cards. This has brought much reaction including these remarks from the Rev Rod Thomas of the Church of England's Reform movement:

"Freedom of religion should be encouraged but you have to ask yourself if some pagan cults are genuinely religious

"When the Home Office says it will recognise Satanism, it has failed to notice that Satanism is not a religion, but an anti-religion which attacks everything those who believe in God hold dear."

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