Taking faith out of our prison system

My brother sent me a story from a recent New York Times that talks about the quiet dismantling of all faith materials available to prisoners. The reason..."a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department. The report recommended steps that prisons should take, in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, to avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups."

I read the article in stunned disbelief. The president of Prison Fellowship said it best, "It's swatting a fly with sledgehammer." The fear of religion being used for "radicalization" (what this really means no one knows besides acting violently...so am I radical if I decide to step out from the culture and tithe a portion of my income or read my Bible and actually believe it?) grows when only a meager few do anything destructive with their faith.

Faith has been shown to extend life and a critical element for American youth. If the secular world continues to define mainstream faith by its extreme fringe elements then faith will continue to get pushed out of public life regardless of its "benefits".