Baptism of hundreds of prisoners in Indiana upsets atheists

After hundreds of prisoners have given their lives to Christ and been baptized while in the sheriff’s custody, the atheists are trying to shut it down.

Sheriff’s Office:[pushing] Christianity on inmates,” according to the controversial Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group, known for suing government agencies on matters of faith in the square, accuses the Decatur County Detention Center of “multiple violations of the constitution” by “promoting Christianity and forcing inmates to participate in religious practices.”

However, the prisoners themselves say they were not forced and are happy with their newfound faith.

On December 29, the sheriff’s office posted photos of dozens of inmates being baptized on their Facebook page.

“What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas and New Year! DCDC Chaplain Dave Burnett, along with REC members, baptized about 40 men and women after personally publicly confessing Jesus Christ in their lives.

“Over the past four years, approximately 300 men and women have given their lives to Jesus Christ while incarcerated at the Decatur County Detention Center. All glory to GOD!”

Female inmates await baptism at the Decatur County Jail on December 29, 2022. (Decatur County Sheriff’s Department)

On Jan. 13, the foundation’s staff attorney, Christopher Line, wrote a letter to Durant, who is no longer a sheriff, complaining that his office had not heeded a previous complaint letter he sent last July.

The letter demanded that the prison cease “promotion of Christianity and its official affiliation on its official social media pages and through its religious events, programs and activities in violation of the Founding Clause of the First Amendment.”

Duran, who stepped down on Jan. 1 after a four-year tenure as sheriff, has focused on both religious and non-religious inmate rehabilitation programs during his tenure, according to the local Greensburg Daily News.

The stated mission of Residents Encounter Christ, one of the rehab groups at the prison, is “to teach about Jesus Christ to men and women incarcerated,” according to their website. They host an evangelistic retreat for Indiana Prison inmates, in which they are “invited to participate in a three-day experience of prayer, fellowship with peers, and introspection as part of the Emmaus hike, an experience that seems to have changed many of late. good,” according to a local publication.

Duran told a local publication in 2019 that “everyone knows the longest distance to travel is 18 inches between head and heart.”

Male inmates at the Decatur Detention Center line up to be baptized in a photo posted on the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page December 29, 2022. (Decater County Sheriff’s Office)

“If you can change your heart during this journey, everything will fall into place. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs or poverty that create a cycle, we only need to change their hearts to stop this process,” Duran said.

Duran, who at the time said they had to use a lottery system because interest in the group’s retreat was so high, recounted how a prisoner he “personally arrested” sent him a note twice thanking him for the program.

“I want to thank you and your wife for being [Residents Encounter Christ] to our prison,” the prisoner wrote. “My life has changed forever thanks to your heart of gold. In the name of Jesus.”

The inmates participate in a religious rehabilitation group at the Decatur County Jail. (Decater County Sheriff’s Office)

In a January letter from Lyne, the foundation accused the prison of “actively coercing inmates into their religious programs, which are widespread throughout the department. Any prisoner aware of [the jail]official support and glorification of inmates participating in religious programs cannot refuse to participate.”

“This is constitutionally unacceptable. The government cannot legally host sectarian religious events at its own facility or promote them in its official capacity. He also cannot use the county correctional center with a literally captive audience to proselytize and convert prisoners to Christianity, ”the letter says.

The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment as of press time. The office previously stated that new sheriff Bill Meyerrose did not see or respond to letters from the FFRF, but was aware of baptisms taking place at the previous sheriff’s detention center.

– Wire services, including Fox News