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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
March 28, 2004
'Salvation' for
ex-felons left wanting |
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With the crowds
all but disappeared, I succumbed to the critics’ reviews and
friends’ promises that it was the best movie ever made and went to
see the movie, “The Passion Of The Christ.” Actually, I saw
only about two-thirds of it. I slept through the rest.
The spiritual awakening I was warned to expect never happened.
The debate about who killed Christ never surfaced, and my thoughts
about the crucifixion of Christ were not changed. The special
effects were awesome, though.
After leaving the theater, awakened by the cold wind,
my thoughts quickly returned to the local debate between the
Salvation Army and the city of Kankakee over the agency’s shelter
policy of ex-felons.
Ex-felons come here from prisons. Our prison
system seems to operate on a catch and release model similar to some
fishing policies. We catch criminals, hold them for a while,
and then release them back into society when new criminals need a
place to go. Unlike fish who resume swimming, humans upon
release need to be acclimated to the ever-changing currents of our
free society.
Whose responsibility is it to do that? Our prison
system is not a rehabilitative one. Many ex-felons reenter
society not better people, but better criminals with survival
instincts. After the convicted serve their required time, they
are free to go where they please. Many return to their home
towns. Others may go to a different place to avoid being
trapped by former negative environments. They may lose their
right to vote, but little else. Again, is it the local
government or religious community’s responsibility to welcome home
the ex-felons?
Besides the Salvation Army, is there any other local
agency, government or religious, that welcomes former felons? Where
are the ex-cons in this community who are not housed at the
Salvation Army? The yellow pages have no listings of churches
with welcome-home-from-prison-ministries. Maybe if our
community of churches did, the Salvation Army would not have to
carry this burden alone. According to the latest statistics,
99 percent of all U.S. prisoners claim a religious affiliation.
Of the multiple religions/faiths claimed, no inmate listed Salvation
Army as their religion. Yet, when it comes to ex-felons, the
Salvation Army appears to be one agency not to have a selective
compassion policy.
The parts of the movie I saw left me pondering.
Was it the Roman government or the leading religious faction of that
era that was directly responsible for Christ’s death? Today,
is it the U.S. government or the most popular religious faction of
our society that is responsible for the pedophile priest scandal?
Also, if Christ was to return today to Kankakee, not
being a former resident of the area and being one with a record of
conviction, would he fit the profile of those the city of Kankakee
does not want at the Salvation Army? Would the Salvation Army
be asked to do a background check on Jesus?
I’m in total support of wanting a better image for our
community, but I’m not so sure I want to admit that Jesus Christ
would not fit that image. |
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