Convicted killer says state won't let him practice religion
HARTFORD, Conn. A convicted killer has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state of Connecticut, saying he's not allowed to practice his religion in prison.
Kevin Harris is serving a life sentence for a 1993 murder in Bristol. He is a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam more commonly known as the Five Percenters, which was founded in New York in the 1960s.
The group promotes black empowerment and teaches that black men are Gods.
According to court papers, the state has classified the Nation of Gods and Earths as a "Disruptive Group," similar to a prison gang or racial supremacist group.
"This is theological persecution, cut and dry," said Born King Allah, the executive director of a group called the National Office of Cultural Affairs and managing editor of the Five Percenter Newspaper. "It strikes me un-American that a Department of Corrections has the authority to deny someone their inalienable right to a God of their own understanding."
The Nation of Gods and Earths teaches that only 5 percent of the population knows and teaches the truth. Ten percent conspire to hide the truth, are devils and enslave the poor. The rest, 85 percent, have not yet received knowledge.
Its philosophy has been included in the lyrics of hip-hop music by such artists as Busta Rhymes and Wu Tang Clan.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Jan. 26, Harris said officials in 2013 seized religious literature "necessary to the practice of my religion" from his cell as contraband and have denied his appeals to get it back.
Karen Martucci, a Correction Department spokeswoman, declined to comment on the department's reasoning, citing the pending litigation.
The department's administrative directives allow the director of religious services to decide what is a religion, based on whether there is a body of literature stating principles that support the practices and whether the practices are recognized by a group of people who share common ethical, moral or intellectual views.
David McGuire, and attorney for the ACLU of Connecticut who is not involved in this case, said under a federal law passed in 2000, the state must allow prisoners with a sincere religious belief to practice that religion in prison in the "least restrictive way," while still maintaining safety and security in the prisons.
The Five Percenters have been treated as a security threat in several prison systems because of their racial views, and court rulings on the issue have been mixed.
A federal judge in Michigan found in 2009 that while prison security is a "compelling state interest," he found no evidence that Nation of Gods and Earths advocates violence and ruled its literature should be allowed in prisons.
But a federal judge in Virginia last year ruled that the Five Percenters act as a gang in that state's prisons and can be treated as one.
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File this under "Why Religion is Stupid".
The death sentence would have allowed him to move right along with his religion to paradise
"The Church of Body Modification represents a collection of members practicing ancient and modern body modification rites. We believe these rites are essential to our spirituality. Practicing body modification and engaging in body manipulation rituals strengthen the bond between mind, body, and soul. By doing so, we ensure that we live as spiritually complete and healthy individuals."
A while ago, a girl in high school argued that she be allowed to cover herself in piercings and tattoos, because she is a member of this "religion", and following the school rules was a violation of her freedom of religion.
There was a dreadlocked white guy in my dorm in college, who claimed he was a Rastafarian in an effort to get permission to smoke weed. It didn't work, and he ended up dying of a heroin overdose the following summer.
Belief in AGW is the liberals version of religion and it is also stupid :
Just because your extremely limited thinking can't handle the obvious connection doesn't mean it isn't accurate . As to my seed being lame come take a look at it and ID the purported lameness .
Not every religious person can name one specific god they believe in .
Since a great many of them are atheists such as yourself the answer is mostly yes .
Again , your highly limited style of "thinking" limits your perspective on this topic . For example a Hindu might pray to Krishna , Vishnu , Shiva or a host of other gods .
Well done in showing your complete lack of expository ability . Refute any of my points ? No . Personal attacks only ? Yes . Some people would get the impression you are covering up your lack of intelligence by being a smart-ass . And you're still too chickenshit to show up on my thread and explain why you think it's "lame" . But using the word "think" to describe what goes on in your head would be an ill fit ...
I adhere to ''The Church of What's Happen Now'', praise the Lord and pass the platter.