Perhaps it should be the churches themselves who pay for all this nonsense rather than the taxpayer?

Whats the betting they would only pay minimum wage, no dental or pension plan etc etc

+1

That makes me + 2 ...I have loads I should be doing but am enjoying this thread enormously. Other than 'the biggies' - Christianity, Islam and Judaism, is much provision made for anyone else in prison generally.

In terms of 'biggies' then Hinduism and Buddhism are way ahead of Judaism.

You may mean globaly. but in terms of this thread.......
2001 census suggests Hinduism misses out on third place by a tenth of a percent.

Christianity 77.1%
Islam 2.0%
Judaism 1.1%

Hinduism 1.0%
Buddhism 1.0%

Unaffiliated 16.5%

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...emo30a-eng.htm

The only 'biggie' in Canadian prison populations is First Nations and I think most facilities have access to elders, medicine men, sweat lodges, sweetgrass, sage for smudges, etc. Wiccans, Buddhists, Satanists and Jehovah Witnesses are all in the minority. There will be some First Nations inmates who turn to Jesus, but I'll bet it's mostly whites. Lol, should a Mormon get a conjugal visit with all five wives?

Balls

Religion Offender Count
All Religion 21,702
Catholic 9,194
Protestant2 4,519
Muslim 761
Jewish 159
Native Spiritual 753
Buddhist 387
Sikh 102

http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/prgrm/.../doc-eng.shtml

I can't think of anything more hand-wringingly wet than collecting and processing statistics on the supposed religions of convicted criminals. They may as well ask them what their favourite brand of biscuits is for all the value in it.

Communion wafers

I stand corrected, though I doubt all those claiming to be those religions are 'practising', and I believe the statistics to be skewed. When I go to prison I tell them I'm Catholic just for fun. (Always suspected they were a bad bunch).

But they're not biscuits, they're the body of Christ.

Pedant.

The Devil's in the details, apparently, so the Son of God might as well be in the Hob-Nobs.

I suppose Hob-Nobs are a step up from ginger snaps, although I've always found them (when dunked) to be a spiritual experience par excellence.