Kevin Halfmann, an inmate with the Illinois Department of Corrections, went to court to secure his right to have a copy of the Satanic Bible in his cell just as Christians have a right to have a copy of the Bible in their cells. Unfortunately for Halfmann, the judge decided that while the violence in the Bible doesn't prevent inmates from having their holy book, violence in the Satanic Bible does make that text inappropriate.
In her testimony, Terri Anderson, who oversees appeals in the grievance process for the Department of Corrections, said specific parts of "The Satanic Bible" seemed to encourage "hatred and violence," not to mention curses. For instance, a passage reads: "If a man smite thee on one cheek, smash him on the other."
But Halfmann's attorney, Samantha Unsell, put the text in the context of taking an eye for an eye in the Old Testament. Anderson agreed that texts from several religions could be used to incite violence.
"He isn't seeking candles and medallions, he just wants the book," Unsell said in her closing argument, assuring that her client interpreted "The Satanic Bible" metaphorically, not literally.
But Rupcich argued that the "metaphorical aspect may be lost on the inmate population."
By the end of the bench trial, Wilkerson didn't agree with any of Halfmann's claims.
"Due to the security risks involved," he said, Halfmann, like all other state prisoners, should be denied 'The Satanic Bible.'"
Source: St. Louis Today
So it's OK to read the Bible metaphorically, but you can't be trusted to read the Satanic Bible metaphorically. It's OK to have the Bible around even if it has been used to justify violence in the past as well as in the present, but it's not OK to have the Satanic Bible around because it might encourage violence -- even though noone can point to that having happened.
This isn't just about the Satanic Bible. Remember that loads of conservative Cretins condemn the Quran as encouraging violence and it's certainly true that Muslim extremists have used the Quran to justify their violence. So why should we assume that it won't be banned next -- and on the same flimsy excuses, too?
I can't blame prison officials want to keep violent texts away from inmates, but I think I can blame them for trying to do so with horribly inconsistent standards and lousy rationalizations that are so obviously designed to favor Christianity and Christian beliefs while oppressing those inmates whose beliefs are different.
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