Arkansas is not a very large state; however, it houses over 4000 sex offenders. These villains are not only in Arkansas. They are in every state and, most likely, every city. These offenders roam the grocery stores, city parks, post offices, hospitals, gas stations, car washes, and even the churches. Yes, that is right. Churches.
Should the government be able to ban sex offenders from church? Time Magazine has recently posed this question in one of its articles. The safety of children is clearly a major concern, but the focus should also be on the rights of the offender as a person. Although it may seem like a secure route to take by removing any harmful person from church, the government does not have the right to control who enters the religious realm. Taking away these so-called “bad people” eliminates the sole purpose of the church, which is to strengthen the moral character and values of an individual.
A church is a place that people should feel free to come and worship without being under the judgment of others. The United States Constitution gives everyone the freedom to practice his or her own religion. It does not exclude those that have taken a wrong path or made a few mistakes in life. If the government allows these delinquents to be anywhere, it should be church. The chances of altering the heart and lifestyle of that type of person appear to be much higher in a religious setting than a jail cell or the person’s home.
The laws that keep offenders away from schools and childcare centers are justifiably legit. It is understood that parents should be concerned for the well being of their children whenever these criminals are around; therefore, churches should be prepared in case the situation should arise, but should not take away right of someone because of his or her past mistakes. Sex offenders have no place being alone with children, but there is no guarantee that anything bad will happen. There are dangerous people all over the world that could cause equal or more harm to children or anyone for that matter- not just sex offenders. Is there a law banning murderers from church? Is the government considering removing drug abusers from church? Is the government asking the drunken parents who beat their children to leave service- in fear of them being intoxicated and possibly endangering another member’s child? Has someone counted the number of sex offenders that are not yet registered? Will they attend still? These questions remain unanswered.
The hope of our nation should be to convert these convicts from a sinful lifestyle onto a new and rehabilitated way of living, but banning someone from church is not the solution to bettering an individual or the country.
Should the government be able to ban sex offenders from church? Time Magazine has recently posed this question in one of its articles. The safety of children is clearly a major concern, but the focus should also be on the rights of the offender as a person. Although it may seem like a secure route to take by removing any harmful person from church, the government does not have the right to control who enters the religious realm. Taking away these so-called “bad people” eliminates the sole purpose of the church, which is to strengthen the moral character and values of an individual.
A church is a place that people should feel free to come and worship without being under the judgment of others. The United States Constitution gives everyone the freedom to practice his or her own religion. It does not exclude those that have taken a wrong path or made a few mistakes in life. If the government allows these delinquents to be anywhere, it should be church. The chances of altering the heart and lifestyle of that type of person appear to be much higher in a religious setting than a jail cell or the person’s home.
The laws that keep offenders away from schools and childcare centers are justifiably legit. It is understood that parents should be concerned for the well being of their children whenever these criminals are around; therefore, churches should be prepared in case the situation should arise, but should not take away right of someone because of his or her past mistakes. Sex offenders have no place being alone with children, but there is no guarantee that anything bad will happen. There are dangerous people all over the world that could cause equal or more harm to children or anyone for that matter- not just sex offenders. Is there a law banning murderers from church? Is the government considering removing drug abusers from church? Is the government asking the drunken parents who beat their children to leave service- in fear of them being intoxicated and possibly endangering another member’s child? Has someone counted the number of sex offenders that are not yet registered? Will they attend still? These questions remain unanswered.
The hope of our nation should be to convert these convicts from a sinful lifestyle onto a new and rehabilitated way of living, but banning someone from church is not the solution to bettering an individual or the country.
You make a strong argument for denying banning sex offenders from churches. What about regulations inside church? Should churches--if not the government--restrict sex offenders while in church? Should churches be made aware of their status? It would seem common sense not to allow a man convicted of a sexual offense against a minor to work with the youth group. How, though, can we regulate their access within the church? Should we?
ReplyDeleteI think that sex offenders should not be allowed to work with the youth group if clean for a certain number of years. The church should meet to decide rules and regulations based on who can work with the youth out of anyone in the community or church- not only sex offenders. There are alot of people that probably don't need to be teaching young people.
ReplyDeleteChurches should be aware of their status if it is a threat.