Hundreds of Pagans serving prison sentences are to be given the day off work for Halloween out of respect for their religious beliefs.

Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday.

While fellow prisoners sew mail bags and undertake other jail work, the Pagans will be allowed to celebrate their 'holiday'.

They can use certain artefacts, including rune stones, flexible twigs and hoodless robes, provided they are kept in their cells or worn during communal worship. Robes with hoods are banned for 'security reasons', however.

The move is revealed in Home Office documents handed to The Mail on Sunday, which disclose that prisons have been instructed to allow inmates to pursue their religions so the Government can avoid being sued by prisoners.

The orders, issued by the Prison Service's Director of Personnel, Gareth Hadley, apply to every religion from Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism to Hinduism and Islam and, in the interests of equality, Paganism, too.

There are currently 282 Pagans in jails in England and Wales. Critics attacked the policy, saying it was pandering to a 'mad' politically correct agenda.

Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said last night: "People are sent to jail by the courts as a punishment. Taking this punitive element away by pandering to what some might see as political correctness gone mad is all wrong."

The Home Office papers reveal that Pagans can choose a day off work on two dates from eight of their festivals each year.

These include the Spring Equinox on March 20, the Midsummer Solstice on June 21 and Hallowe'en - the Samhain, or Summer's End, as it was known in Celtic times - on October 31. Christian prisoners are allowed three days off - on Good Friday, Easter Day and Christmas Day.

Muslims are entitled to the most time off - 26 days to pray, including the fast of Ramadan. Buddhists get three days, Hindus ten and Jews seven.

The individualised approach has led some prisoners to complain of discrimination. Many inmates are unhappy that they must eat Halal meat even though Muslims make up less than eight per cent of the 77,000-strong prison population.

One Christian, serving a sentence at Ford open prison in West Sussex, has lodged a legal challenge against the Prison Service for allegedly refusing to allow Christian inmates to attend midnight mass at Christmas.

Prison sources say the service is 'hell bent' on pandering to the demands of minorities. But Home Office guidelines say the measures are crucial for reducing 'exposure to litigation'.

 

When someone goes to prison as far as I am concerned they leave their human, religious and other rights at the prison gate, everyone should be the same in prison regardless of religion, if they can't do the time don't do the crime

thats a load of bollox..... sorry, but being a pagan does not equate to criminal activity... pagans are peaceful, law biding citizens.

Hundreds of Pagans serving prison sentences are to be given the day off work for Halloween out of respect for their religious beliefs.

Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday.

 

 

And just what does Satanism have to do with Paganism...? Satan was never even thought of as a contstruct until Christianity came on the scene, and as we all know (or should know...) Paganism was around for a LOT longer than Christianity.... Satanism/devil worship is the flip-side to Christianity, it has nothing to do with Paganism, which is a Polytheist belief system with ties to the Earth, Gaia, nature... The Pagan "Horned God" is NOT fukkin' Satan, let's just get this clear because you are clearly confused as to what Paganism actually is... Mind you, not that it's your fault, Paganism has been defamed, slandered and literally 'bedevilled' by the 'established' Church for over a thousand years.... <_< , so it's little wonder that you're falling for the misinformation...

 

Paganism is not just 1 religion... It is a label created by christianity to describe all politheist-non-christian religions.

Paganism is not just 1 religion... It is a label created by christianity to describe all politheist-non-christian religions.

 

 

true, paganism does come in several forms, to cater for the need of various countries, but all have the same basis.... a reverance for nature/mother earth, whos natural laws are far more nearer the 'truth' to what any written holy book is. eg, gravity is gravity.... its the same here there and everywhere, always was and always shall be... now THATS truth.

true, paganism does come in several forms, to cater for the need of various countries, but all have the same basis.... a reverance for nature/mother earth, whos natural laws are far more nearer the 'truth' to what any written holy book is. eg, gravity is gravity.... its the same here there and everywhere, always was and always shall be... now THATS truth.

 

I totally hate the way that people (ie, the CHURCH) try to link Paganism to Satanism. It's got sod all to do with it.... Satanism wasnt even properly defined until Anton La Vey's "Satanic Bible" came on the scene...

 

true, paganism does come in several forms, to cater for the need of various countries, but all have the same basis.... a reverance for nature/mother earth, whos natural laws are far more nearer the 'truth' to what any written holy book is. eg, gravity is gravity.... its the same here there and everywhere, always was and always shall be... now THATS truth.

 

But is there any reason to "worship" gravity and other natural laws... This is not paganism, is just an admiration for nature, paganism is a religion like any other which believes things cannot be proven by science.

I totally hate the way that people (ie, the CHURCH) try to link Paganism to Satanism. It's got sod all to do with it.... Satanism wasnt even properly defined until Anton La Vey's "Satanic Bible" came on the scene...

 

That´s because the christian book directly links the "gods" from other religions to demons, but not properly Satan. It was not the Catholic Church who invented that, but ever since the 1st jew started to worship Iaweh, all other "gods" from pagan mitologies were considered demons.

That´s because the christian book directly links the "gods" from other religions to demons, but not properly Satan. It was not the Catholic Church who invented that, but ever since the 1st jew started to worship Iaweh, all other "gods" from pagan mitologies were considered demons.

 

 

and that typifies the christian churches attitude... thats not OUR god so its EVIL.

 

it stinks, and possibly the first bit of rhetoric the church uses to subjigate and rule.

 

the fact is.... theres no more evidence that christianity is right then any other religion, although i would argue that the laws of nature ARE real as they can be measured , quantified and understood. that to me is far more tangible then any holy books writings.

That´s because the christian book directly links the "gods" from other religions to demons, but not properly Satan. It was not the Catholic Church who invented that, but ever since the 1st jew started to worship Iaweh, all other "gods" from pagan mitologies were considered demons.

 

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that... The Bible talks of the "Beast", the "Anti-Christ", which the Church then constructed to fit into a pantomime "Devil" character, with his horns and cloven hoofs, a direct corruption and defamation of the Pagan Nature God, Herne.... Doing this made it so much easier for the Church to go around persecuting and burning Druids and "Witches" and others who worshipped the older ways...

 

and that typifies the christian churches attitude... thats not OUR god so its EVIL.

 

it stinks, and possibly the first bit of rhetoric the church uses to subjigate and rule.

 

the fact is.... theres no more evidence that christianity is right then any other religion, although i would argue that the laws of nature ARE real as they can be measured , quantified and understood. that to me is far more tangible then any holy books writings.

 

Yes, but the laws of nature have nothing to do with religion, there is nothing to prove that we should worship the sun and the moon just because they have laws...