If you're charged with a nonviolent crime in one Alabama town, you might just have the chance to pray it all away.

Starting this week, under a new program called Operation ROC (Restore Our Community), local judges in Bay Minette, Alabama, will give those found guilty of misdemeanors the choice of serving out their time in jail, paying a fine or attending church each Sunday for a year.

You can pick any religion you like, as long as it's Southern Baptist.

An option that's much "easier" than the other two, and is only available for those of a specific subset of religious beliefs.

In other words, it's an example of positive discrimination. There are only Christian churches in the town. For those who are Christian, they can go to church for a year, and don't have to go to jail or pay a fine. People with other religious beliefs can't.

Are you really going to argue that going to church for a year is an equivalent option to a fine or jail time?

Rowland said the idea was simple: get people who are not yet hardened criminals to become involved in positive programs — hundreds of free resources offered by some 104 churches in the region with 56 agreeing to help monitor first-time, nonviolent offenders. Under the program, pastors would report weekly to the chief and offenders in the program would bring a signed sheet to prove they attended church.

They would also have to answer some questions about the services, Rowland said. And the offenders who voluntarily choose church over jail get to pick the churches they attend. If they complete a year’s attendance, Rowland said, their criminal case would be dismissed.

Rowland said the goal is to produce "productive citizens."

Some critics say the program definitely crosses the line between church and state, with some minority religious groups shut out of participation because few mosques or synagogues exist in the area. And atheists would have no option, Rowland said, but to pick another alternative sentencing program.

Atheists are not incapable of speaking with a pastor about a sermon. Nothing forbids them from having an intellectual debate abou their belief relative to what the pastor says.

And atheists would have no option, Rowland said, but to pick another alternative sentencing program.

Yet according to the creator of the program, Cheif Rowland:



Which seems like he considers them unable of completing the requirements.

We don't want to put every first time dope smoker and shoplifter in the pokey. Rather we cant afford it. Yet we can't let them go unpunished. So I applaud their attempt, even if the implementation is a bit unsteady.

If it really is any church as long as it's Southern Baptist, then that's wrong. If other entities have the ability to put in, then it's different. Lack of an organization to participate in isn't discriminatory. If mosques and Jewish temples are wanting and unable to participate that's discrimination. Atheists can choose to go and if a non-theistic organization wanted to offer a program, they should be allowed to as well.

One point: they're basically saying going to church is a punishment equal to having to spend time in prison.