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Wisconsin legislature allows communion wine in prison.


Wisconsin state lawmakers have approved a bill that would permit prisoners to consume wine in religious observances.

SB 174, passed by the Assembly in November, would permit prisoners to drink up to two ounces of wine as part of a religious activity, reported the Religion News Service.

A Lutheran pastor brought the issue before lawmakers after he was prevented by corrections officials from giving wine to prisoners during communion communion: see Eucharist; Lord's Supper. . The bill provides an exemption to a state law that makes it a crime to provide alcohol to inmates.

Corrections officials fought the measure, saying it would hinder hin·der 1  
v. hin·dered, hin·der·ing, hin·ders

v.tr.
1. To be or get in the way of.

2. To obstruct or delay the progress of.

v.intr.
 their efforts to help prisoners with substance abuse. Wisconsin officials estimate that 70 percent of prisoners have an alcohol problem.

Lawmakers opposed to the bill said it would lead to other problems for corrections officials.

"If a person who chose to worship Satan ... said in their sacrament sacrament [Lat.,=something holy], an outward sign of something sacred. In Christianity, a sacrament is commonly defined as having been instituted by Jesus and consisting of a visible sign of invisible grace.  they should drink blood, would this same body turn around and be as open and accepting?" state Rep. Jason Fields told the Wisconsin State Journal The Wisconsin State Journal is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Capital Newspapers. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. .

The Journal reported that Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle

For other people named James Doyle, see James Doyle (disambiguation).
James Edward (Jim) Doyle (born November 23, 1945) is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He took office in January 2003 as the 44th Governor of Wisconsin.
 had not said whether he would sign the bill.
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Publication:Church & State
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1U3WI
Date:Jan 1, 2006
Words:186
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