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why would a wiccan be living in an area without wiccan church? why would a muslim be living in an area without a mosque? if they really gave a damn about their religion, they would live in an area that had a church to cater to their need.
Really? There are many reasons why someone might live in an area without a place of worship for their religious beliefs. Not all religions, even major ones, require strict attendance records for a person to be devoted to that religion.
from what I read, all that is required is that the church agree to allow the criminal to attend
Not all religions have a church. Some religions involve something more akin to prayer meetings than actual church services, normally occurring in someone's private home rather than a set aside building/commercial space. And, I have known a number of people who attend a church outside of the town that they live in. What I have read said nothing about how churches are approved for this. There has to be some approval process, since otherwise there would be nothing to prevent someone from simply setting up a "religion of the football watchers" and simply watching football every Sunday as their church attendance.
then they can pick any church they want, sit on the back row and sleep for an hour or so each sunday. nothing says they have to participate, only that they must attend. my father slept through church for 30 years
Are you sure nothing says they have to participate? Afterall, someone has to verify they actually sat through the service, what would keep that someone from saying the person isn't there since they aren't participating? Since the point is to try to get criminals to be more religious, I doubt the only stipulation is to attend the service, allowing a person to sleep through it.
And this still doesn't prevent the person from being ridiculed through the service by others in attendance/pastor for their personal beliefs/choices. Such ridicule could easily be considered cruel and/or unusual punishment.
why do you assume that a church would do so?
Why do you assume some wouldn't? I knew plenty of Southern Baptists who would have zero problem telling people they were going to hell directly to their face for being a certain religion or not believing exactly what they believed. I had a pastor at a Church of God assume that I was leading "a life of sin" simply because I was in the Navy. In fact, he included it as part of his sermon, including pointing me out, just minutes after I met him. He didn't even know me or anything more about me than that I was in the Navy and my father. I was so angry and humiliated, even if it wasn't true. I gladly volunteered to go down and relieve my stepmother of babysitting duties for the rest of the sermon. I highly doubt a person doing that for punishment would get that option.