One of the most common misconceptions about being an atheist in prison is this: “Oh, you just want to be an atheist because then you don’t have to face divine justice for your crime.”
Nonsense. It’s not that I want to avoid justice; in fact a big part of my transformation has been a realization that I deserve my punishment. I just don’t believe in divine judgement, for intellectual reasons. But I believe in a rational concept of justice, the justice that I owe the people that I’ve have hurt in my life. That’s much more important to me than any story.

Further, I think it’s a dangerous way of thinking. Christians all over prison get their automatic divine forgiveness just by speaking magic words, and then they’re all happy-joy-joy and wonderful people. I don’t think so. Believing in these sentiments by necessity turns off any rational view of justice, justice that is a part of THIS world.

Dan Turner
DOC# 767569