Yesterday I was at work having a discussion with two religious guys (both of a different religion), and we were talking about how people use their beliefs to find a good thing and use it to change. We all agreed that all three of us had done […]
Last night, a stranger introduced himself to me and then asked if I wanted to join a Christian event. I told him no thank you, I’m an atheist. Looking back, I was a little curt with him, maybe even a little rude. This had nothing to do with […]
It’s difficult to get guys in prison to want to change, to want to take responsibility and the initiative to better themselves. As I’ve said, I think religion actually gets in the way of this because the “good” is defined by a holy book, and all too often, […]
One problem I have with people using religion to try to better themselves in prison is that it doesn’t automatically result in change. In fact, often times, the Christian message is (or becomes, rightly or wrongly): You’re just great the way you are. God loves you. Now just […]
I’ve noticed that religious guys in prison are kind of like religious guys everywhere: they’re out-and-out victims of the confirmation bias. That is, they find a belief that seems to work for them, and run with it. No attempt is made to look at this belief critically. If […]
part-[2] “””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””‘* Forbidding evil has undeniable principles from the greatest is that evil can not be eradicated by using means that opposses the Revelationthat was sent down to the prophets. Knowledge precedes both speech and actions.” Without knowledge of the prophetic Tradition, a person will oppress themselves and […]
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 […]
Any religious person who thinks that their religion is necessary for a good, civilized society, or that only belief in an ultimate judging deity leads to moral behavior, should check out Society Without God, by Phil Zuckerman. It’s a study of what are probably the two most atheistic […]
I wish that an intellectual position had the same power as a religious belief. Religious beliefs get you special benefits, special exemeptions. Especially here in prison. And of course, the religious people snivel when something doesn’t go their way. For example, Jews and Muslims have succeeded in getting […]
“Im off to find what’s trying to find me!” Thats what I say one day. Like the Last straw, or like the final bump in the other room that makes you go see whats going on in there. But instead, I set my goal very high! I set […]
I’m always talking about the cliche that prisoners should “find God” to improve their lives. The first time I went to IMU (the Hole) back in the late nineties, there was a Bible waiting for me. Every cell came equipped with one. Why? Because of the cliche, the […]
In prison, religion will always carry privileges. There are always chapel and programs and religious services, certainly far more than educational opportunities. I once saw a guy get out of a class because he was was Muslim and the teacher was a woman: it was against his religion […]
It’s ubiquitous in prison. One way I’ve noticed is how religious sevices are treated. If you’re at work, and you have a religious service, it’s an automatic excused absence. Not even questioned. Oh, you’re going to Bible study, or Native American drumming, or Ramadan, or whatever? No problem, […]
Another problem I have with guys in here using religion to supposedly better their lives is that they often focus on the wrong things. They debate trivial issues like whether masturbation is okay, as if that is going to make them a better person one way or another. […]
God is telling us in these two verses that the great majority of people, thought well versed on worldly and material affairs, but are ignorant of the life and world of the hereafter. “By God A person will be so dexterous they can precisely guess the weight of […]
Religion is usually the end of rational thought. Take, for example, how people choose their religion. A rational approach would be to examine the world’s many religions, look for evidence, and settle on the one that provided that evidence. But how many people do this? How many even […]
It’s unfortunate that so many prisoners think that the only way to a better life, to a moral life, is through religion. Morality and religion are so entangled that people associate atheism with nihilism (of having no values at all). Absurd, of course, but absurdity has never made […]
Some religious folk accuse atheists of wanting to squirm our way out of a divine judgment. As if we want free reign to be irresponsible, and don’t want to think of a divine being up there watching us and judging us. Nonsense. I’m an atheist because I think […]
Okay, so religious believers tell me that plenty of people have improved their lives with religion while in prison. I’m sure some have. But for every one that has, there are many more who use it as a device while in here, then return to the same old […]
Everybody claims to “find God” in prison. For me, it was the opposite. I was a religious child and came to prison at 18 still believing in Jesus Christ and the central tenets of the Bible. A dedication critical thought, reason, and education changed my mind and my […]
Oneproblem with getting one’s moral framework from a religion is that religions, not using the scientific method or being overly concerned with facts, take FOREVER to change. The Catholic Church was still issuing the blood libel against Jews (the idea that Jews used the blood of Christian babies […]
One of the things that I had to change about myself was to realize that I was even capable of change, that my mind was capable of doing what was necessary to improve my life. And the first step in that was rejecting all authority. It didn’t matter […]
Earlier I was talking about an authority being a bad reason to believe something. Any authority: God, social, government, etc. I think this is especially the case for morality, for what is right and wrong. It’s important to discover and believe for ourselves what is right and wrong, […]
I was very religious as a child, and even when I came to prison in 1997, at 18 years old, I still believed that Jesus had died for my sins and that the Bible was at least mostly true and the world’s one true moral guide. Some Christians […]
It’s common for people to say something like: “Atheists don’t have anything to live for, because they believe in nothing.” Well, Ricky Gervais has a nice response to that: “We have nothing to DIE for, so we have EVERYTHING to live for.” 🙂 It’s a good point. I […]
The idea of finding God in prison is a cliche. Paris Hilton said she read the Bible during her stay in jail. Michael Vick said religion helped him with his tendency to run brutal dog fights. A prisoner would be a fool to admit being an atheist at […]
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