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 have been accused of being hostile to religion, usually because I will defend atheism and challenge religion. Which I do not think is hostility; I think a free exchange of ideas is a good thing, as long the participants can be civil and act like adults. Further, […]
Many people accuse atheists of just being negative (you’re defined by what you don’t believe) and having no moral or ethical alternative to offer. But like most beliefs about atheism, this just isn’t true. There is humanism. It has a long tradition, going back to the Ancient Greeks […]
Recently a Christian guy got upset and accused me of “pushing” my atheism on others. But all I was doing was speaking to someone else, very cordially and reasonably about atheist societies in Europe that have lower crime rates and general better standards of living than very religious […]
The other day, a guy I was talking with made a comment about how atheists are all selfish (he didn’t know I’m an atheist). It’s just taken for granted, but it’s simply a thoughtless cliche, as ignorant and insultign as saying “Jews are greedy.” Now, I’m not personally […]
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 […]
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 […]
One thing I’ve noticed is almost always, the same people who are religious also believe in other supernatural or otherwise far-out things, such as ancient aliens, ghosts, conspiracy theories, etc. And it’s not so much WHAT they choose to believe, it’s the METHOD they use to determine what […]
So Target made a decision to market its toys as gender-neutral. And of course, the conservative Christians are immediately out in force, talking about how theri values are being eroded, America is being destroyed, something like that. Whatever, Target made a business decision, and people can like it […]
I don’t hate religion, as many believers seem to think is common among atheists. Or they think that some of us, like me, who were once Christians, were wounded or mistreated in some way, and becoming an atheist is our emotional reaction. This type of attitude reminds me […]
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 […]
One of the common misconceptions about atheism is that people think you choose it as a way of evading responsibility. Especially if you’re in prison. “Oh, you just want to avoid ultimate judgement,” they say, “so you refuse to believe it.” Nonsense, of course. I have no problem […]
LET ME FIRST START OF BY SENDING MY DEEPEST APOLOGY… AS I CREATED A INTRO LETTER SOME TIME AGO AND NEVER FOLLOWED UP WITH ANYTHING ELSE, SO THIS IS JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING TO GET THINGS STARTED OFF… I SAY LIFES FUNNY SOME TIMES BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW […]
To try to desribe what was going on in my head as a kid would be hard , because i am not that kid anymore. However , i have thought about that for years . What would make me murder ? What would make me take someones life […]
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 […]
Inmate Blogger 