Greetings from the UK

[Denty420]

Thank you, SB, and back atcha It's so weird. When I was a Christian, I'd look at atheists and other non-believers and think, 'You're in for a hell of a shock when you joss it, mate.' Now I look at them and think, 'Was I really so deluded to have bought into this crap for so long?' Tell you something though, since dumping my baggage of faith I've become a better person. Who said you needed religion to be a good, moral person?

[Stevil]

Tell you something though, since dumping my baggage of faith I've become a better person. Who said you needed religion to be a good, moral person?

Do you have any ideas why "morallity" or adherence to societies rules improves for Atheists in comparison to theists?
There was a survey ages ago in America by the Bureau of Prisons, and it highlighted that Atheists are by far underrepresented in prisons.
What is it about religion that could cause a person to behave worse that a person without religion?
Of course you don't know the answer, but do you have any thoughts on this?

[Denty420]

Do you have any ideas why "morallity" or adherence to societies rules improves for Atheists in comparison to theists?
There was a survey ages ago in America by the Bureau of Prisons, and it highlighted that Atheists are by far underrepresented in prisons.
What is it about religion that could cause a person to behave worse that a person without religion?
Of course you don't know the answer, but do you have any thoughts on this?

Interesting question, Stevil, and one I was only thinking about today. As you say I can only hypothesise, and to my mind, it's because the God of the Old Testament was such a petulant shit. At school, me and many of my friends were taught that God loved us, but that he was a wrathful and vengeful God. 'Course, he got a complete makeover in the New Testament in the form of 'Gentle Jesus', but to a lot of people, Jesus was a little too goody-goody and little Mr Perfect. It's in our nature to be combatitive, rude and immoral, but Christians believe they get a free pass when they join 'paradise' and they think this excuses all their pas transgressions. Utter bollocks in my opinion. Does that make any sense?

[SatanicBurrito]

There was a survey ages ago in America by the Bureau of Prisons, and it highlighted that Atheists are by far underrepresented in prisons.

Hey Stevil.  I've heard about that survey.  My take on it, as much as I wish it was true, (and the study is a fun thing to throw in the face of credulous fools citing morality...) is that if you're in prison, and you want a shot at getting out ever and/or surviving as an inmate, you better be very publically religious and repentant to any and every authority figure.  If I were behind bars, I don't think I would ever take the chance of admitting I was an atheist....

[Stevil]

If I were behind bars, I don't think I would ever take the chance of admitting I was an atheist....

Are you saying there are no Atheists in foxholes?

America is a strange beast, I've seen a few prison movies e.g. Shawshank where the warden promotes or enforces the bible on the inmates, but I thought that was old movies way in the past.

[Denty420]

This is interesting to me because here in the UK, the fact that you are an atheist doesn't seem to get in your way when you're in prison. Sure, it will earn you brownie points but you have just as much chance of surviving on the inside or completing your sentence in full if you're an atheist. It always amazes me to see things happen differently Stateside.

[xSilverPhinx]

There was a survey ages ago in America by the Bureau of Prisons, and it highlighted that Atheists are by far underrepresented in prisons.

Hey Stevil.  I've heard about that survey.  My take on it, as much as I wish it was true, (and the study is a fun thing to throw in the face of credulous fools citing morality...) is that if you're in prison, and you want a shot at getting out ever and/or surviving as an inmate, you better be very publically religious and repentant to any and every authority figure.  If I were behind bars, I don't think I would ever take the chance of admitting I was an atheist....

Actually I think they asked inmates both before they were jailed and while they were in there, so it doesn't really make that much sense to say that it was peer pressure, unless they were trying to convince their interviewer that they were good decent theists, who believe in clear, absolute and objective god-given morals. It's possible that a percentage are of that sort.