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submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

A federal judge in West Virginia has ruled that the state corrections agency can’t force an incarcerated atheist and secular humanist to participate in religiously-affiliated programming to be eligible for parole.

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[-] BenVimes@lemmy.ca 73 points 11 months ago

In the “Big Book,” the foundational document of these programs, “Chapter 4: We Agnostics” tells atheists and agnostics that they are “doomed to alcoholic death” unless they “seek Him.” The chapter characterizes non-believers as “handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice.”

This really jumped out at me. What a horrible thing to say about someone, especially someone looking for help.

[-] AlGoreRhythm@lemmy.world 50 points 11 months ago

"Unreasoning prejudice" ain't that just the richest projection you've ever seen🤣🤣🤣

[-] DarkThoughts@kbin.social 13 points 11 months ago

Alcoholic death? That's weirdly specific. I barely even drink. If I do, then I do it to get drunk, but not to comatose type of levels.

[-] Kandorr@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

The Big Book being discussed in this comment is one of the foundations of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Hence this warning about alcoholism. AA features a higher power as part of recovery.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

I was thinking about going to some AA meetings, was massively put off though by all the bible thumping rhetoric. I don't want anything to do with the majority of religions.

[-] damnYouSun@sh.itjust.works 6 points 11 months ago

Am I allowed to drink alcohol as long as I believe in God, I'm not quite I understand their random system of belief.

Also, I guess that drugs are okay?

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[-] FellowEarthling@lemmy.world 54 points 11 months ago

Great now punish them for trying

[-] missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com 32 points 11 months ago

As a Christian, I agree with this.

[-] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 30 points 11 months ago

Seriously. Forcing prisoners to participate in a religion is just wrong. Imagine the uproar if it was Islam instead of Christianity.

[-] missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 11 months ago

And yet, I'm being downvoted.

[-] Stan@lemmywinks.com 11 points 11 months ago

People are stupid.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

There will be people browsing the comments who read the article, left feeling angry and powerless. Then you reveal yourself as someone who ascribes to what they see as 'enemy', downvoting you is a way to exert some (small) sense of power. Try not to take it personally.

I wish more Christians thought like you.

[-] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 7 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I'm not sure if people thought you agreed with the state...? I guess we generally see "As a Christian, I ", so assumptions of that sort are likely, but I'm not sure. I try to do my part to show that we're not all the Westboro Baptist type, too.

[-] missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 11 months ago

Good point. I do not agree with the state. Nobody should have a religion forced upon them.

[-] fucking_polite@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago

As a Latin American, it seems to me that Christian fanaticism is so wide spread in the US it almost feels cartoonish, like the sort of general impression one gets from any cult or fundamentalist religious group. And I’m from Latin America!

[-] damnYouSun@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It always reminds me of North Korea, or China. No matter what else you do, you must be seen to believe in the right thing or else you are some kind of evil deviant.

What the religion or belief system is actually is is about is almost irrelevant. The important thing is to believe, understanding it is entirely not required and almost frowned upon.

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[-] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

So while I'm all for this, think about the person trying to get a parole board to write off on their parole. Even if the person is in the right I can only imagine that it's still in that person's best interests to at least act the good christian because the parole board can deny them for any reason with no need to explain.

American society is so fucked.

[-] irotsoma@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Yeah, but it sounds like they already crossed that line. Once that happens, may as well stick up for your rights. Regardless of whether they went through the program. The corrupted parole board will already prejudge them as a bad person for not believing in their version of their god.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

You also get special privileges if you're religious in prison, like better food if you're keeping Kosher or Halal and being let out of your cell to go to religious services. Even if you're an atheist, I could see why you would pretend.

[-] MossBear@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago

We have more work to do than I used to think.

[-] exohuman@kbin.social 5 points 11 months ago

Good. I have grown tired of the brainwashed reformed criminal that spends all his time being overly aggressive about religion and downright hateful with it.

[-] Plaid_Kaleidoscope@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

I fucking love this guy. Fuck RSAT and fuck the WV DOC. The whole thing is a mess. Prison reform, now!

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this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
753 points (99.1% liked)

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