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submitted 1 year 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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[-] FellowEarthling@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Great now punish them for trying

[-] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year 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.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year 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.

[-] irotsoma@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year 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.

[-] BenVimes@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year 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 2 points 1 year ago

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

[-] DarkThoughts@kbin.social 1 points 1 year 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 2 points 1 year 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.

[-] damnYouSun@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year 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?

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Also, I guess that drugs are okay?

I mean... sort of?

[-] fucking_polite@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year 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 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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.

[-] NotASucker@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

The United States was founded by people who were already upset they couldn't be as fanatical/evangelical as they wanted.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

No, a few North American colonies were founded by people who were already upset they couldn't be as fanatical/evangelical as they wanted.

The United States was founded mostly by Deists and folks influenced by Enlightenment philosophy, several hundred years later.

[-] missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com 0 points 1 year ago

As a Christian, I agree with this.

[-] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 1 points 1 year 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 0 points 1 year ago

And yet, I'm being downvoted.

[-] Transcendant@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year 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.

this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
57 points (96.7% liked)

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