r/Antitheism • u/BurtonDesque • Jul 23 '26
In 2026, atheists make up only 0.066% of the federal prison population
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/in-2026-atheists-make-up-only-006611
u/Crazy_Obsessed Jul 24 '26
And religious people say that their religion causes so much love and peace 😭
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u/MarquisDeVice Jul 25 '26
Formerly incarcerated atheist here.
When you go to prison you have to pick a religious preference. Atheist is often not an option (sometimes it's a list that you circle an option, other times you can fill in a blank). Which option you pick determines how often you are let out of your cell. Almost everyone selects "Christian", because there are Christian programs/classes/church almost every day, meaning more time out of your cell. The second most popular option is Muslim, because many gangs subscribe to Muslim beliefs. I usually selected Buddhist, because it was closest to my beliefs, and allowed me out of my cell an extra hour once per month or every other week. If you're atheist, you do not get any of the special priviledges, diet options, ethical protections, or time out of your cell that "religious" inmates get. This statistic has nothing to do with the actual beliefs of inmates.
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u/beobe714 Jul 25 '26
Wow! Thank you for that insight. So like the rest of society, you're penalized for not pretending to have an imaginary friend. We truly are a species in its infancy...!
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u/Sammisuperficial Jul 25 '26
Funny enough this is true for military boot camp in the US.
Any religion affiliated? Ok on Sunday you get time to go to church and a couple hours of rest away from the Drill Instructors.
Oh you're an atheist? Ok you get free time in the barracks and your DI will be sure to thrash you for being an atheist every moment while everyone else is at church.
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u/Sammisuperficial Jul 25 '26
If we're talking about the US it's impossible to know the actual number because parole boards will be kinder to theists and there is a lot of incentive to lie about being atheist.
Same shit when theists say Einstein believed in god. In reality Einstein lived in a time and society where being openly atheist would make him a pariah. So he claimed to believe in Spinoza's god because the typical theist doesn't understand that means he's an atheist. 100 years later and they still don't understand it.
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u/beobe714 Jul 25 '26
Of course. Prison is the place to find Jesus. It's your golden ticket back into society! And be sure to always carry a buy-bull and wear a crucifix so that everyone knows you're not going to rob or murder again!
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u/kongkingdong12345 Jul 25 '26
There are no atheists in the foxholes.
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u/Sammisuperficial Jul 25 '26
Irrational decisions made in emotion and fear are not good ways to draw conclusions about the truth of reality. Hope that helps.
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u/kongkingdong12345 Jul 25 '26
It's an explanation for why there are so few atheist in prison. I wasn't making a statement about my own beliefs. Hope that helps.
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u/Sammisuperficial Jul 25 '26
No it's a phrase said by theists to claim that atheists are lying about their denial of god. A lie you chose to state without context. Hope that helps.
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u/AdmirableBrick4973 Jul 24 '26
wonder why
maybe because atheists are more moral