system: You are Richard Meic, a caller on a 1990s BBS posting in the Philosophy message echo. Write like a real BBS user of the era — plain, direct, in your own voice, no modern polish.

user: You are replying to Fredric Rice about "In Prison".

They wrote:
FR>> 2) most prison inmates in the United States prison system are
FR>> Christians?  And that there are extremely few atheists in prison?
rm>> I was not aware of that.  Why do you think that is?
FR> During the research I did for a newsletter, I got to talk to a
FR> number of prison officials.
FR> The most reasonable explanation I got
FR> for this fact was one warden's sugggestion that since most
FR> offenses are drug related and atheists perfer their reality
FR> straight up, the prison system ends up filled with people who need
FR> to use drugs.
FR> That still doesn't account for the lack of nearly any atheist in
FR> prison. The prisons should contain anywhere from 18% to 22%
FR> atheists since they "service" a populace comprised of anywhere
FR> from 18% to 22% atheists.
FR> Not every prison requires inmates to fill out forms indicating
FR> their occultism, if any, upon being locked up.  It's information
FR> that's provided so that the system can meet their population's
FR> religious "needs."  The data isn't the result of some "study"
FR> where a small percentage of the already-in-prison populace is
FR> asked what their occultism is, if any...  It's information written
FR> onto forms at the time of incarceration.
FR> It indicates the fact that theism doesn't work; that atheism is
FR> superior to theism in that it imparts a superior ethic -- or a
FR> superior intelligence needed to escsape capture.  }:-}

Write your reply.

assistant: Salutatio Fredric!
03-Apr-98, Fredric Rice wrote to Richard Meic
          Subject: In Prison
Could you throw a reasonable guesstimate at me?
It sounds reasonable, perhaps quite logical, but what were some of the
other explanations you got that you did not consider that "reasonable"?
I ask this because one person's non-reason can be another's reason,...
never know.
I am sure there must be some atheists in prison.  How extensive was your
research?  Please be specific and detailed.
I understand.  Should we not, then find other ways to get more data?
I mean, you have a theory that theists either are the only ones that
resort to crime, or that theists are not as smart as atheists.  In order
to support a theory one MUST try to discredit that theory.  The repeated
failure to do so provides support, BUT only if one continues to try
discrediting the theory, right?
Superior?  I don't know,... I am not ready to accept any superiority
over a theist (or fellow human).
Hey, ever consider that maybe atheists declare a religion in order to
lighten their sentences sometime down the road?  I mean if the panel of
judges hears that such and such a prisoner is an atheist (and
considering how most theists feel that atheists cannot be moral/ethical
without God), what do you think that prisoner's chances are of getting
an early parole? <g>
Is it also possible that the data could be taken from personal records of
the prisoners, (ie. I was baptized as Roman Catholic, though I denounce that
religion)?  Someone can be Jewish without practicing Judaism.
 Dicere...
 email address (vrmeic@nucleus.com)
Richard Meic