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Subscribe to RSSThere’s apparently a whole lot of religion going on behind bars.
A survey of prison chaplains released Thursday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life suggests that religious conversion is common among inmates in America’s state prisons.
According to the survey, 73 percent of state prison chaplains say that efforts by inmates to proselytize or convert other inmates are either very common (31 percent) or somewhat common (43 percent). About three-quarters of the chaplains say that a lot (26 percent) or some (51 percent) religious switching occurs among inmates in the prisons where they work.
Religious extremism doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem behind bars. A majority (58 percent) of chaplains say it is either not too common (42 percent) or not common at all (16 percent).
You can read the full report here.
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Special holidays, food and congregation with members from the outside are primarily the reasons for involvement. Switching of faiths occurs sometimes because of preferred holidays or snacks. Whatever the outcome if one receives divine intervention I feel it's worth the efforts of all concerned.
"According to the survey, 73 percent of state prison chaplains say that efforts by inmates to proselytize or convert other inmates are either very common or somewhat common . . "
"Religious extremism doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem behind bars."
I love the complete disconnect with reality on the part of the chaplain (wadda ya want, they still think their invisible friend listens to them). If proselytizing or attempts at conversion are "common" then so is religious extremism. An obvious indicator of religious extremism is a nut bag trying to convert someone else to their "true" religion.
Religion is a form of escape in prison.
There are lies, damned lies and statistics. This whole story is all three of them.