E, There are 2 other groups in the prison chart that may contain atheists, other 4.08%, and no preference 12.55%. It may be that, just as in non-prison life, most god doubters don't want to use the term atheist because it is too antagonistic of a term. I wonder how many would have chosen agnostic, if it was an option.
Just yesterday, in a restaurant, I overheard a waitress refusing to believe that one of her elderly customers, who she knew on a first name basis, was an atheist when he mentioned it in casual conversation. He was just too nice she said. If he had used the term agnostic, or just said that he doesn't attend any church, she probably wouldn't have even reacted. In our society, atheist is presently a lightning rod word, that a lot of people would rather avoid using.
Del |
