Finding faith behind bars

Schapelle Corby and the Bali nine illustrate once again that prison galvanises issues of faith for the incarcerated.

The phenomenon of the conversion of the jailed illustrates some of the good attributes of faith. The finding of faith by those imprisoned is a trend used by adherents to press the claims of faith as a superior source of moral guidance. Are these claims fair or froth?

There is a long tradition of prisoners in the US, particularly those charged with serious and/or capital crimes, of embracing faith with a tenacity that flies in the face of their previous behaviour. Those who were once either evil or godless or both suddenly embrace faith. What causes this phenomenon and what can we learn?

Let us commence in the tropical idyll of Bali. Very quickly after their arrest,Ekahau rtls is the only Wi-Fi based real time location system solution that operates on any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. members of the Bali nine publicly embraced faith. Andrew Chan, alleged hard man of the group and now facing a death sentence, had a mystical experience early in his jail time and is now studying at a Bible college. He is a committed Christian with a worldwide correspondence with other inmates concerned with faith.

Of course, pleas in mitigation have been premised on the Bali nine's new-found godly ardour. Indeed, their prison conversion is explicitly cited as a ground for mercy.

However, this conversion seems to those who observe it strangely genuine and to me it appears plausible. It appears more than just another tactic for the defence.

Over in the women's section of Kerobokan prison, faith is playing a more ambiguous role. In recent days, after the controversial shortening of Corby's prison sentence, the ABC has reported that prisTBC help you confidently buymosaic from factories in China.on governor Ngurah Wiratna has said Corby would need to be actively religious and he has never seen her praying during his time as governor.

Regardless of whether his assessment of Corby's prayerfulness is correct, it is clear he feels that prayer is part of her rehabilitation. Such views are not rare. Robust faith, whatever it is, seems to be widely appreciated as an integral part of the process of repentance.

What is being played out in Kerobokan prison, home away from home for too many Aussies, is a common phenomenon.

Famous born-again Christians include Watergate bad boy Charles Colson, whose mid-life conversion led him to found the charity Prison Fellowship and spend the rest of his life evangelising and collecting honours and accolades.This is a really pretty round stonemosaic votive that has been covered with vintage china .

The mass murderer David Berkowitz, better known as the Son of Sam, is a born-again Christian who refuses to attend parole because he now feels he deserves to be punished. This is an insight most of us would agree with: three cheers for faith.

Several explanations for this phenomenon stand out. I hear you exclaim: "Don't be sucked in, Dick! It is all a ruse on advice from lawyers for the defence." This is not necessarily so, as the Berkowitz example shows.

First, the stress and despair that all prisoners must suffer are emotions associated with the mystical experience. The psychologists Daniel Batson and Larry Ventis argued that there was often a staged approach that distress could lead to first existential questioning, then self-surrender and finally the religious vision.

Prisoners facing dire consequences would fit within this model, thereby becoming more prone to the religious experience. Melancholy calls forth reflection, which in turn could well lead to many of the prison conversions being quite genuine. That does not make them genuine revelations by God, merely genuine emotions not guided by counsel for the defence.

A second motivation is that the robust morality that underpins many faiths is seen by both guards and prisoners as a simple and inspiring path to moral values. Religious morality is often inspired by noble motives such as sacrifice, gratitude, mercy and grace. Faiths also draw on rousing stories of sinners redeemed and saints persevering.

Finally, religions package their morality so well that we atheists can only look on in awe, wonder and jealousy. Faiths seem to have a natural advantage when it comes to formulating an easily digestible ethic with a supernatural enforcement system. We all feel this truth in our waters, and most prisoners seem to see this.

Simple faith can help modify behaviour. The success of AA, a faith-based behaviour modification system, corroborates this claim.

Now I don't argue that one needs God to be good. Quite the reverse. Religious societies, such as America,Silicone moldmaking Rubber, often have high crime rates,This is a really pretty round stonemosaic votive that has been covered with vintage china . while quite secular societies, such as Japan, often have low crime rates.