Science Agrees: Religion Helps Criminals!

One of the oft-used justifications for religion is that it provides moral guidance and personal transformation. Now, a new study led by Volkan Topalli – professor of criminal justice at Georgia State University presents scientific proof that religion helps criminals… helps them justify their crimes, that is!

Almost all of the criminal offenders studied (involved in crimes such as car-jacking, drug-dealing, robbery, and burglary) self-identified as Christians, and professed belief in God.


The Vancouver Sun reports that:

The U.S. study found that through “purposeful distortion or genuine ignorance,” hardcore criminals often co-opt religious doctrine to justify or further their crimes…The interviews show that criminals will often employ “elaborate and creative rationalizations” to reconcile their belief in God and their serial offending, the researchers concluded.

Some examples of this from the article:

A 25-year-old criminal nicknamed “Cool” said he always does a “quick little prayer” before committing a crime in order to “stay cool with Jesus.” As long as you ask for forgiveness, Jesus has to give it to you, he said.

One 23-year-old criminal, nicknamed “Young Stunna,” said those who came from disadvantaged backgrounds were excused from committing crimes. “See, if I go and rob a [expletive], then I’m still going to Heaven because, umm, it’s like Jesus knows I ain’t have no choice, you know?” he told researchers. “He know I got a decent heart. He know I’m stuck in the ‘hood and just doing what I gotta do to survive.”

Of course, this is no surprise to atheists. The Bible provides numerous examples of humans rationalizing all sorts of despicable behavior by putting the ‘Approved by God’ stamp on it. Murder, rape, genocide, land theft, slavery, and other sorts of atrocities – all magically become just and right if divinely sanctioned.

Neither is it surprising that ‘elaborate and creative rationalizations’ are employed. That’s how Christianity survives – from the apologist defending the divinely-ordered Canaanite slaughter, to the pew-warmer excusing the God who fails to answer their prayers, as promised. Not all religious rationalizations are employed to justify criminal behavior, but all religious minds are incarcerated behind walls of self-deception.

Written by J. M. Green