Fear... I suppose they wear that mask before they enter and take it off when they get there.

They are recruited and a captive audience.

Partly out of fear, and partly out of personal self interest.

Then there's all the other people - who never do.

I know somebody who is serving a year long sentence for allegedly being part of an “organized crime ring” who apparently obtained loans on stolen or non existent farming equipment. The only reason he is serving such a low sentence is because he was a very minor shareholder in the company and the courts could not establish his implication in the scheme ( in my opinion he is innocent and was trying to run small business.) He turned back to religion in part because of pressure from family members and also maybe to relive some of the cognitive dissonance and guilt of letting his elderly parents down.

He was a great person while religious many years ago, a great person while a non believer, and will probably be a great person now that he believes again.

Who gives a shit! I've been in both and I still think the bible is still babbling bullshit.

Id say its a good way of impressing a parole board myself or sheer desperation.

They don't really, they are just bluffing to make people forgive him/her...

I think for some people the knowledge that the existence of God can not be proved or disproved causes some uncertainty when in dire circumstances. It is an attitude of "better safe than sorry", "just in case" or hedging their bets.

I ended up in hospital once from a head on car accident and the oil tanker full of oil did not exploded like in the movies. Didn't occurred to me it was god business I was drunk that night and took the wrong turn. My little car was totalled but took with him 80,000 dollars of fuel plus the trailer. Tough little fella. How in the hell I got away with my military rank intact is beyond me. But I still not crediting god.