O.J. Simpson’s legal dramas are once again playing out in real time for the world to see, and once again all eyes are glued to see what happens next.
This time it’s for his highly anticipated parole hearing, and the spectacle has been fascinating to watch. There have been bizarre moments, like when one of the parole board members accidentally said Simpson was 90 years old. She quickly realized her mistake and quipped “you look pretty good for 90” causing the room to burst out in laughter.
One interesting moment happened when Simpson said he’d been asked to start a Baptist church service for the inmates. Simpson explained it like this:
“I took two courses that I guess you guys don’t give much credit to. It’s called “Alternative to Violence.” I think it’s the most important course anybody in this prison can take, because it teaches you how to deal with conflict through conversation. I’ve been asked many, may times here to mediate conflicts between individuals and groups and it gave me so many tools to try and walk these guys through without throwing punches at one another.
“Also, at one point, a couple of guys came to me and they said ‘O.J., I understand you’re a baptist. We’re baptist and we have no baptist service here, can you help us get a baptist service here?’ I worked with them, we now have an ongoing baptist service that’s well attended. I attend religiously… pun is intended.”
Simpson went on to explain that his time behind bars has caused him to realize some things about himself.
“And I realized in my 9 years here … I was a good guy on the street. But I could’ve been a better Christian. My commitment to change was to be a better Christian.”
It’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not Simpson is just grasping at straws to make himself look more appealing to the parole board and just using religion to make it appear as if he turned his life around. Even after the murders of Nicole Simpson and her lover, O.J. was parading around to strip clubs and living what appeared to be, by all accounts, a very godless lifestyle.
Check out his appearance before the parole board for yourself. The comments pertaining to his faith happen around the -46:00 mark.