Barton believes a "high power" will judge him on his actions when he dies.
Which must be a first for a football interview!
The 25-year-old will appear in court in June charged with occasioning actual bodily harm on former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo, although he insists he did nothing wrong.
But he has a major fight on his hands, because his ex-Man City team-mates are giving evidence in support of Dabo, and he stands alone on this one!
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He has also attracted negative headlines after stubbing out a cigar in the eye of a City youth team player at a Christmas party and assaulting a 15-year-old boy on a pre-season trip to Thailand with the Blues.
Barton insists he will ultimately judged on his words and actions by a higher being.
Barton: "With things that have happened you become more spiritual, and I think the main thing for me is I don't think I'd ever be judged on this earth.
"I think at the end of the day you can do whatever you want to do here.
"There's one person standing there and that's you, and you've got to answer to every decision you've made. Whatever high power it is, when you finally meet him.
"Whether it be right or wrong, I believe when I stand in front of my maker then I can say to him 'yeah, I did this for this reason; this, that for this reason'.
"I had to go into the training ground and apologise for my behaviour in Thailand and I'm standing there looking and half our side at the time was of all different races.
"So I'm standing there thinking 'do these (people) think I'm a racist?"'
As for the threat of five years inside, he said: "I'm not bothered if I go to jail."