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Atheists are good or bad persons?

Religions in general like to declare that atheism is morally wrong and punishable (in some countries, with death), and that atheists are bad, immoral people. However evidence shows that the majority of atheist have strong morals, even better than religious people, raise their kids according to high values, and that most of highly intelligent people, including most scientists, do not believe in a god. Collectively, they have done more for society's good than religious people. Do you agree with that? What excellent examples of atheists who are also philanthropists, scientists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, etc. do you know?

rsabbatini 7 May 8
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50 comments

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1

You may as well ask are you likely to be a worse or better person if you drink ginger beer, your stake in life and the well being of your fellow man is unaffected by any professed preference, it is all down to how much of an arsehole you are prepared to be and nothing else.

7

There are good and bad people, the difference is atheists won't point finger to satan/god or other imaginary being for their own deeds.

7

Atheists are people. Thre are some great atheists and some truly evil ones.

7

To me, atheists are just ordinary folks like Christian folks, the only thing we differ is the belief/disbelief in god. Other than that, there are good/bad, intelligent/ignorant, etc. on both sides equally.

5

I've never raped or enslaved anyone (two actions the bibel seems just fine with,) so I am damn confident that I am a good person.
In the United States, studies have shown that evangelicals are the most immoral group of Americans.

As well as the most dishonest.

There is no such thing as prosperity atheism, other than the money you save on tithing

5

We can be just as capable of good or evil as anyone else.

4

While there are good and bad atheists and good and bad Christians, I tend to trust atheists more.

Well they don't take advice from the voices in their own heads for a start, that has got to a point in their favour when considering how much you want to trust them.

4

Religion does not have the monopoly on morals nor is able to adopt any moral high-ground if you take the conflict it has caused.

4

My moral outlook is not drawn from scripture, doctrine or dogma. It's founded in treating people in the way I expect to be treated.

Good or Bad is subjective anyway. Me? I think I'm broadly good.

4

Whenever someone - usually of religious persuasion - makes the argument that non-believers cannot be moral without religion to guide them, I always pull out this old chestnut (I think I may have seen it on 60 Minutes): it is thought that 10 to 15% the general population of adults in the United States self-declare as agnostics/atheists, yet they only account for 0.2% of the prison population.

Hmmmm...

Might that be because if you are religious in prison you get to go to chapel so its a bit of a break?

@jacpod some might say its the only place you'll get any form of sexual contact in prison lol

I've been reading some letters from prisoners who are openly atheist. There seems to be an official tendency to look askance at this category of prisoner. Some told of being denied parole because they didn't have a "church family" awaiting them with open arms upon the potential release. It takes courage to live your authentic self when it's not the "normal, average, expected" way to be.

4

An Atheist is a person who doesn't accept the evidence for a God. There is nothing about that which would help you to know if that someone is good or bad.

Wow there IS evidence for God... Who knew?

4

Atheists much like Theists are just ppl; it's the actions of a person that define they're morality and THAT'S what makes them seem as "good"/"bad"

3

Yes- atheists are good or bad people. I dislike any smug moral or ethical superiority displayed by any group over another. Good and bad are subjective to begin with- there have been good and bad actions on the part of theist and non theist throughout history. While I love adhere and use the scientific method, I personally won’t waste time trying to declare it superior to anyone’s spaghetti monster. Way too smug and condescending- and lacking in basic humility IMHO...

Well said. Science (scientific method) demands questioning. That's a wholesome, healthy thing. A demand for utter, unquestioning faith is, by contrast, profoundly unhealthy.

3

My favorite person in history is Nikola Tesla

3

I don't have any examples. This is interesting of human behavior, when I recently stated I'm atheist to a couple people, I got "I get it, there isn't much to believe in anymore" or "what keeps you from doing bad things?" This blows my mind as if I actually need religion to be a good person or have hope. Religion turned our basic emotions and moral into their own and brainwashed people to believe it's needed.

I think, some people in some circumstances, may benefit from religion. But one must keep an open mind.

I would answer them Whatever that harm mankind I would not do. That is what keeps me from doing bad things. And with the focus of finding better knowledge which means it able to apply realistically then I would be going less and less bad things. And knowledge isn't believed in things blindly.

3

Being good or bad is not a religious or non-religious thing, it's a human thing...we just go bad sometimes.

3

There Is Good & Bad.

Coldo Level 8 May 8, 2018
2

Spoiler Alert: Atheists are people, individuals even. Some are not as good as others, and everything in between.

The obvious having been stated, the fact is that a majority of scientists are Atheists, with the other categories probably being split along similar lines as the general population. Among philanthropists, Buffett and Gates are both Atheists, but there are any number of others who are religious, even very religious.

2

Just like other groups there are good and bad people who are atheist. Look at the Atheist supporters of tRump and the republicans. All bigots, racist, white supremacist, misogynistic, xenophopes. They may claim not to be but they support tRump who fits all those descriptors so they themselves are.

Yeah, look at all the atheist supporters of Hillary and Democratic socialists -- rotten to the core.

@GlyndonD and look at all the conservative white supremacist, bigoted, misogynistic, xenophobic atheist tRump supporters, rotten POS's for sure.

@bobhoff59, yup, prettry much.

2

We are just people, I have run into some non believers that would fit right in with the westboro church on their hatred.

2

There are good and bad atheists, just as there are good and bad christians.

JK666 Level 7 May 11, 2018
2

I suspect there are good, bad, and ugly in all groups. However, I have read studies that support the assertion about raising children according to objective moral standards. They learn to treat people decently because it is the right thing to do, not to avoid hell or strive for heaven. Being good is its own reward. It takes away the rationalizing that "if I give into the devil's temptation, god will forgive me". They learn instead to take responsibility for their own actions. My own experience is that when I started looking inward for happiness and guidance, my level of joy and satisfaction with life increased exponentially. That being said, I do know some great people who believe very differently than I do.

2

The By-Stander effect:

  1. If something bad goes down, and 100 people hear it, there is less likelihood that anyone will go to the rescue, in comparison to...
  2. If something bad goes down and 1 other person hears it.

On a rural road, if you have a flat, the next passing car is likely to stop. On an interstate, 50 cars may pass, each thinking that someone else will stop.

Religion may create the ugly side of the by-stander effect... "if there are a million of us believers, then surely there are others in the group doing the good deeds." Atheists are a group of 1. Each must go about making the changes in the world in their own name, with their own deeds. This is in comparison to those that do good deeds in the name of someone/something else.

Now, I'm not saying that religious people are bad. I'm just saying that this may be a good argument as to why Atheists may be more likely to do good, and to actively seek opportunities to do good.

2

No different then the religious, bad and good. No matter the beliefs we’re human.

2

A mixture just like everyone else Darwin had a hard time because his wife was extremely religious and his evolutionary science would likely have upset her - he delayed origin of the species for her sake .

By the way everyone else imagines that i am a totally good girl I do work for charity etc. help people (but only I know how evil I could be if I tried, only its too boring )

2

I think I am a good atheist. I am sure there are bad ones. My mother was a good Christian. I am absolutely sure there are bad ones. I hope the association you founded will grow and prosper.

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