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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 (26 - 50)

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2

The religious fear those who are secular. Fear is dangerous and it overpowers their sense of morality. They are taught that those without fear are the disease and their deity is the only answer. Even when their religious text demand death to non-believers, they will put down their morals to pick up the sword and sin against their deities in order to appease their congregation halls. They even have built-in loopholes in their religious laws to ensure this to happen. Are there good moral atheists, yes, many. I'd like to think I'm one, but I'm not a great man, just an author. We atheists also have some bad too and we must atone for our wrong doings. We don't have "get out of jail free cards." There are great people who are religious as well as many evil ones currently and in history.

Gohan Level 7 May 8, 2018
2

Personally I think we all (believers or not) have strengths and faults too and should treat everyone as an individual. I think these types of comparisons are like ammunition. One of the biggest reasons I turned my back on religion is this very kind of argument about who is better than whom.

2

Yes

1

Let's ask the other way around. Name a bunch of great Christians.
(...Crickets chirping...)

Joerg Level 3 May 22, 2018
1

Stephen Hawking, Lisa Randall, Steven Weinberg, Richard Dawkins, Albert Einstein(controversial, but he was asked), Noam Chomsky

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.

1

I have read studies that support the majority of offenders and vast majority or repeat offenders in prisons are theists (disproportionate to the general population) and among the scientists in the highest standings, most are atheists. My personal experience has taught me not to trust anyone who plays the "I am a good person because" god/Jesus card. I have found atheists to be far more honest and trustworthy then theists.

I honestly think this video explains the behavior of several dishonest Christians I have encountered. (Although funny, this is seriously a legitimate point.) I would say it is worth watching.

1

I would say there are good and bad human beings where they believe in a god or they do not believe in a god.

1

I'd be careful with stating "evidence of strong morals." One, that can't be definitively proven, and two, what are strong morals? That just opens a can of worms that will derail the conversation.
I'd point out that atheism has nothing to do with morality, it's simply a lack of belief in god claims. Many Buddhists are also atheist, and they get their morals from Buddhism. Many Humanists are atheist and they get their morals from Humanism. Yet there are also thousands and thousands of denominations of Christianity and many who claim the other denominations are immoral. Same with every other religion.
I'd just point out that not believing in a god/s has no bearing on your morality, your moral principles do. Then you can talk about where you get your morality from: philosophy, parents, groups you align with, and etc.
Hope that helps.

1

Most of the prominent scientists, philosophers, who cared for mankind and contributed to science and society, except few evil ones.

1

Show me a good man and I'll show you the door...
Here's the everlasting rub: neither am I good nor bad
I'd give up my halo for a horn and the horn for the hat I once had

Bonus points for anyone who can cite where these lyrics come from.

1

I don’t need to believe in a greater being to be a good person. I know a lot of Christians, and some of them are really shitty people

1

Every group of people has the one guy that asks the question that was answered at least thirty years ago.

Anyway, statistical findings are not unanimous on this topic. If you want to be able to assess someone's morals, then you have to look at the person as a mind, and as a body.

1
1

Athiests are people so are theists there good people and there re bad people

1

It comes from the "belief" that morality comes from God, and without God you have no morals.

My mother, who is religious, brought this up sometime back and i asked her, "If i was a child, and you heard a voice in your head that you were convinced was God and that voice asked you to tie me up and carry me out to a field (no mountains here) and sacrifice me to prove your loyalty to God, would you do it?" (Referencing the story of Abraham and his son Isaac) Her answer was of course without hessitation "NO!". I asked her, so you wouldn't do either? Again, no hessitation "NO!" I asked, "why not?" She then stared at me with a glossy look in her eyes, i could tell the cog wheels in her head were trying to turn and make sense of this mind fuck, so I said, "its because you possess your own moral compass and you determine for yourself what is right and wrong". Long story short, she dosen't try to argue morality anymore.

Proto Level 6 May 8, 2018

There are numerous studies that compare religiocity to societal health. Spoilers, there is a negative coreliation. The more religious an area is, the more rape, sex offenders, teen pregnancy, etc etc there is.

Google how religiosity affects societal health sometime, there are peer reviewed studies out there.

1

We need need to learn to use Burden of proof, instead of empty claim like religion.

0

Some are good, some are bad.

0

I ma not really interested in what other atheists do or don't do what you are saying is quite interesting to me but - 'so what!' I am an individual who has never had a god. its not of any interest to me to talk about that - other atheists are just other people some of whom I will be friends with - I have never ever sat down with another atheist friend and talked about our non belief we talk about our families what we will order at the cafe etc just like everyone else does. My athiesm is of no importance to me at all - My Life and how I live it is important and the people whom I love.

0

I'd rest my case with Stephen Fry.

0

You get morally good and bad people in all walks of life. Fundamentalist religious people, in my opinion, can get blind sided by there faith. As they believe there version of the "truth". This maybe infects other areas of there lives. An atheist has no such bias, per se, and tends to be more rational and open to well thought out, cogent, fact based opinion. Including there morality. I would say that there are more morally good atheists than religious people.

0

"Athiests are good or bad persons?" Yes

0

Don't candidates say horrendous things about their opponents? What do you expect the religions (personification here) are going to say about a continuously growing -worldwide- number of people WHO YELLS TO THE WORLD THE NONEXISTENCE OF GOD?

0

I'm bad so bad

0

Faiths make people bad Atheism is the choice to be good

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