There is no IFs, BUTs or DEPENDs. We are not talking about individual examples here. The question is about the answer at large. There is no doubt in my mind that atheists value all life - human, animal, birds more than any religious person. Atheist valuing life is unconditional, religion's valuing life is conditional on their terms and subject to thousands of dictates.

Don't take my word for it. Take a look at the human history, behavior, atrocities, violence, live sacrifices, chores, traditions, customs of the past and of today including all things done in the name of religion and you will have a convincing answer. Religious people's answer that we do charity, we help the poor, we build hospitals were all devised as a ploy to sell religion as good. The human history has shown us that religion has done a tremendous harm to humanity.

What we must have is clarity in the era of information, knowledge, communication and free society. We are not in the jungle days any more.

YOLO, as the kids say.

I think so. Theists look upon this life as simply a test to get the "real" afterlife. Sad.

it might be a better question to ask why Christians fear death, isn't Heaven better.
and when a child dies no reason to be sad they're with God now

i wouldn't generalize. people who realize there are no gods and by extension tend to realize there is no afterlife (it's not part of the definition but it's logical -- and yet i see people asking about it here as a separate issue) are not all alike, and just because one has made one realization we should not assume that person has made all realizations (impossible anyway). good and bad people alike can be atheists; valuing life is a relative thing anyway; valuing one's own life and valuing the lives of others, or selected others, is another.

g

Nope

Your impression, shared by no small number of atheists who identify as Atheists, isn't entirely accurate. Rejecting gods, and in my case everything (theologies) propagating notions that gods exist, isn't necessarily a rejection of a life continuum of some kind.

Dictating what a person who is atheist must believe is an embarrassing penchant of those claiming to be Atheist 'leaders'; our self-important, self-aggrandizing cadre of 'sciencephiles' who mock and scoff as artfully as revival tent urchins.

If we value ourselves, creatures animated by life, then we reasonably value life. We are reasoning creatures that are good at it, left unmolested by myths.

It all depends on the individual's take on the whole idea. Some believers do value this life just as much as they would after the fact. I have talked with some about this very question and some feel they will be better off when they leave this world. This has been one of the ultimate quests for believers. Never being a believer personally, this life is all I know so I have nothing to compare it to.

I value life now as an atheist so much more than as a Christian. I was specifically taught that the only purpose for this life was to accept Christ. The rest then was pretty irrelevant. Because I KNOW this life is transitory and final, it compels me to act on behalf of others much more.

The urge to stay alive and empathy for other life is deeply ingrained in us. I don't really think it makes much of a difference. There are some that have weaker or stronger feelings about stuff regardless of relationship with religion.