why is atheism a better option ?

Question

do you really believe that in a world ruled by atheism, there would be less corruption, rape, child abusers, warmongers, etc..

isn't atheism finding faults in religion that are actually innerent to the dark side of human nature ?

Answer 1

It isn't, As a worldview, atheism is intellectually bankrupt and is wrought with philosophical problems.First I need to clarify that atheists can be morally good. They can even be people of integrity. But that isn't the issue. Having good morals doesn’t mean you have objective morals. One atheist’s good morals might only be coincidentally consistent with true objective morality where another atheist’s isn’t.



Objective morals are those that are based outside of yourself. Subjective morals are those that depend on you, your situation, culture, and your preferences. Subjective morals change, can become contradictory, and might differ from person to person. This is the best that atheism has to offer us as a worldview.



Think about it, in atheism, there is no moral right and wrong. There is no moral "should and shouldn't”. Why? Because when you remove God, you remove the standard by which objective moral truth is established. In atheism morality is up for grabs.



In an atheistic worldview, lying, cheating, and stealing are neither right or wrong. They are phenomena to which, if the atheist so decides, moral values can be assigned. Sure, the atheist might say that we all should want to help society function properly and it does not benefit society as a whole to lie, cheat, and steal. But, this is weak intellectual reasoning.



Let me put some flesh and blood on this and show you why. What if there were a global economic meltdown and social turmoil ensued so that robbing people at gunpoint to get food became common place. Robbery would then be a social norm. Would such a norm be wrong? If it is not wrong, then you affirm situational ethics and can’t complain when the situation suits somebody else’s fancy and you get robbed at gunpoint. Of course, this would lead to anarchy.



If you say such theft is wrong, then why is it wrong? If it is your opinion that it is wrong, that is nice, but opinions don’t make ethical standards. If you said it is wrong because it is wrong, you are just begging the question. Besides, that would mean there was a moral standard outside of yourself to which you must answer and that would imply a Moral Law Giver.



Anyway, some atheists maintain that the best moral system is that which brings the greatest happiness, the least amount of suffering, and the greatest freedom for as many people as possible. That is a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t work. Take a look at slavery, for example. The greatest happiness for the greatest number of people means that a minority of people should suffer in bondage. This way, the greatest amount of freedom for the majority is ensured. But if the atheist says that it is wrong to enslave a minority to benefit the majority, then why is it wrong? Because he said so? If he says it’s wrong because the minority is suffering, so what? Why is suffering wrong? It may be unpleasant. It may not be nice. But, from an atheistic worldview, why is it morally wrong to oppress a minority to benefit the majority? Atheism can’t help us here. It just isn’t up to the task of providing solid answers.



Let me reiterate by saying that atheism offers a subjective moral system that is based on human experience, human conditions, and human reason. By its very nature, such moral evaluation is relativistic, dangerous, can change, can become self contradictory, and can lead to anarchy.

True morality is not merely a collection of concepts agreed upon because it helps stop the guy with the gun from taking your food. There is something more, and the Bible offers us more.



It offers us an objective set of morals: do not lie, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not bear false witness, etc. These morals don’t change depending on your opinion, your situation, or your personal preferences. They are based on God’s character and since God doesn’t change, these morals don’t either. Therefore, it is always wrong to lie, to steal, to commit adultery, and to bear false witness, but not so in atheism’s empty moral vacuum because morality is formed in a subjective manner.



So, after an economic meltdown when an armed stranger is approaching you on a dark road and you are taking food home to your hungry family, who would you rather the stranger be: a Christian who believes stealing is wrong and that God is watching, or the atheist who sees a need and points his gun at you as he adapts his ethics to suit the moment?

Answer 2

There may still be corruption, rape, child abusers, warmongers, etc. if the world was primarily atheist or secular, however, less would be committed in the name of a god.



It is also the case that religion is just another tool to isolate and tribalise thus developing the mentality that makes it so OK to corrupt, rape, abuse children and be warmongers, etc. Just look at the cases of them, often, when on mass there is religion behind it. Look at the former countries of Yugoslavia, the wars of the 1990s

Answer 3

No, considering that small children say they consider some thing they're told that they suppose. I on no account believed in Christianity, however if you asked me what religion I was on the age of eight, in a school filled with Christians, i might have answered "Christian". Apart from, you are not able to train atheism. And there is no need to educate religion in a institution. It is a waste of worthwhile money and time. Instructing ABOUT faith is priceless, but it surely's a utterly specific factor. Also, would you comprise ALL religions? How, once they contradict? Suppose it via.

Answer 4

It removes one more tool used by the corrupt to control people, and makes it easier for people to analyse what is going on around them clearly. If people are not blinded by the worthless appeal to authority that is Religion, they will be better able to find and evaluate the scientific studies that show how the world really works.

Answer 5

I don't hold with atheist or theist 'regimes'. Secular regimes, where the government is as neutral as possible towards religion or the lack thereof, are the best for all concerned.

Answer 6

I think that a world ruled by atheism would still have its own problems but we would be able to create a society that used reason to rule itself rather than false promises of rewards and punishment. We would be more inclined to get better educated and study problems in order to fix them rather than sit around andpray that the problemswill get better on their own. we would be able to stop certain practices that are harmful for the majority because it made sense rather than to continue doing them becasue it was tradition.

Answer 7

Yes it is... the bible said.. only fool hath said in his own heart there is no god... whever is believed ... those are strong words... .. atheisim geows bitterness and essentially pushes god away til u hear him calling u no more... have u ever ket a happy atheist? If u wanna see what that world is like post a i love jesus video and watch what u get... its hate an evil... hey believe in nothing with no proof ever... ots straight madness... ive been. around ppl like that for years and always found myself going my own way... i gotta say... truly..everywherei go everything i study ... i always come back to the holy bibe... iv never seen so much truth an love in my whole life... he teaches such dicipline and enjoyment in life by doing as it says... I'm a slacker athe moment... but when I really put forth effort ive never been more prosperous and happy... i know it seems silly but it is true.. ppl dot see god working because they never gove him a chance.. he is truly a living god.

Answer 8

Studies show that non-religious nations have a higher quality of life than do religious nations.



"...

They found eight factors had a significant effect on quality of life: divorce rate, public health expenditure, doctor/population ratio; per capita GDP; food supply; female and male adult literacy rate, and population with access to safe drinking water. The model crunched all these, along with the effects, and spat out a Quality of Life rating for the 43 countries they analysed.

...

This analysis joins all the others – the least religious countries are more democratic, more peaceful, have less corruption, more telephones, do better at science, have less inequality and other problems, and are generally just less dysfunctional.

..."

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2011/05/non-religious-nations-have-higher-quality-of-life/











"...

Within the United States, we find similar patterns: the states with the highest rates of

poverty tend to be among the most religious states in the nation, such as Mississippi and

Tennessee, while the states with the lowest poverty rates tend to be among the most secular,

such as New Hampshire and Hawaii (United States Census Bureau 2008). The states

with the highest rates of obesity are among the most religious in the nations, while the

states with the lowest rates of obesity are among the least religious (Calorielab.com

2008). And it is the more religious states that tend to have infant mortality rates higher

than the national average, while the less religious states tend to have lower infant mortality

rates (United States Census Bureau, 2005). Additionally, it is among the most religious

states that one finds the highest rates of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance

2007) and teen pregnancy (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). America’s Bible Belt also contains

the lowest rates of college-educated adults, and of the states with the highest percentage

of college educated adults, most are among the most secular in the country

(United States Census Bureau, 2007)."

.....

This essay began with a well-known Biblical quote stating that atheists are simply no

good. Do the findings of contemporary social science support this Biblical assertion? The

clear answer is no. Atheism and secularity have many positive correlates, such as higher

levels of education and verbal ability, lower levels of prejudice, ethnocentrism, racism,

and homophobia, greater support for women’s equality, child-rearing that promotes independent

thinking and an absence of corporal punishment, etc. And at the societal level,

with the important exception of suicide, states and nations with a higher proportion of

secular people fare markedly better than those with a higher proportion of religious

people.

..."



http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/Zuckerman_on_Atheism.pdf

Answer 9

Given atheism has been around longer than Christianity and Islam and there are so few atheists regimes I would say atheism has not proven to be a better option. If it were it would flourish and there would be many atheist regimes.



Grillpar... If that were true then why are there religious people in prison for things that go against their religion? Your argument is self defeating!

Answer 10

@ Pilot.



That is incorrect. I don't believe in "God" but I'm not atheist. "God" is the Christian version of a creator as Allah is the muslim version. I am open to the possibility that there was some creative action but I won't label it or the (possible) entity behind it because I dont' know who/why/what about it.

Answer 11

Atheism isnt the love of moaning. Usually people are happier when they have nothing to moan about. Religion makes one dumb. Knowledge and science makes one wise.

Answer 12

Atheism is just about not believing religious assertions and dogmas,that is all.There is no global insidious atheistic movement to subjugate the faithful.

Answer 13

It's not about options, and which one's better and worse. It's about your personal opinion or relationship with religion. You don't have to label yourself, but if you choose not to believe in God, you're an atheist. Your choice is your choice.

Answer 14

Very true because many people justify their wrong doings by giving example of religious folk tales.

Answer 15

As an atheist you're free to do what you think is right. As a theist you are restricted to doing what your religion tells you, whether it is right or wrong.

Answer 16

Atheism: Lack of belief in gods/deities

Answer 17

Religion lets bad people control good people by making the good people think that they are doing good, when in reality bad people are making good people do bad.

Answer 18

Come to the dark side we have COOKIES!!!