What good has come from Atheism?

[MorningGlory]

If that wasn't the case, how then would you explain that the overwhelming majority of atheists are good people, law abiding citizens, exemplary mothers and fathers, highly educated people?

I'd be willing to bet you don't know the 'overwhelming majority' of atheists personally so.....please cite your source(s) for that statement.

[Jeunet]

I'd be willing to bet you don't know the 'overwhelming majority' of atheists personally so.....please cite your source(s) for that statement.

You're one of those who accuse atheists of being bad people. Where are your evidences? I have no reason to believe what you support. Almost all atheists I know are good, honest, caring people. The percentage of atheists in prisons is hugely lower than their percentage in the population.

Where are your evidences that atheists are more likely than religious people to be bad citizens and causing suffering to others?

[Jeunet]

Also: the more religious a state, the higher the rate of teen pregnancy:

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/religions-link-to-teen-pregnancy/

Also: "Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience."

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm

Like I said earlier, in almost every statistics regarding good social behaviors, atheists and Mormons are at the very top. Hardly the picture of barbaric degenerates

Edited September 18, 2011 by Jeunet

[Don Fanucci]

Overtly no one that has held atheist beliefs stated they have done what they did because they were atheist but covertly that is exactly why their evil infected the world. They have said to themselves there is no God so they do what ever they want not matter how evil it may be.

Can you please explain, then, why atheists are so under represented in prison population? Why are there so fewer, in percentage, atheists in prison than in the rest of the population?

Either they are smarter than Christians in not getting caught, or you are just utterly and ridiculously wrong. Judgement is left to the intelligent reader.

This kind of prejudice, without any evidence, is what started the biggest wars and crimes in history. Being against blacks, against immigrants, against liberals, against albinos, against jews, etc.

If I translate your words in German and replace "atheist" with "Jew", you would be indistinguishable form Joseph Goebbels.

Viole, as someone who appreciates science, you have ignored the obvious flaws in this statement. First, I've never heard of any statistic comparing the ratio of christian felons to atheist felons. But more importantly, I think you are wrongly including in that group, if it exists, all those felons who become Christians after they entered prison. Lastly, and this probably goes off into a debate about baptism and salvation, or once saved can you be unsaved, if you consider violent criminals and the crimes they committed, with exceptions of course for the few pyschos that fit the Christian-bashing crime programs you see on TV or pedophile priests (people regularly associated with a church), I would wager that most violent criminals' claim to being Christians consists of them going to church once or twice on Christmas eve in their life, or were baptized when they were 2.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article571206.ece

And this is a comparison with UK which still has a lot of Christians. If we compare with countries like Sweden, where real Christians are a tiny minority, this inverse relationship between belief and social health looks even stronger.

I didn't really need to get very far to see that this is not a clinical study and is using associations to draw cause and effect conclusions. For example, "where the majority believes in a creator rather than the theory of evolution" presumes the two are mutually exclusive. They are not. As you know from many people on the board, many Christians also believe in evolution, which happens to be the official position of the catholic church. Furthermore, looking at data from gun control websites, which cite government statistics, these data, at least for murders, do not agree with your study (the US is behind Denmark, Switzeland, France, just ahead of Japan, and interestingly, Israel is a fraction of them all), though they very well could be dated. According to a table here, which was derived from the UN and European commission, the US is way down, at least for violent crime. I also found this, which sort of blows away your claims. Its a table of STDs for two periods, the latest of which is 1999. While this could also be dated, you would have to conclude that there was some massive change in the ratio of Christians/atheists, which would be dubious. In short, I could not find the exact reference for your study, but it certainly needs some scrutiny.

[Jeunet]

As you know from many people on the board, many Christians also believe in evolution, which happens to be the official position of the catholic church.

Yup, I never understood why this idea is so popular in America that evolution and Christianity has to be mutually exclusive. Evolution only explain what happened between the first living cell and the current population of species. It doesn't explain where and how the first cell came up to be, it's out of its domain. Christians can simply say it happened from their god and evolution was simply the way used to create the species.

And yet this idea from both non-believers and Christians alike just keep showing up.

I guess it comes from the schism between the literalistic Christians and the other Christians?

[Guest]

Also: the more religious a state, the higher the rate of teen pregnancy:

http://parenting.blo...teen-pregnancy/

Also: "Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience."

http://www.religious...rg/chr_dira.htm

Like I said earlier, in almost every statistics regarding good social behaviors, atheists and Mormons are at the very top. Hardly the picture of barbaric degenerates

God Knows

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9-10

And Yet He Calls

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelations 3:20

[Guest]

As you know from many people on the board, many Christians also believe in evolution, which happens to be the official position of the catholic church.

Yup, I never understood why this idea is so popular in America that evolution and Christianity has to be mutually exclusive. Evolution only explain what happened between the first living cell and the current population of species. It doesn't explain where and how the first cell came up to be, it's out of its domain. Christians can simply say it happened from their god and evolution was simply the way used to create the species.

And yet this idea from both non-believers and Christians alike just keep showing up.

I guess it comes from the schism between the literalistic Christians and the other Christians?

Christianity

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:9-14

And The Evolutionary Mythos

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Isaiah 29:16

And The Reason Why The Two Never Mix

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

[Jeunet]

FresnoJoe, honestly cut & pastes doesn't interest me much. I'd prefer to know what is YOUR personal opinion on the subject?

Edited September 19, 2011 by Jeunet

[MorningGlory]

You're one of those who accuse atheists of being bad people. Where are your evidences? I have no reason to believe what you support. Almost all atheists I know are good, honest, caring people. The percentage of atheists in prisons is hugely lower than their percentage in the population.

Please post quotes from me that show where I said atheists are bad people. You haven't been on this board any where near long enough to post opinions of any of us. I don't care what you believe about what I support; I only care about what you don't believe.

Where are your evidences that atheists are more likely than religious people to be bad citizens and causing suffering to others?

So.......how many atheists do you know? I live in a city of five million people and I can think of only ONE atheist among the thousands of people I know (well, who has admitted to being one.) Again, quote me from my posts where I tell you, or anyone else, that atheists are "more likely than religious people to be bad citizens and causing suffering to others." You can't.....I never said any of that and you are quite dishonest.

[Jeunet]

Please post quotes from me that show where I said atheists are bad people. You haven't been on this board any where near long enough to post opinions of any of us. I don't care what you believe about what I support; I only care about what you don't believe.

You're right on the fact I didn't see a specific declaration of you calling atheists "evil". My bad, I apologize. What you said was that NO atheists have ever done any good, or contributed positively to society (first page, before I realize there was like 75+ pages). Which is not quite the same thing, I give you that.

Well you're not alone, elansing. I thought long and hard about this question and I came up with absolutely nothing. I can't think of ONE atheist that has ever contributed to mankind.

But it is still and incredibly baseless accusation, and a serious one at that.

So.......how many atheists do you know? I live in a city of five million people and I can think of only ONE atheist among the thousands of people I know (well, who has admitted to being one.)

I know at least over a hundred atheists. Like minded people tend to hang out together more. I don't expect you to know nowhere near as many atheists as I do, because you're Christian and you probably hang out with your Christian family, Church members, etc. Also which part of the country you live in will have a huge impact. I currently live in Seattle, a city much less inclined on religiosity than many cities from the South for instance. Plus I moved to the States a few years ago, but where I come from, atheism (or at least agnosticism) is way more common than religion (where they actually are in the minority).

And believe me or not, all these atheists that are friends and family are great, decent, warm people. Who gets involved in charities, contribute to society, pay their taxes, start businesses, and are law abiding citizens. So it's quite hurtful to see someone, who apparently don't know any atheists, dragging these human beings in the mud.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Jeunet