Does atheism discourage values?

[muileag]

I don't see how morals/values are exclusive to religion. Atheists do not believe in a eternal god or eternal soul (I believe, I'm not an atheist so I don't know exactly) but why would that preclude their desire to treat others with respect?

[psychoslice]

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."

- Albert #Einstein

Originally Posted by psychoslice

I don't think so, atheist are just normal people, they simply don't believe in a god, why do you need a god to do the right thing, are you that weak ?.

Atheists are people with no values. Atheists don't value themselves, they don't value each other.

When you beleive in God, you have reverence for the Creator, you value yourself and you respect others.

[muileag]

Originally Posted by Mazulu

Atheists are people with no values. Atheists don't value themselves, they don't value each other.

When you beleive in God, you have reverence for the Creator, you value yourself and you respect others.

Where did you come up with this idea?

Originally Posted by psychoslice

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."

- Albert #Einstein

Excellent!

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by Mazulu

Atheists are people with no values. Atheists don't value themselves, they don't value each other.

When you beleive in God, you have reverence for the Creator, you value yourself and you respect others.

No you don't, the only thing you value is your belief, and what your beliefs tell you, that is why you are called sheep.

Originally Posted by Mazulu

Atheists are people with no values. Atheists don't value themselves, they don't value each other.

When you beleive in God, you have reverence for the Creator, you value yourself and you respect others.

Honestly, you're totally making things up.

Atheism is simply the absence of belief in a god. It has nothing to do with morality per se.

Yes, when you believe in God, you can respect others, and execute blasphemers. Being theistic has no implication of morality anymore than atheism does of immorality. Sure, a theist might say they behave good because a god wants them to, but simply believing in a God has no inherent bearing upon one's ethical conduct. Just look at how many criminals are "religious" in some way.

Funnily enough, in the USA, almost none of the inmates in the prison system are atheists. Which shows your strange conclusions to be polemical fabrications based off a faulty premise of "no belief in God = hedonistic orgy of crime and selfishness".

[psychoslice]

If all atheists left the USA, it would lose 93% of the National Academy of science but less than 1% of the prison population. Scott Hurst

Originally Posted by psychoslice

Religion hasn't really given us anything worth while, if one needs religion to be a good person, that to me is so sad. Do we need a silly set of rules shoved down our necks to keep us in check, of course not, atheist are mostly good people who don't need a God breathing down their necks, where as if you take away religion everyone would fall apart, how sad.

Apparently we do even in this day & age b/c people like guidelines, direction, definitions & to believe in something greater than themself (helps keep the shrew=ego tame)...
I spent many years as a probation officer explaining morals, ethics & all that is good to my probationers & ex-convicts to no avail ...
Probationers & ex-convicts are part of the real world that should never be forgotten ...
They thought they were merely suggestions & preferred to "not get caught", then I explained &/or enforced the law ...
There are people who do not understand the concept of good ... they live to survive regardless of the means they resort to ...
It is sad, but they are part of the reality of the world we live in that provides balance ...
Religion is highly instrumental in changing these people ...
They have a need that they cannot provide for themself on their own ...
A belief system in something more powerful & loving ...
Fear of punishment for a reward is not what motivates these people; they seek forgiveness, to have their pain taken away, to live & love in peace & happiness ...
To be able to freely believe in God/religion/Higher Power/Angels, etc is individual freedom ...

Animus27 provided an excellent unbiased answer ...

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by livingkarma

Apparently we do even in this day & age b/c people like guidelines, direction, definitions & to believe in something greater than themself (helps keep the shrew=ego tame)...
I spent many years as a probation officer explaining morals, ethics & all that is good to my probationers & ex-convicts to no avail ...
Probationers & ex-convicts are part of the real world that should never be forgotten ...
They thought they were merely suggestions & preferred to "not get caught", then I explained &/or enforced the law ...
There are people who do not understand the concept of good ... they live to survive regardless of the means they resort to ...
It is sad, but they are part of the reality of the world we live in that provides balance ...
Religion is highly instrumental in changing these people ...
They have a need that they cannot provide for themself on their own ...
A belief system in something more powerful & loving ...
Fear of punishment for a reward is not what motivates these people; they seek forgiveness, to have their pain taken away, to live & love in peace & happiness ...
To be able to freely believe in God/religion/Higher Power/Angels, etc is individual freedom ...

Animus27 provided an excellent unbiased answer ...

But this is my point, atheist are no different, there are good and bad in all, but when one side tries to belittle the other then I will voice my opinion, religion is in no place to belittle the other, just take a look at their history, If it wasn't for those who question religion we would be still in the dark age's, why cannot religion see that ?. Keep religion to yourself, keep it out of politics and schools, as also with atheists, but then atheism isn't a belief system.

Originally Posted by livingkarma

Apparently we do even in this day & age b/c people like guidelines, direction, definitions & to believe in something greater than themself (helps keep the shrew=ego tame)...
I spent many years as a probation officer explaining morals, ethics & all that is good to my probationers & ex-convicts to no avail ...
Probationers & ex-convicts are part of the real world that should never be forgotten ...
They thought they were merely suggestions & preferred to "not get caught", then I explained &/or enforced the law ...
There are people who do not understand the concept of good ... they live to survive regardless of the means they resort to ...
It is sad, but they are part of the reality of the world we live in that provides balance ...
Religion is highly instrumental in changing these people ...
They have a need that they cannot provide for themself on their own ...
A belief system in something more powerful & loving ...
Fear of punishment for a reward is not what motivates these people; they seek forgiveness, to have their pain taken away, to live & love in peace & happiness ...
To be able to freely believe in God/religion/Higher Power/Angels, etc is individual freedom ...

Animus27 provided an excellent unbiased answer ...

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