Who is a better person? The one who is kind and generous and honest because they choose to be, or the one who is kind and generous and honest because they think someone is watching them 24/7?

Even as a young kid, I found it absurd that people think atheists have no morals. You don't need some magical dude in the sky to tell you that causing harm to someone else is wrong.

How many times have people used their religion, (no matter what that religion may be) to do or allow the most heinous acts, because "God commanded it" or because "it was God's will"?

of course we have a moral compass, could have told that before 🙃

It is actually far more likely for someone who is a zealous follower of a religion to have a broken moral compass than an atheist. Why? Because the hallmark quality of zealotry is using beliefs to justify actions. Beliefs are easily twisted to justify all sorts of awful things (hence why there are any Christians who can be 100% behind murder despite ostensibly knowing that "thou shall not kill" is one of their primary tenets).

Lol, what? Those of us who live outside the influence of bronze-age superstitions have always known this. If the only reason you wouldn't r*pe, kill, or pillage is because you think an invisible man in the sky is watching you, then YTA. It always amazes me how some Christians (particularly the US Evangelical movement) seem to ignore the fact that Jesus was a brown-skinned, long-haired, middle-eastern, liberal hippy in a dress who fought for the poor, the marginalised, the downtrodden, and the most vulnerable. He was a rebel, an agitator, and fought against the system to spread a simple message: treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself. He was about as far removed from the false prophets of modern 'Conservative Values' as it's possible to be. whywontgodhealamputees[dot]com.

Atheism merely implies the absence of religious belief... I love this view on the matter for being so wrong. Like one of my favourite comedians once explained: For people who believe it is very hard to imagine that there is no other thing an atheist believes in, in place of god. But in reality, that place in an atheist mind, where a theists god would reside is not empty, it does not even exist and therefore does not need to be filled at all.

It's so simple, stop teaching mythology to children as if it was true. I don't like people stealing, hurting, raping, killing me so I don't do it to other people. It's not hard.

Religion compromises morality. Not only does it rely on carrot/stick authoritarian methods, which isn't morality but dictation, but they are forbidden to question this authority figure under any circumstances. Harmless variation is vilified as deserving up to and including a fate worse than death, while heinous atrocities by the religion are excused away with olympic-level mental gymnastics.

I would argue that atheists have an even bigger moral compass, because they're not being threatened with hell if they're not good.

I'm shocked at the sheer nastiness in the bible. Rape, abandonment of women and children, incest, murder of "others" , slavery, rigid obedience even to the point of murdering children, god sanctioned war and slaughter. Endless shows on CI where someone committed murder so the church colleagues wouldn't find out about adultery or kinky sex. Twisted IMO. And a god that insists on rigid rules and supposedly endless horrific punishments for a once off minor sin? No thanks.

if you need a threath of eternal hell and damnation to be a good person, then you are just a bed person on a leash. so, the religion is tehre realy to control people.

As an Apatheist, I firmly believe that the religions can't all be right, so why believe any of them? Be nice and respectful to people, and don't try to force your opinions on others - and don't get angry if they don't agree with you. Just because you're offended, it doesn't mean you're right.

For everyone who's looking for a light religous text for traveling, take piece of paper and write the following text on it: "Don't be an A**hole" .... fits for evey (non)-religion there is

Now do the study on whether religious people really are actually moral!

Ironically enough, i have found some of the most amoral people are "religious". Personally, I think this stems from being able to be "forgiven" for revealing your "sins"...whether it's to a chaplain, minister or "God" themselves. When you have a "get out of jail free" card whenever you like, you tend to use it as a crutch. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it wasn't ever not needed, but the world and society has changed enough, that it's archaic. For example, eating pork was dangerous, because of the way pigs live (think wild boar). Now it's just as domesticated (and clean) as other sources of meat. Religion are rules to live by, for generations centuries past, that didn't know what we know today. We don't stone people anymore (at least in the west), yet that was once an acceptable punishment. Before anyone gets their panties twisted, this is my personal opinion...which I am entitled to, so drop your stone.

IN THE USA: Additionally, a 2020 Gallup poll showed that only 60 percent of respondents would vote for an atheist presidential candidate, whereas 95 percent would vote for a Catholic candidate, 93 percent would vote for a Jewish candidate, and 80 percent would vote for an evangelical Christian.