In Defense of Atheism

Before I begin, let me clarify, I am not an atheist. However, I have seen people demonizing atheists, claiming that they are immoral sinners sent from Satan for not believing in God. Even George Bush the First (but not the Worst) said he didn't consider atheists to be citizens of the United States (RIP establishment clause).

No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God. G H W Bush

And yet, I can't help thinking . . . pedophile priests, islamic terrorists, the Crusades for freak sake. How are religious people morally better simply because they believe in a god? Humans are humans are humans. I'm not trying to say religious people are immoral, nor am I suggesting that religion is not a source morality. What I am saying, is it is not the only source of morality.

I've met several atheists. None of them were immoral people. They were decent human beings who were moral because they knew it was the right thing to do. Even more so, they weren't driven to be moral by the fear of Hell, but simply by knowing the difference between right and wrong. God can teach morality but please, don't claim that he's the only source of it.

Morality is defined by society and further refined by experience. I know what is wrong because I was taught it was wrong. And when I committed a wrong act, I found out first hand why it was wrong.

And one last point. A rhetorical question. Why are fanatical Christians so judgmental of other people? Especially atheists.

The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.

J Kuhl Signing Off