New book explores what gives atheists' lives meaning (awesome quotes)

Recently an “educational” pamphlet designed for Christian children made its way around Facebook. It warned God’s little lambs to avoid sour unhappy people called “atheists.” A private school curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education includes cartoons in which the atheist characters are rude, mean and drunk; and bad things happen to them.

Stereotypes like these get echoed sometimes even in Christian books and lectures that are targeted at adults. I once attended a successful megachurch on the Sunday before Easter. The pastor wanted his audience to be clear that the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t merely some spiritual metaphor. “If the resurrection didn’t literally happen,” he shouted, “there is no reason for us to be here! If the resurrection didn’t literally happen—there are parties to be had! There are women to be had! There are guns to shoot! There are people to shoot!”

You caught the subtext? Atheists (and even liberal Christians) have no basis for morality. Nothing—and I mean nothing!—stands between a godless person and debauchery or lechery or even violence.

Population demographics suggest otherwise, of course. Atheism is far more common among elite scientists and some of the most peaceful and equitable societies on earth are also the least religious. But believers persist in fearing that godless people are amoral, that unfettered by religion the world would descend into the anarchy and bloodbath depicted in the Left Behind movies.

In reality, when asked about their moral values or what motivates them in life, atheists use words that sound downright spiritual, very much like the words religious people use in fact, with a few noteworthy differences. To create his book, A better Life, Photographer Chris Johnson asked 100 atheists about what gives their lives joy and meaning.

heavenly father wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

So you don't think Christianity has anything to do with the moral compass of the UK in general then?

it has everything to do with a moral code but only if you believe the bible and live as a Christian, if you pay it lips service, go to church, hatch, match and dispatch i doubt it would effect much..
your country cannot chose for you to be a Christian only each individual can.

Eilzel wrote:

heavenly father wrote:

thailand, with child prostitution, great moral compass, hmm japan ask some ex soldiers about their moral compass, vietnam hmm kids working to death, chinese oh yeah very big on freedom of rights...

Every country has bad things that go on- how about Catholic Venezuela or Christian South Africa- highest genocide and rape crime rates on Earth respectively- only a retard would assume therefore the Christian moral compasses of those countries is the problem.

I lived in Thailand, and have a number of Chinese friends as well as having traveled in China, I know exactly how good the majority of people I met there are. You really need to actually get out in to the real world before passing utterly ignorant comments.

Eilzel wrote:

heavenly father wrote:

it has everything to do with a moral code but only if you believe the bible and live as a Christian, if you pay it lips service, go to church, hatch, match and dispatch i doubt it would effect much..
your country cannot chose for you to be a Christian only each individual can.

I'm talking specifically about a nations moral code in general. Smelly asserted earlier that in spite of atheists not believing in God or religion we still held the values that come from a Christian moral compass due to our cultural history as a Christian country (hope I haven't lost you at this point, 3 sentences and all..) ; if that is the case how does that explain Venezuela???

But since you seem to disagree with smelly's assertion I don't think we need continue with this   

Eilzel wrote:I'll let the blacks post stand; since that says a lot about you really. Regardless of skin colour however they are mostly Christian.

I was born and raised in Britain, England to be specific   

smelly_bandit wrote:

Eilzel wrote:I'll let the blacks post stand; since that says a lot about you really. Regardless of skin colour however they are mostly Christian.

I was born and raised in Britain, England to be specific   

You will let it stand because you cannot deny the fact that the crime rate sky rocketed after apartheid was abolished

And what is the religious heritage that English culture is based upon??

Eilzel wrote:Yep, just like Hitler, Pope Francis, Oliver Cronwell, Diana Spencer and a homicidal Venezuelan- it means nothing