Atheism: Isn’t It Wonderful?

November 19, 2007 By Guest Contributor 114 Comments

Hey… wait a minute…

AtheismIsWonderful

Of course, I know of no atheists who feel this way.

With that out of the way, I’ll just sit here in my smugness and make fun of the grammatical errors.

(via My Confined Space)


[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]

Filed Under: General 114 Comments
  • Siamang

    I think it’s a joke, right?

    Who made that image, and why?

  • http://ozatheist.wordpress.com/ Oz Atheist

    that sounds like a certain poster on my blog, who argued the ‘transcendental argument’ implied the only absolute moral comes from god. Therefore implying all non-religious people have no morals and also no right to discuss the right or wrong of a particular moral stance.

  • http://ozatheist.wordpress.com/ Oz Atheist

    oops re-post

  • Susan B.

    I certainly don’t believe that if I can get away with it, then “it must me okay” (I also don’t believe it must BE okay, but that’s beside the point).

    Where do you FIND this stuff?

  • Richard Wade

    My Confined Space shows several comments about this that are bizarre and idiotic, and several seem completely contrived, probably written by the same person as sock puppets. The post is attributed to someone called Diabetus, and clicking on that leads to a collection of ludicrous anti-feminist articles. Nothing about atheism or anti-atheism.

    Alice in Wonderland on LSD.

    While this image is the extreme charicature of a few misinformed people’s stereotypes, I don’t see the point of posting it here without a context, an author or any apparent purpose.

  • Siamang

    To be fair, richard, Daniel Hoffman basically argues the same thing in this thread:

    My point is that in an atheistic/materialistic system, you have no ground on which to condemn people for things like intolerance, except that you and others have a feeling (based in molecules and energy) of aversion towards it, and have concluded that results follow which you are displeased with. If you want to lablel it as “wrong”, fine, but your “wrong” is not one that someone with 1 life in which to “eat drink, and be merry” should care about. Survival of the fittest, tomorrow we’ll all be dirt again.

    That’s basically the same argument, minus the creative spelling.

  • buttle

    we can do better to refute this. for EVERY bad thing mentioned in that image i can easily think (or a quick search can find out) multiple cases where religious people or, even better, religious authorities judged them ok and GOT away with it BECAUSE of their “religious status”.

    i’ll provide some examples.

    kidnapping:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgardo_Mortara

    drugs:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entheogen

    tax evasion:
    http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/news.php?id_n=3574

    theft:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Marcinkus

    torture:
    http://ncrcafe.org/node/1373

    pedophilia: well… you get the point…

  • http://darwinsdagger.blogspot.com Darwin’s Dagger

    My response to that is this: Darwin’s Dagger: This May Not Be Fair

  • Graeme

    One only has to read the papers to know that such crimes are very common among the religious majority. Sad, but true that their religion doesn’t help them avoid committing such crimes.

    I had a JW call at my door. After a bit of discussion I asked if his god believed in a higher power than itself. No, he said, as his god was “top”. There was nothing above his god, so he was forced to agree that his god didn’t get his morals from a higher authority, and didn’t get them from a book either. So, I said, we call people who don’t believe in a higher authority than themselves, and that don’t get their morals from a book, Atheists. I said if Atheism is good enough for god, then it’s good enough for me. That flummoxed him.

  • http://omega-geek.blogspot.com Spook

    I had a comment for this sign until I read Graeme’s comment.

    I am so using that.

  • Graeme

    Indeed any proposed god lacks a moral authority external to itself, and must, by definition be an Atheist.

    That’s the problem with gods. They’re logical absurdities, and hence, when used, they also lead to more absurdities. They’re the classic example of proof (or disproof) by contradiction.

  • Steve

    I do enjoy the popular argument that the system of moral judgement stems from a God who said “hey, everyone is sinning so much, here’s an easy way for everyone to be forgiven regardless of the sins themselves – ‘fact, it’s going to be such a moral victory that I’m going to kill my own son to do it!”

    Clearly, you can derive a wealth of morality from what seems to effectively be an unconditional forgiveness. I’d be more inclined to believe the religions which suggest actual consequences for amoral actions, but the one above is the big one.

    @Graeme – that was awesome. I need to remember that.

  • Mriana

    That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever read. Guess they haven’t read the Bible. Lot’s daughters got him drunk, had sex with him, and then became pregnant with their father’s babies. They got away with it. Let’s not forget the Israelites how sacked a city and kept the virgins for themselves. They got away with it, because God told them to do it. :roll: So, um… shouldn’t that read “Theism: what they saidin between. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  • Richard Wade

    Siamang,

    To be fair, richard, Daniel Hoffman basically argues the same thing in this thread:

    Yes I know. :roll: and I’ve been ignoring him because his sophomoric arguments have more holes than a window screen and I just don’t have the patience to engage this woefully misinformed uh, person. Fortunately Greta Christina and Gary Charbonneau are doing a masterful job of dismantling his edifice to ignorance.

    As I have said before, when stereotype-laden believers such as he describe all the awful things people would do if they didn’t have the big policeman in the sky threatening them with hell fire, they’re just giving us a candid look at their own lack of character. That’s how they would behave. That’s their immature level of moral development, and they have no idea that others can operate from much higher levels. Never mind that reality does not support their stereotypes of atheists. Reality is not what they rely on for their beliefs anyway. They use warm, cozy feelings. They get a warm, cozy feeling from loving God and they get a warm, cozy feeling from hating atheists. I find their beliefs about atheists far more bizarre than their beliefs about God.

    HOWEVER

    All that said, I am very suspicious of this “anti-atheist” image. I suspect that it was made simply to toss into a crowd of atheists to inflame them just for kicks. The author may not strongly hold those extreme views; he or she may just enjoy creating a fuss, and people here are obliging. Remember when Nixon deliberately flashed the “peace sign” to a crowd of anti-war protesters? (maybe you’re too young) He knew it would be far more infuriating than if he held up just one finger to them. He enjoyed provoking them.

    This image is posted here without context or reference to the author or its purpose. Raging on and on about it may very well be falling into a sucker’s trap.

  • grazatt

    Nixon was a rat wasn’t he!

  • PrimateIR

    THEISM

    Only doing nice things because you believe someone is going to kick your ass.

  • http://20gramsoul.com Richard R

    But weren’t the tax collectors in the bible the “bad guys” – doesn’t that mean tax evasion is sanctioned by the bible? ;)

  • http://www.richarddawkins.net/social/blog/?diana Dena S.

    Why do some people link atheism with misdeeds? Ethics, goodness, joy, truth, etc., are not tied to whether one believes or disbelieves. When I was religious, I felt continually guilty because I couldn’t stop my sinning ways. Prayer did nothing for me. I had no method, no way to ‘think’ about what I professed as my religious beliefs; therefore, I went around in circles, wearing myself out with religious and pseudo-spiritual nonsense.

    Throughout all those pseudo-religious years, my atheism grew. I simply do not believe in a divine nobodaddy. Some think they are moral or ethical simply because they’re religious, NOT SO. I didn’t much think about ethics as a religious person. I didn’t think I had to because I felt that I was ‘saved.’ Religion does not make anyone ethical or good or right, nor does religion justify the destructive things that one does simply because one thinks that he or she has already earned a spot in heaven.

    When I became an atheist, things became much clearer. Atheism freed me to critically think about things like ethics, concepts of truth, evil, the basis of belief, etc. Religion crushed my ability to think, enabled me to live a complete lie. In this sense, atheism proved to be more honest, more truthful than religion.

  • Magnus Pettersson

    One thing which is funny with the whole standard moral argument: “If you do not get your moral principles from god, then you only have man made laws (which for some reason are of lesser worth)” is that the whole thing is based on the assumption that there in fact IS a god.

    If there is no deity, (as I believe) then there is still just man made laws, but instead covered behind a religious cloak. I’m not turning into a deist just because my morals are based on man made laws. (I strongly think our moral principles are derived from evolution anyway).

  • Amit Kumar

    That has to be irony right? No person could be that stupid.

  • Enverescape

    Before reading this, remember I am no trying to force Atheism on to you, just trying to educate people who think this.

    You seem to believe that Atheism is the lack of morality. It is not – it is simply the lack believing in one or more supernatural being. Would it surprise you to know that Lance Armstrong is a Atheist? Would it also surprise you to know that both Osama Bin Laden and Adolf Hitler were killing millions of innocent people in the name of God? Just think about it.

  • http://www.drunkduck.com/cru_the_dwarf Cru

    I’ve got my own caption for that: “Theism: Believing that humanity needs the paranoia of being constantly monitored and judged by an invisible man in the sky to maintain order and peace.”

  • Bob W

    Moral authority is provided by the laws of your country (and hopefully based on democratic principles). Religion is no longer necessary. Step out of the dark ages people.

  • josh h

    be funny is a christian made that image becuse there are several instances in the bible where god ok’s rape, murder, child abuse, slavery, abortion and many other things. jesus himself even ok’s slavery and even says how hard you should beat him/her.

  • http://none hello

    Whoever wrote that is a brainwashed idiot.
    How about this?…
    Christianity:
    Believing that you can do all of the above stated crimes, ask for forgiveness, and get off the hook for all of them.
    Isn’t it wonderful?

  • Deano

    All money made by every religion would easily feed third world countries! It’s a viscous cycle!
    ‘having faith will help you through poverty’
    NO! it’ll cause it! (well not cause it but help it continue)
    keep the idea of religion alive, keep people pouring money into it, in the form of pilgrims, and donations etc, look at how rich the pope is! and other high figures in religion! but apparently there good people! they helping people! AS IF!
    RELIGION IS EVIL!

  • http://athesim.com lol athiest

    hey I’m an atheist, I don’t believe in any of that stuff.. what in the name of jesus???

  • http://car-je-gol.netau.net Ateizam

    Just an add to what @Graeme said above about atheist god. I’d add that god is a scientist too, because he doesn’t have faith. He knows, and he knows because he has an evidence. Faith or believing doesn’t need to turn to be truth, but if you know something, if you have evidence, than it can’t turn out different, but true.

    God is a scientist, not a believer. (-:

  • Devin

    Whoever made this picture obviously dosnt know a thing about atheism. im atheist, and im just as law abiding (possably more- cuz im in the army) as your average christian, jew, muslum, budist, ext…

    if i had to hazzard a guess id say this was the work of a catholic and christian. its simmilar to their tactics- spread lies about your oposition to discredit them.

  • Patrick Nelson

    I’m sure the same moron that created this image uses their religion as a means of escape from their own transgressions; a “get out of jail free” card.

  • Danielle

    wow, it’s hard to believe somebody could be so ignorant… wait, I can believe it.

  • Paul

    I created that image and posted it to 4chan back in November 2007. I made it as I was heading out the door for work and didnt catch the spelling error. It was in response to another guys criticism of religion. It garnered over 500 replies and spread all over the internet like wildfire. The message that I was trying to convey was my feeling that each atheist is subject to invent their own moral compass, which may include breaking existing laws, thinking that if they dont get caught “it must be ok”. Yes, I know, morality is not reserved solely for those that believe in God. But you are more than likely to find moral relativism in an atheist than a half hearted Christian, as each non believer thinks they are capable of DEEMING ANYTHING ACCEPTABLE, playing the role of God themselves.

  • bob

    not all of us feel this way, in fact, most of us dont feel this way, most of us are atheist because we are logical and we only believe in what we can see, hear, or feel (things like light, and gravity)

  • Richard Wade

    Paul, your poster expresses only your own hostility, judgmentality and eagerness to be superior, all based on a complete ignorance of those whom you seek to malign.

    In short, it is the self portrait of a bigot.

    Please consider that such bigotry is not the part of any moral system or structure. You don’t know any of us. That is not what we think, feel or do. Have the courage and compassion to get to know the people you don’t understand, and to stop filling in the huge blanks in your knowledge with products of your own pride, fear and anger.

    You sound like you’re proud, even boasting about how it “garnered over 500 replies and spread all over the internet like wildfire.” How twisted and sad, that you don’t see how shameful your creation actually is.

    Come back with sincere questions instead of self-righteous statements, and we might end up understanding each other.

    Perhaps a unique experience for you, actually understanding another human being.

  • chestbuster

    It’s obviously satire. No religious person could be this stupid.

  • Scott

    It’s funny because that’s what religious people do, except in the name of their god.

  • anthony

    this is unbelievable, just because someone is atheist, not only do they not believe in a god, but they also dont follow any laws, or moral code at all of that matter. this just makes me love ignorant people even more. but the reality of this is that other ignorant people see this and think its reality because “i saw in on the internet!!!”, instead of actually doing some research on the belief, because its just stupid to learn new things, or my favorite, its made by the devil!! once again, i love ignorant people (extreme sarcasim implied)

  • Emma

    this is stupid im a atheist and if everyone in the world was as-well then we all play by the same rules IE if you do it other people will to and if you dont not everyone and if you dont then there would still be laws to punish people:)

  • Dionysiana

    Some want to brand non-believers, atheists and others as hedonists, free-wheeling, evil thinking threats to mankind. Many atheists use their brains when confronted with choices. That’s healthy. That’s not to say that some religions are un-healthy (many atheists were brought up by good religious parents);yet, if one has to be COMMANDED to NOT do something, it’s like being an infant all over again, one doesn’t really have to THINK about it. One DOES something or DOES NOT do something because Daddy said so. Yet, religionists trump that with the concept of free will, which may or may not include being rational (might just mean being too afraid to do some things). Many atheists, I think, are aware that one filters thoughts and desires through rational thinking. So, one does not act on every thought in one’s mind, every impulse popping up in the emotions. How many times have you thought, “I’d like to throttle that a**hole” when cut off in traffic? You don’t act on that thought because of the consequences.

  • robert

    In the past I think that it may have been necessary, as far as a tool of power, to control the masses into behaving according to what a person in power deems “moral”. But in this more modern age I believe that this method has become obsolete; dangerous even. The base human who fails to conduct his own reasoning is an ignorant brute, ready sign up and march off to war to die in the name of his God.

  • Liv

    If the only reason a person doesn’t commit murder is because it is against their religion, then there is something really wrong with that. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what religion a person believes in, a criminal is a criminal. I personally think atheists are more moral than any Christian I know. I think it is morally wrong to condemn others because they are different and yet it continues to happen in churches. Atheists are generally more accepting people; though that is just my personal opinion.

  • http://domenickscomic.com D

    But there is an “Ultimate Moral Authority”. It’s called your brain.

  • trode

    Well, a few hale marry’s and you are done with your sins aren’t you? God always forgives if you ask for it, so what the hell, let’s tear up this place!!! Let’s face it, human beings are tolerant of others because that is what they evolved to be. A co-dependent species that needs the help of others in order to survive (too well IMHO). It is likely wired in our genetic code so that the humans can breed uncontrollably and take over the planet destroying it in gods name.

  • chaz wyman

    The above list of crimes have all been committed by god.
    All you need to do is read the old testament.

    … And Christians have all committed those crimes in His name, in the last 2000 years.
    It’s time to grow up, humanity.

  • Andy

    I’ll first off say that I am a Christain. I will also say that I do not agree with the message in the picture!
    From my point of view, we are all bad, Christians, Jews, Athiests, Muslims etc. Because we are all human! I will point out that Morals do change when becoming a Christian. I have known all sorts of Criminals that have become Christian. They do not commit the same crimes and have gained some morality. Paul used to Persecute Christians until he himself became one.
    Morality I have seen in Athiests, with a poor background and would be though of as the lowest class. Morality issues/debates are even brought up with Class/status.
    Some films that portray morality in rich vs poor are Trading Places, and a British play, Inspector Calls.
    I have witnessed such things myself. I girls who was rich and very immoral and selfish and a poor girl with good morals and not selffish.
    So morality is more a question of Nature Vs Nurture!
    I will say this though, A bad situatiion can either make you or break you, its a personal thing. And the world is full of suffering, but it is also full of overcoming it.
    Peace!

  • johnsonsa

    aawwwww….sounds like someone’s a-scared of the big bad atheists…poor little guy :(

  • FRD

    I usually play as a devils advocate to arguments on topics like this (you should all try it) but after reading “Graemes” recent comment I must say…bravo

  • Tom Volkskrieger

    You do realize that there are a ton of spelling and grammatical errors on there, right?
    And christians want to be taken seriously. Please.

  • plutosdad

    Christians must be shocked when they take a history class and realize non Christians had ethical systems, even ones who were not Jewish. Nor did every society or philosopher use a god to say why we should be good. And yet, they were just as good people as the Jews were or the Christians were later.

    It’s too bad the average person is so ignorant of, well, everything.

  • Jenna

    Yeah, this here is proof that people have to make shit up in order to make fun of atheists. Id’ like to know where in earth is is written that atheism is the practice of committing crimes. I’ll answer: No where. Atheism means you don’t believe in god. You don’t have to be religious to have morals. Don’t believe me? Hitler was catholic.

  • Laura

    They spelt “paedophilia” wrong. And said “me” instead of “be”. They also spelt “unfortunately” wrong and forgot the apostrophe in “don’t”… oh and it’s “there”, not “their”.

    Bloody theists.

  • http://www.myspace.com/meganunwanted Megan

    hahahha this is so ridiculously awesome.

  • Heather

    Haha, wow. This seriously just made my night! It’s funny though, because don’t Christians say that when you die, if you’re sorry about all the bad things you’ve done that God forgives all sins? Even their priests who molest children? Hmm…

  • Hahahaha1mSm@R+3r+4@nU

    13.2% of Americans are non-religious.
    00.2% of inmates__ are non-religious.

    Isn’t that wonderful?

  • WJ

    Since when atheism became synonymous for nihilism? Is this a moral or an epistemological issue? Impressive display of ignorance here.

  • Alexander Nyman

    What idiot have come up with the thought that morals depend on religion? An Atheist does not need a god who say what is wrong and what is right, we can think for ourselves! An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support, nothing more nothing less! To surrender to ignorance and call it god has always been and is still premature!

  • Victor

    actually 75% of US prison inmates are christian…24.08% other…and .02% are actually atheists according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1997…

    So we aren’t as evil as you think, unless you want to point out a stupid variable such as we are smarter than christians so we are able to get away with things more, well then im alright with that statement

  • An Athiest

    Some people are just stupid, they don’t actually know anything about the subject they are talking about. They just listen to their faith saying all nonbelievers are sinners and worthless so they assume their “god” is going to punish them.

  • Oreo

    To all of you who seem to be missing the point:
    Yes, in several instances people in religious positions may get away with things that would be considered sinful. These religious people, because of their belief in a higher authority, understand that as humans we are sinful. Just because they believe in a God doesn’t make them any less of a sinner than an Atheist. The difference is that people with a belief in a deity know that they won’t get away with it once they die. They may have been temporarily let off the hook, but they realize that at death, at whatever heaven they believe in, there will be a final judge: God. Their God, knows of all their sins and will punish them fairly in accordance to the wrongs they committed on Earth.
    The point of this post, is that Atheist feel that if they get away with it while living, there is NO ultimate judge. There is no such thing as punishment besides this on Earth. There is only now, so if no one notices it this time, you’re just set, just fine and dandy. So basically, anyone who does wrong: i.e rape, theft, adultery, murder, etc., has no ultimate punishment. There is no fear of real damnation and suffering because of what said hypothetical person has done.
    I am not saying that Atheist have no morals, but they view their morals, and the lack of or distortion of these morals much, much differently than any religious person.

  • Oreo

    To all of you who seem to have no clue as to the facts of your own religion:

    Firstly, the only true instance that we know of for sure as “sins being committed in the name of the Lord,” are those recorded in the Bible. Unfortunately, just because someone kills his entire family and then says “God told me to” does not mean that it’s true. God almost never condones sinning in His name. Even when Abraham’s wife nearly forced him to commit adultery in order to have a child of her own, God did not say it was okay. Even when, in order to punish Abraham for his sin, God told Abraham to kill his son Isaac, God did not allow Abraham to kill his own son for the sake of the Lord. Besides Sodom and Gomorrah and the great flood, there have hardly been any instances, in the Bible, where God said it was okay.
    Secondly, all humans are sinners. You’ve got it right at that point. But Jesus didn’t die in oder to absolve you of your sins, he died to forgive you of your sins. Those are two completely different words. Just because you ask God for forgiveness, or go to your priest and confess, DOES NOT make your sins just disappear. It simply gives you a grace period. You pay for them once you hit the gates of heaven. Have you never heard of “Judgement Day”? That doesn’t mean the end of the world, that means the day that you stand before God and are judged by him. Also known as “Atonement.” Perhaps one of you should actually read the Bible.

    It’s those of you who give religion an awful name. You have no clue what you are talking about. If you really want to get people to consider what you’re saying maybe you should learn about it, and discuss it. Have a calm and intellectual conversation with a non-believer and just give them the REAL truth of what you know.

    If you thought otherwise in terms of the “forgiveness” bit, you may want to consider thinking about what you believe in and make sure you know what you’re following.

    And I’m not an Atheist, I’m a Messianic Jew majoring in Religious Studies who is tired of everyone getting it wrong. If you don’t know the truth, then your opinion is much more useful to everyone if kept to yourself.

  • R. F. Brown III

    This morality argument against atheism is very poor and transparent to any one with an education. I cant even believe that this was created for any other reason than to laugh at. Atheists are no more apt to commit crime than anyone else. Ethical standards come from a solidarity with our fellow humans. Not for fear of unending retaliation by a narcissistic dictator.

    Religion is THE great evil. It allows for interpretations which are either not as they were intended or are in themselves immoral. A number of Christian sects allow for a simple confession of ones misdeeds and then get absolution. Muslims have too many immoral teachings for me to write here. Christianity is also ridiculous in various ways depending on the sect. Pedophilia is inadvertently encouraged through tradition, rape is not forbidden nor is slavery. The major religions are plagiarisms of Judaism (which coincidentally all these other thieves of doctrine just happen to despise) which itself was invented by man at a time when the wheelbarrow was emerging technology to explain what we could not grasp and to keep order when solidarity was not enough.

    With a mandate from god all is permissible. Ever hear of the crusades? The witch burning? Remember 9/11? Now you can say certain evil figures were atheists but i contend (its obvious) that these people were not evil BECAUSE they were atheists. These religious mandates with full force of “god” are infallible to any rational argument. This makes religion more dangerous then the bomb. It can be justified simply..”god said it was fine”.. It also tries to dumb down science, after all we don’t need to know the truth. Just accept that god did it and thats how it is…Just accept it my little sheep…and send me money for god, he will bless you…and your little boys to pleasure my priests.

    ps. i Always wanted to know why i wasn’t born circumcised, god should have made my penis perfect and not needing mutilation (he coulda made it bigger to..what a jerk).

  • L.M.

    What idiot came up with this? Atheist do not believe in God. That does not mean we are bad people or believe it’s OK to do rotten things. The joke is on you because I know more horrible Christians than I do Atheist! I was molested by a Minister when I was a child! I was abused by so called God Fearing individuals when I grew up as well. And to top it all off I personally know Christians with more than enough wealth to spread but they won’t even help someone in need whom they so called love. I’d rather be a good hearted Atheist any day than a sorry, rotten, judgemental Christian!

  • Tim

    I think whoever made this misunderstands Athiests are intelligent people Vastley to inteligent to go around being bad. the point is if thiests don’t do bad things becasue thay think they will be punished they are doing it for the wrong reasons. athiests THINK about peoples feelings and thats what stops us doing such horrible things.

  • Dena

    I’m surprised that people are still responding to this. Maybe, I shouldn’t be. What I’m not surprised by is how religious people (Christians included) can ignore these comments, which are echoed by more and more people. Obvioiusly, religion is problematic. The door is wedged open just a little more for secularism. Good.

  • Aruba

    But, we can do all those bad things anyway, that’s why “God” invented born again christians…..

  • david

    So, what have we learnt today?

    Atheists are kind and moral to be kind and moral, not to get into heaven or avoid hell. Religious people who argue the above are immoral and would never get into heaven if it existed

  • Lee

    Hmm, Oreo, may I direct you to this Biblical quote:

    “Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them… And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing right in mine eyes, hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the 4th generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” – 2 Kings 10:19-30

    Or this:

    “You shall annihilate them – Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites – as Yahweh your God commanded you.” – Deuteronomy 20:11-18

    Maybe this:

    “Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.

    The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there. They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.” – 2 Chronicles 14

    And there is more:

    “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.” – Exodus 15:3

    But even in the New Testament all this was considered perfectly acceptable:

    “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48

    Gee, this God of the Bible sounds like a really loving and caring guy with whom to spend eternity. As an atheist, and therefore not bound by belief to think the Bible is the word of God and that I’ll go to hell if I don’t think it is (which I don’t), it is clear to me that Yahweh is a murderous, vicious deity in the Old Testament, and then that is okayed in the New Testament.

  • M

    Disclaimer: I am NOT a FRIENDLY Atheist, I am filled with hate (don’t think negative) for and cannot stand religion or belief in god at all. I write almost anyone off as a person due to belief in god. Quality of friends > Quantity!!!!!!

    Stumbled upon this, just dropin by to say how much I hate religion and all it’s hypocracy. Man I just hate religion so f***ing much. Nice to see some other atheists who agree with me, even if you don’t have as much hate as I posses. Anyway, I think that poster is about nihilism, not athiesm, however, I identify with both, just not extreme nihilism (although some would say there is ONLY extreme nihilism haha). I believe in more than “nothing”. anyway, just showin support for my fellow atheists. Keep on keepin on. Much respect to all you, and much hatred to anyone who believes in god, as it is simply a mental defect, and grounds for beheading.

  • http://www.youtube.com/scootcha Marc

    So according to this, the only reason Christians do these things is to help THEMSELVES get into heaven, they don’t give a shit if they ruin other lives.

    Atheists wouldn’t do this because we believe we have only one (conscious) life. So we make it count, by living our life to its fullest. We don’t do these things because we know it’ll ruin other people’s lives.

  • Jebus

    Is this really how the religious belive Atheists think??
    Clearly they have never met an Atheist.

    *Note: Wouldnt the statement also apply to Christians, as they can just do what they want then Pray for forgivness….

  • Steve Faulkner

    Regarding theistic belief; the burden of proof lies on those who are making a claim. For example, if I claimed the existence of Eebee Geebees, would the burden of proof lie on me to prove my claim, or on you to prove that indeed Eebee Geebees do not in fact exist? The burden of proof is clearly the domain of the claimant. Of course, those with unwavering belief in the existence of Eebee Geebees will claim that Eebee Geebee’s existence cannot be disproven. Indeed it is quite difficult to prove the non existence of something that does not exist, but, the burden of proof rests upon the shoulders of those who claim the existence of Eebee Geebees. If a trial regarding the existence of Eebee Geebees were held in a court of law, would ‘faith’ in the existence of Eebee Geebees translate into proof of their existence? If you were on the jury, would you rule in favor of the existence of Eebee Geebees based simply on empty proclamations of faith, or would you determine that their existence was not ‘proven’ beyond a reasonable doubt?

  • Kira

    lmao… just because we don’t believe in an invisible man automatically makes us monsters.
    No morals for us, because that only comes with religion! you know, the thing that has started most wars and bombings throughout history? yeah? that thing…

  • Dave Goldman

    A world without God…

    …now that really would be heaven on Earth!

  • Very Proud Atheist

    So basically the picture is calling us demons, the scum of the earth, the author is calling us all the evils of pandoras box while religion remains the hope. In my view, I tolerate everyones view, unless it harms me or others physically and mentally (well if it harms me it will just be physically).

  • Haliee Kennedy

    This is utter nonsense! First, learn to spell if you plan on insulting someone through written word. Secondly, are you Christian? How “Christ-like” is it of you to insult or persecute those that believe differently. Isn’t it supposed to be your job to “redeem” lost souls and love everyone as Christ would? All I see is hate, not love, and no attempt to do “what Jesus would do”. Keep up the good work; you make it so easy for Atheists to defend themselves against your persecution. And I strongly disagree with your implications, that Atheists have no morals. Just because I stop believe in God doesn’t mean I’m going to go out the next day and molest children, rob banks, or stab puppies. Utter nonsense.

  • Jim Geren

    What an utter load of crap. Religion is not necessary to live a moral life. If anything, and as evidenced by the countless atrocities that have been committed in the name and defense of religion by the so called “faithful”, it impedes it. Religion is an affront to the very definition of civilization as it prevents civility by promoting intolerance, suspicion, persecution, cruelty, and violence against those whose beliefs are different from its own. Religion is amoral and immoral.

  • dont want to leave my name

    i prefer not to do something that is wrong because i believe it is wrong rather than not do it because of some fear of burning in what religion calls hell. atheism, rather than allowing peolple to do what they want, allows us human beings to be better and to be good because we want to and we should!

  • Britta

    I think it’s simple. If you don’t believe in a higher power that means you have no morals. Guilt? It’s something you don’t experience, meaning that you have to find for yourself what is right and what is wrong. Obviously only people stupid enough to believe there is some big old white guy in the sky watching our struggles all day long–and if you don’t believe in a fiery pit of agony as a punishment for being a bad person in your life than you have no morals.
    Excuse me for dumbing down my post so the person who created this sight in the first place can understand.

  • http://www.mypaac.org Brian

    To refute this is actually very simple, just defeat the notion that moral come from either god or the bible by presenting them with;

    The God Morality Dilemma!

    1. Does your morality come from God or the bible? Also you may asking where does their their morality come from but be prepared for a long, long answer that ends up as god or bible
    Either answer works

    1a. Do you believe in the 10 commandments?
    This answer only shows if they rationally know that the new testament is part of the old testament

    2. Can God Change his mind or rules for us to follow at any time, either now or in the future?
    The only answer to this can be yes!

    3. Do you believe your Gods word absolute?
    The only answer they can give if they believe is “Yes”

    4. Hypothetically if god ordered you to kill your own child, would you?

  • JAKA

    who wrote that crap?I’d rather ask Austine Cline than asking you. it’s not being atheist.

  • http://www.kvarnerinfo.net nicsoew@hotmail.com

    God doesnt exist!!!!!!

    True humans dont need “ultimate moral authority”.

    True humans have strong morality built within them.

    In percentage religius people are doing far more crimes than atheists!!!!

  • Paul Ester

    Wow. That is the faultiest logic that I have read in quite a long time. So the writer is saying that the only thing holding them back from committing rape, murder, etc., is the existence of an ultimate moral authority? Interesting. And sad.

  • An Intelligent christian

    I believe that you do not have to be religious to have morals but it helps. Religion gives you a set of moral guidelines, and if you are a good person you would follow similar morals anyway. This is what makes me angry about some atheists not all, Are we not supposed to be accepting of all peoples. I am i dont care if your a homosexual different race religion if your a good person ill be kind to you. I see so much bashing of people with religious beliefs. Just because someone believes in something greater than themselves, doesnt make them ignorant. I believe the total lack of belief is more arrogance than anything. I believe in evolution and the bigbang but those two theory’s show nothing to prove there is no god. What was there before the big bang, just a tiny singularity what caused it to expand and what created the singularity, what i am just saying is human knowledge is so limited you cannot rule anything out.

  • Leah

    This is ridiculous. Obviously, I don’t need to point out the absurdity of it to this site, but I feel I should say it.
    Atheists don’t need an “ultimate moral authority.” We rely on our own value system. When we do something wrong, WE are accountable. When we are good, it’s because we feel it’s right, not to seek a personal goal of salvation.

  • Noigel

    Atheists are pretty weak.

    Challenge: Show me positive proof that the ‘good’ which a human system of morality is based upon exists.

    You cannot. A system of morality based on a human construct is not positive, it has no fundamental basis. In scientific/rational terms, you’re believing something you yourselves are making up, and this is no different than belief in the human creation that is religion.

    Don’t fool yourselves by thinking you have a system of morality that is impenetrable, because it’s not built on a rational foundation. It is simply built upon your feelings.

  • tim gallien

    Morality was here before religion.
    For those that need religion for morality, please stay religious.
    Religion is pure evil.

  • Garbo

    I have a question for the Christians who think and believe that, as an atheist, I have no ethics or consideration for other humans, for their freedoms, dignity and wellbeing : Is it acceptable to eat a baby on Friday or should I stick with the fish ? I’ll probably continue to kidnap small children and drink their blood because, as I do not believe in the moral authority of a God, this is perfectly OK because I am not capable of having any morals, or have I got this wrong ?!?!

  • alexh

    In the amazing words of fellow atheist Ricky Gervais ” Thankyou God for making me atheist”

    We beleive in being responsible for ones own actions, carrying your own ideals which in my mind makes you unique (human) We dont need to go to meetings to remind ourselves of how to live our lives, we dont need a book to tell us how to live our lives, we would all be a shitload better off if there was no religion, no persecution of races, sexuality, cultures etc.

  • Enrique

    well…thats the truth…not wonderful but thats it…better live in the truth and create the justice system and government we have today than live in lies and create a government based on anything other than truth…

  • http://thehappyatheist22.blogspot.com/ Happy Atheist

    This argument is moot. Many people who claim to be Christian don’t even follow the morals of the bible. Leviticus 11:9-12 states that we should not eat shellfish because it is an abomination. Leviticus 20 also has passages that children who disrespect their parents and talk back should be put to death and that adultery is a sin. Why are homosexuals singled out as a group to oppress? If we followed the bible, we should be stringing up the children and the adulterers too. And how about people who get tattoos. I see a lot of people who get tattoos of Jesus, hands in prayer, or crosses, yet the bible states not to put tattoos on your body. Or even clothes of two different materials. Ah, but none of this “morality” matters because Christians can be even more immoral than an atheist and all he or she needs to do to be saved is accept Jesus as their savior. So from my point of view, Christians are even more immoral than an atheist could ever be.

    The best reason to be “moral” is to make everyone’s life as wonderful as possible. I have two small children, my son is three and my daughter is one. I want to spend as much time with them as possible and give them the best life possible. I can not do this by rotting in jail. The way I view it is that we only have this life to live. Christians believe in the reset button which to me scares me to death. It doesn’t matter who you kill or what you do as long as you believe in Jesus, you will get into heaven. Christian morality is an oxymoron.

  • http://na darwinist220

    Happened upon this in a Google search. My favorite part of this absolute nonsense is the use of the word “their” when he meant “there”.

    What a completely blithering idiot. Let’s see how far his reliance on God to punish criminals gets him. Why even have prisons, police officers, alarms, locks, etc., if all you need is faith to punish wrongdoers? That is exactly what he is saying.

  • http://www.cyberworld.ro X5ite

    who made this is a total idiot

  • Ben

    There is no absolute morality inside of atheism. This is one of athesim’s problems.

    I think this post is extreme but the intellectual question begs answering. Who decides? This is an interesting article about that.

    http://dsoat.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/who-says-so-a-difficult-question-for-the-atheist/

  • Phillip

    Athiests believe non of this. we draw the line at anything above physical pain, which is only acceptable under rare circumstances. we have morals because we respect other people, so dont be hating on us because we dont need some invisible flying clown uo in the sky to tell us what to do. we are free and we respect others freedom, we dont abolish it.

  • the answer

    the truth is without god a true definition of good or bad could never be found, if all people are equal who is to say whats bad or good. there can only be a social contract of what defines whats good or bad based on the majority’s view and even then that’s not what it means to be right or wrong . in a world of pure science the reason for any action would always be selfish one therefore true love can never existed as it is selfless and irrational as there’s no personal benefit or gain for your sacrifice.

  • Kaleigh

    “God’s an atheist, so I am too.” Ha ha…I love how people think that’s a smart thing to say. Here are my problems with that logic~ First off, whaaaaaa? Second, I’m pretty sure if God exists, he believes in himself. Not to mention! Why would an atheist use God as an excuse to not believe in him? I mean, go ahead if you want. It just seems silly.

  • http://www.kvarnerinfo.net Lino

    Normal people have great sense of right and wrong, they have conscience and that is our greatest moral authority.

    Most people are believers and I dont see how “god as great mora authority” stops them from starting wars, rape children, kill……so yeah this question is very stupid cos at the end you are what you are.

    If you are normal person you wont rape, kill….bla bla….

  • http://www.jeffharpermusic.com jeff

    Morals don’t have to be tied to a religion. I choose to be a good person because I know it’s the right thing to do, because society, not religion, has shown that to me, plus having parents show what’s good and bad, etc.

  • http://friendlyatheist.com/2007/11/19/atheism-isnt-it-wonderful/ brandon heberling

    if you look into it you’ll see that countries with a higher amount of atheist also have the lowest crime rates. explain that

  • Emily

    I think that’s just bullshit. Considering some of the most famous killers claimed religion. Don’t quote me on this one but I believe Dahmer was a Christian, Hitler was catholic. Oh wait, that means they weren’t REALLY christians, right? Christians decide who’s really a person of god and who’s not. They follow a zombie,that sits there like an evil kid with a magnifying glass while people are dying. They read and quote from a book that has rape, murder, prostitution, revenge, hate, advocating suicide, alcohol and drug use*among other things*..and We’re the loons that need god in our life?? :/

  • John

    Here in Greece we have a huge national debt and the Church refuses to be taxed

  • Colin

    I think whoever posted this got Atheism confused with Satanism.

  • Nick

    No point getting angry at the ridiculousness of this statement. But whoever wrote should read Sam Harris’s ‘The Moral Landscape’ then come back to what they wrote and see if they still feel the same way.

  • Wyatt

    “Then THEIR is truly no justice.”
    That makes the writer look bigoted, a “Rush is Right” person, and also uneducated.

  • LOL

    Actually, everything in that picture is exactly what religious bigots do. They try to justify their inhumanity with their invalid opinions. No matter how horrid the situation, they mainly manage to get away with it because the stupidity is very widely accepted. In basic, if I can ask “god” for forgiveness, it must be okay. Welcome to society, my friends.

  • brooke

    Well if your gonna broadly state it like that how do you like:

    Christians

    People who waste there lives thinking their on a thin line. And they don’t have consciences because they can say sorry to there god and everything will be okay. But if you don’t make every choice based on “him” your gonna suffer more than you will ever imagine in a scary place called hell and live like that for eternity. Pshh, why would you want that? Just pay these people to read a page from a book so you can be a good person no matter what! Paradise, love, and forever happiness. Be a christian.

    Someone could use the same words and praise drugs and rape with that. “He” will love you if you do this every Sunday.

    Atheist are just not dependent people. We can be proud of our doings with on our own. We don’t need to be told to do it. We just do it.

  • abbey

    im not here to fight i would just like to show some of you people that think atheists have no morals and therefor do things that brake the laws. Well truth is…

    85% of prisoners in the u.s. are Christian

    0.21% of prisoners are atheists

    it seems more like Christians feel like they can “get away with it” because then they can just apologize to God and i guess everything is ok

  • Alex

    that picture is bull!!! I am atheist.. and i am a honor roll student, perfect record, head cheerleader, never drank, never smoked, never commided a crime. i’ve never said my religion to anyone, because EVERYONE at my school is cristian, or something. and they will judge me, and say im a bad person, because of stupid people that put this crap on the intertnet.. think about what it might do to others lives.

  • Anthony Edwards

    There IS morality for Athiests. However, morality is much more personal for us. We believe our own shame is more agonizing than any Hell you could concieve. Personal responsibility is the code of the Athiest.

    Believe me, it would be a whole lot easier if we went by our own religious rules and killed those who upset us.

    Then we could go to confession, unload our sins, and do it again tomorrow.

    Is this halted by religious rules? No. Because mortals have a code of law refined by a Babylonian before Christianity was even an inkling in a con-man’s mind.

    This code of law assures punishment during life. You christians claim ‘sanctity of life’ but to whom is life more sacred?

    You who believes in an Afterlife or those of us who see life as our one chance?

    Is there anything more hypocritical?

    So you live your lives without responsibility (Jesus took the burden for you) and then you get to die and cease to exsist without punishment beyond

    Athiests suffer the consiquences of life. We don’t shove the burden of our sin on someone else.

    WE are responsible for our actions. Get it right.

  • An Opinionated Agnostic

    It seems to me that the overall response to this moronic post comes from offended Christians for having this particular ignorant Christian mar their reputation and make them all look like douches, and indignant Atheists for being the subject of this idiocy. But the fact is, we are all stubborn hypocrites. It’s simply the way things are. We are never going to reach any sort of agreement, so let’s drag out that annoying little saying and agree to disagree. Now I am not an atheist. I am an agnostic. Yes, there is a difference. I believe in SOME form of higher power, I just don’t believe this “God” was just THERE and created all this. But I also don’t believe we sprang from nothing. But the fact is, Atheists are not all immoral people with no values, and Christians are not all intolerant ignoramuses. Unfortunately, some people are exactly like the stereotypes everyone hears. But that doesn’t mean you should judge ALL people that way. Atheists: If you don’t believe the same thing Christians do, does that mean you have to be enemies? Let them believe what they want. They can’t change your opinion, don’t try and change theirs. Christians: Aren’t you supposed to be loving and accepting of all? Would God approve of YOU deciding who is and isn’t a good person? If you’re right about there being a God, let him handle it.

    LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIVES.

  • http:hamishjoy.com hammy

    They don’t have the brains to realize it, but they’re actually insulting the good religious people around the world. They are saying that they are good/ moral only by fear of retribution from the invisible space-daddy.

    Morals are not tied in with God. You find morality even amongst the animal kingdom. It doesn’t take God to instill morality. It DOES take God to pervert it for some, though…

    “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. ”

    Try the Christopher Hitchens challenge –

    Try to think of a good act performed by a person in the name of God or religion that would not have been performed by a non-believer.

    Now, try to think of an evil act carried out by a person (or group) solely in the name of God or religion that would not have been carried out by a non-believer.

  • Alex

    You think you’re very clever don’t you?
    Stop and consider this , only 3% of the jail population is atheist. Care to explain ?

  • Christine

    I believe that is unfair to say that “atheist” have no moral values. I am atheist, and I have a fantastic family with great morals and values. We are open-minded and look at the world in, (what I call) a REALISTIC POINT OF VIEW.