Dark side of athiest culture

[Brickjectivity]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion. Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching. Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years. As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

 

[Secret Chief]

OK this may just be my impending senility, but is this serious?

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion.

So you've never studied law, moral philosophy, secular morality or humanism, then?

Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching.

Your personal confirmation bias doesn't mean anything. If you honestly want to assert that atheists are less moral than theists, please support this position with hard facts. It shouldn't be too difficult. Just look at crime and prison statistics of less religious countries compared with more religious countries and get back to us.

Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years.

And yet religious people still can and do horrible things on a global scale.

As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

Their ignorance and inability to think for themselves is in no way a reflection upon the rest of the atheist population of Earth, who are doing just fine in spite of them.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

OMG! There is an atheistic culture? Why has no one told me till now.

 

[Brickjectivity]

OK this may just be my impending senility, but is this serious?

Its true. Its a serious comment.

 

[Secret Chief]

OMG! There is an atheistic culture? Why has no one told me till now.

We meet on Friday nights to go a-looting and a-pillaging.

Wear smart casual.

 

[Secret Chief]

Its true. Its a serious comment.

OK Brick. I've had a long day...

 

[Brickjectivity]

OMG! There is an atheistic culture? Why has no one told me till now.

Unless you consider religions to be atheist cultures or the result of atheist decisions, but no I think atheist don't have a well defined culture at least not right now.

 

[outhouse]

I don't believe a word you say.

I think your making it all up.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion. Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching. Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years. As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

Perhaps you have not heard, but hell is full of christians.

Rumor has it that god had to write down rules because HIS PEOPLE were savage. The pope has been known to make up endless rules HIS PEOPLE can't act right without guidance. I've even heard that god had to send his own son to earth to tell HIS PEOPLE to stop cheating, lying, stealing, and exploiting the poor.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

We meet on Friday nights to go a-looting and a-pillaging.

Wear smart casual.

I'll there with my Metallica shirt and a battle-ax.:run:

 

[Brickjectivity]

So you've never studied law, moral philosophy, secular morality or humanism, then?


Your personal confirmation bias doesn't mean anything. If you honestly want to assert that atheists are less moral than theists, please support this position with hard facts. It shouldn't be too difficult. Just look at crime and prison statistics of less religious countries compared with more religious countries and get back to us.


And yet religious people still can and do horrible things on a global scale.


Their ignorance and inability to think for themselves is in no way a reflection upon the rest of the atheist population of Earth, who are doing just fine in spite of them.

Very thoughtful comments. I have studied only some ethics and a fine touch of Philosophy but never learned any of it until college. My personal bias is significant, and I have a low expectation of atheism. I've given the reasons why, and I haven't asserted that atheism was itself less moral but that it has a dark side, which is the lack of a religion. That being said I admit religion is not all good. I'm not here to trounce atheism.

Their ignorance and inability to think for themselves is in no way a reflection upon the rest of the atheist population of Earth, who are doing just fine in spite of them.

The Christians have a lot going for them as do the Muslims. The Jews are very impressive overall. The different kinds of Hindus seem amazing, not that I understand them. (I truly don't.) I don't think that ignorance is necessarily a 'Given' with religion, but ignorance is a given if young people aren't taught something about morality and if they don't act on it. Young believers act morally. That being said I also don't like it when they don't have the ability to think for themselves. I'm not saying there isn't a problem with that. There is an apparent problem with that.

 

[Brickjectivity]

We meet on Friday nights to go a-looting and a-pillaging.

Wear smart casual.

Don't forget back stabbing.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I don't believe a word you say.

I think your making it all up.

Good. I'm glad to hear that your experience has been different.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Perhaps you have not heard, but hell is full of christians.

Rumor has it that god had to write down rules because HIS PEOPLE were savage. The pope has been known to make up endless rules HIS PEOPLE can't act right without guidance. I've even heard that god had to send his own son to earth to tell HIS PEOPLE to stop cheating, lying, stealing, and exploiting the poor.

Yes, true.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Very thoughtful comments. I have studied only some ethics and a fine touch of Philosophy but never learned any of it until college. My personal bias is significant, and I have a low expectation of atheism.

Well, at least you're honest about it.

I've given the reasons why, and I haven't asserted that atheism was itself less moral but that it has a dark side, which is the lack of a religion.

From my experiences, I'd say that's a good thing.

The Christians have a lot going for them as do the Muslims. The Jews are very impressive overall. The different kinds of Hindus seem amazing, not that I understand them. (I truly don't.) I don't think that ignorance is necessarily a 'Given' with religion, but ignorance is a given if young people aren't taught something about morality and if they don't act on it.

And what makes you think that atheists are any less capable of teaching their children morals than religious people are? I am an atheist raised by atheist parents, and yet I would say I am vastly more moral than the majority of religious people I know. I have never smoked, drank or done any kind of recreational drug or indulged in any illegal activity whatsoever. I am kind, honest, and I tend to put others first in every situation. I have friends born in religious families who have done all manner of immoral things, including one who was the daughter of a priest and ended up forcing her parents to have CCTV installed because she kept having raucous booze and drugs-centered parties every time they went away.

Atheism is not a barrier to morality, and religiosity is not an indicator of it.

 

[dgirl1986]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion. Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching. Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years. As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

Please refer to every atheist podcast ever made to educate you on this.

 

[steeltoes]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion. Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching. Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years. As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

Yes, you can let your guard down when amongst Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. It's those atheists that you can never trust, they are just out to get you, I know because I are one, so be warned.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Well, at least you're honest about it.


From my experiences, I'd say that's a good thing.


And what makes you think that atheists are any less capable of teaching their children morals than religious people are? I am an atheist raised by atheist parents, and yet I would say I am vastly more moral than the majority of religious people I know. I have never smoked, drank or done any kind of recreational drug or indulged in any illegal activity whatsoever. I am kind, honest, and I tend to put others first in every situation. I have friends born in religious families who have done all manner of immoral things, including one who was the daughter of a priest and ended up forcing her parents to have CCTV installed because she kept having raucous booze and drugs-centered parties every time they went away.

Atheism is not a barrier to morality, and religiosity is not an indicator of it.

They may not be less capable. That remains to be seen, at least in the USA. Maybe atheist culture is young here? I don't know. Why did atheist culture fail in USSR? I don't know. People vary, so some people tend to be more moral than others. Some religious people lose faith. Some people are just geniuses to begin with and just know that they should behave a certain way. Others are born eating their own boog-rs.

 

[LuisDantas]

Yes, there is a dark side to atheist culture, and it may be the lack of culture. It may be that people have not figured out a way to teach young people to be moral outside of religion.

You know that is not how things actually happen, right?

Many young atheists of my acquaintance have no scruples about lying, cheating, stealing and stabbing coworkers in the back, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus all believe somebody is watching.

I guess your experience is atypical.

Somebody sees everything. There is a kind of shock buffer to keep us behaving as we live out our younger years. As I've mentioned before I already know of two people who converted to evangelical Christianity that grew up secular, and I mean they converted knowing full well that they were joining a cult more or less. They joined because to them there was something wrong with secular culture. They chose to believe and to pass on their beliefs.

Weird.