The main reason that so many atheists are criminals is that they reject the presence of a higher power that is a source of absolute morality. They do not believe that there will be any final consequences for their actions. After all, when they die, they die. End of story. So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible? After all, in the end, it isn't going to matter, is it? This sick worldview is one of the biggest problems with society today.
[Emphasis added]
74 comments
The idea that morality is solely and completely dependent upon adherence to an organised religion just... is beyond comprehension. If these people need an imaginary god tapping them on the shoulder at all hours of the day, instead of making rational decisions for themselves, then quite frankly I'm afraid for these people. Not to mention the people who come into contact with them.
We just covered this yesterday, ass. You're a lot safer with an athiest than with a Christian.everyone is on this time scale, and death is it, I'd prefer not to hurt anyone, or cost them precious time. Maybe if I thought I'd get to spend eternity with my sky daddy, I'd be a bit less tolerant and kind.
So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible?
If you need the threat of eternal punishment hanging over your head in order to do the right thing, then by all means, be a Christian. Some of us don't need external props to behave morally.
Well, all except the Harry Potter Books, I think those activities would be a waste of my precious time. I would not have fun doing them, and then I would be really sad because I used up some more of my short existence.
Studies have shown that atheists and religious people have pretty much the same moral values. Fear of God doesn't seem to be a big factor in peoples' values, even among religious people. The idea that a fear of Hell is the only thing keeping people from shoplifting, using drugs, raping, going on a killing spree and reading Harry Potter books is seventypercent's own invention.
Well you know, I've always meant to get round to reading Harry Potter, but between all the raping and the killing and the sodomizing house-pets, it gets a little tough to clear a window in your schedule.
The vast majority of atheists in this nation are indistinguishable from Christians except for an hour and a half on Sunday morning. more moral than the average Christian since the atheist has established and maintains a moral code of behavior based on internal decisions and compliance with the expectations of the society at large, which we shape as a gestalt effort. The Christian, on the other hand, relies essentially on externally-imposed codes of moral behavior.
So the average atheist chooses of their own free will to act "moraly" according to the dictates of their conscience and our society, while the Christian has their behavior enforced by an outside, untestable, unproveable authority as expressed through other human beings. (The Biblical authors, church leaders, etc.)
I for one am more comfortable around people who can make their own decisions and control themselves, and I'm a Christian myself. I'm just a Christian who doesn't need to be told what is "moral" and what is not.
In the immortal words of Superman (from the graphic novel "Kingdom Come"), "In this world there is right and wrong, and that distinction is not difficult to make."
"The main reason that so many atheists are criminals is that they reject the presence of a higher power that is a source of absolute morality."Comparatively few atheists are criminals.
Since Xians believe in "a higher power that is a source of absolute morality," what is their excuse for being over-represented in the U.S. orison population?
"They do not believe that there will be any final consequences for their actions."
No, atheists understand that their actions bring consequences in THIS life.
"After all, when they die, they die. End of story."
Equally, when YOU die, you just die, regardless of what happy, eternal-life twaddle you believe.
"So why not shoplift,"
Because I do not wish to cheat the shopkeeper.
"and use drugs,"
It depends on what drugs and for what purpose I would be using them.
"and go on a killing spree,"
Because I generally do not wish to victimize others. Those whom I actually wish to kill, I do not because, in exchange for my right not to BE killed, I agree not to kill others. Any functional society demands a ban on murder.
"and read Harry Potter books,"
Yup, Potter books are a ripping good read.
"and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible?"
No, I would not rape anyone. Curious that you seem to feel that YOU would embark on a career of rape and murder if you were deprived of your religious delusions.
"After all, in the end, it isn't going to matter, is it?"
The pain and injustice suffered by others is real. Some of us understand that other peoples rights and feelings are as important as our own.
"This sick worldview is one of the biggest problems with society today."
I agree. Your sick, me-first, me-only, worldview is a big problem in society today.
O K I can put up with the drugs, sex and murder, but READING HARRY POTTER BOOKS? Oh the inhumanity! Reading a book about a kid who's unloved at home and can't do anything right, goes away to school and discovers his talents. The horror of it all!
Leaving aside the insane association of reading Harry Potter books with committing acts of rape and murder:first sentence of this idiot's rant is libelous in its assumed premise that "so many atheists are criminals" as well as completely bass ackwards in its other assumed premise that God is the source of "absolute morality." Absolute morality is independent of God, and in fact, anyone who checks out the Bible with anything like intellectual honesty will find that God frequently is highly immoral in his alleged actions; Genesis, Job, and Exodus, for example, provide a litany of crimes that show God to be nothing but a petty, vicious, violent, vain, capricious tyrant -- "with all the manners and morals of a spoiled child," as Robert Heinlein once put it.
Not only that, but if anything, biblical Christian "morality" provides a full justification for enjoying a life of hedonistic crime sprees; after all, if you just believe in Christ and ask forgiveness, you'll go to heaven to have an eternally happy and fruitful life in paradise no matter what you've done here, right? So you can indulge those dark impulses all your life and still play that "Get Out Of Jail Free" card -- nice way to play both sides of that fence.
Atheists, on the other hand, expecting this to be the only life they'll get, have far more reason to live it in such a way that it isn't wasted or thrown away in violence and degeneration. So excuse me if I find this post just a tad monstrously hypocritical.
"Not perfect, just forgiven" sums up the ultimate expression of arrogant, elitist entitlement for Christians, and it is THIS sick worldview that is one of the biggest problems with society today.
~David D.G.
In fact, I just looked up some figures (http://www.holysmoke.org/icr-pri.htm ) and atheists account for between 8-16% of the US national population. However, in prison they only account for 0.2% of the population.
I've not only read all the Harry Potter books, but I've seen all the movies, too. Since that's just as sinful as murder, might as well kill someone. Think I'll start with seventypercent.
A Christian's morality is as "absolute" as "If God says so, then it's okay."
Patches:Christians believe that humans are inherently evil and would naturally do immoral things if it weren't for fear of retribution.
That belief is pounded in at a very early age. I've had fundies get incredulous when I say that I think people are fundamentally good and honest. They've been fed the "humans are dirt" line so often they can't conceive of anything else.
They accuse schools of teaching that people come from animals, so the kids learn to behave like animals. How do people who believe they came from dirt behave?
Seriously this guys got me down pat my days are filled with petty theft, acid tripping, mass murder, indiscriminant sodomy and to top it off some light reading about english kids with wands.
Wait... this is satire?
Bearing in mind that 75% of the people in prison don´t declare themselves atheists and that there are chaplains and spiritual counsellors in prisons, your thesis makes no sense. In fact, Atheists are only 12% of population if that any, come from very stable homes and have higher education. You claim that nonsense that Atheists are criminals, but I insist, there is no source to confirm it. Moreover, what about the terrorists, or the Slacks, who killed their daughter?.
Well, you see, there is an accidental point, buried deep in all that.
Excellent David D.G., a great point. Bible thumpers can 'get born-again' at the drop of a hat so they are clean as a whistle. By clean as a whistle I mean, stinking of old saliva and Dorito's crumbs.
So why not shoplift ... and go on a killing spree ... and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible? and use drugs
My body, my choice. I personally choose not to, but if someone else wants to get high, as long as they're not endangering anyone else in the process (DWI or the like), that's not my business.
and read Harry Potter books
That you included this as a crime on par with mass murder and rape indicates that you are too stupid to be educable. But the great sword Cluebringer wants to give it a try anyway.
Come, me droogs, are ye ready for a night of reading Harry Potter books? I thought not. Let's just go rape someone, then, I guess.
After all, when they die, they die. End of story. So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible?
Murder, rape, drugs, Harry Potter. Kind of a leap, there. Reminds me of one of the quotes on here recently, where the poster cited as some of the worst criminals in human history: Hitler, Stalin, and Tupac Shakur.
You dudes really should go to the Adequacy archive site. (http://www.adequacy.org ) It's stuffed to overflowing with gems like this. Not for no reason was it known as "the most controversial site on the Internet!"
The fact we live once and die is why people shouldn't be total hating asses, unlike many of the fundie commenters.
Anyway, what is it with fundamentalists and Harry Potter? Why not Tolkein's works?
there is no such thing as absolute morality.
*Always wrong to steal: and if you're starving?
*always wrong to kill: you kill someone threatening someone with a gun
etc etc
What I think is even more disturbing than the Harry Potter books part is the "of arbitrary gender and age" bit.
Since women apparently don't get a say in the matter and rape is only bad if teh gehzz0rz happens along the way. Or children, since they are our most precious resource. After oil and stupidity.
What have the Harry Potter books got to do with the price of fish.
Sick world view, interesting that you should say that.......... bigot
"So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible? After all, in the end, it isn't going to matter, is it?"
That is the most evil and immoral doctrine there is, and it isn't the atheists pushing it.
"... so he was found guilty of High Treason, Murder, Rapeens, Burnings, Spoils, Desolations, Damages and Mischief. The other; yes, but Mischief, that's just sick!"
All of that stuff is a strawman, Harry Potter books are awesome, and last I checked, prison population was somewhere around 2% atheist. You fail.
>So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking much?
Officer: "Sir, I'm afraid you're under arrest."
Man: "But Officer, on what charge?"
Officer: "Murder, arson, and jaywalking."
Man: "...Seriously?"
Officer: "Oh, that's nothing. I once caught a kid for 73 counts of murder, possession with intent to sell, and perusing a copy of Chamber of Secrets on his front stoop."
> so many atheists are criminals
> and read Harry Potter books
> After all, in the end, it isn't going to matter, is it?
> This sick worldview is one of the biggest problems with society today.
"So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible?"
What at the same time?
We are just as averse to spending time in a jail cell as anyone else. Oh, by "final consequences" you mean "after death"? Yeah, sure. Such a kidder! I plan, to be dead by then so I'm not going to worry about it.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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