So...do atheists make superior 'Christians'?...ah ah read on?

Question

It seems to methat most Atheists have had religious experience and have choosen not to believe in the sure and certain knowledge that they will be damned in hell, does this require/denote a higher level of 'goodness' and courage to reject 'God and the Church' whilst still maintaining our morales and trying to live their lives in peace?

Hmm, thought provoking responses here and very well argued points.

I often find it hard to reject the teachings in their entirety as they are in fact the basis of the 'good values' that I have worked so hard to retain.

The eternal damnation thing was meant to mean being damned by those who remained of the church, as opposed to ...well you get the idea.

Nikki's answer illustrates perfectly what I mean about how the Church operates

Briliantly argued in each direction, thank you everyone for not giving this a knee-jerk reaction

Going to the vote

Answer 1

Yes I would say that to some extent

However I reject it because the evidence clearly shows that Jesus was a myth. I have viewed the evidence

Answer 2

I wonder what makes you say that. Possibly, you haven't seen the best of Christianity, which I can only regret. Apparently, you have been in contact with a "Christianity" from which all you can point out is the "damned in hell" part, which I also regret. Sort of "do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that, or else you'll burn in hell". Am I right on this? I admire all you guys who reject a bad religious experience, but I can see no reason to think that, generally speaking, being an atheist is a higher state of mind than being a religious person. In fact, in Eastern Europe and in Russia, many people who have been educated as atheists during communism are now going back to the faith of their grandparents.
You might want to check these out:

* convert testimonies, mainly from the US:
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/inq_convert.aspx

* a book on the radically different approach to morality in Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic and especially Protestant) Christianity:
Author Giannaras, Chr¯estos, 1935-
Title The freedom of morality / Christos Yannaras ; translated from the Greek by Elizabeth Briere ; with a foreword by Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia
Publish info Crestwood, N.Y. : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984

* and a book on a famous American convert to Orthodox Christianity, Father Seraphim Rose (who eventually became a monk, which explains the long beard):
http://www.stherman.com/catalog/chapter_one/fsr_book.htm

Answer 3

In response to Nicki: Atheists believe in a lot of things (not all the same things mind!). Having a respect for the earth and this being our one and only life makes many an atheist determined to make the best of it for as many people as possible.

A proper understanding of evolution helps ... that is true awe and wonder.

And yes, I think the most christian (small "c") people I have ever met have been non-religious. The more charitable, non-judgemental, freely giving of time, money and energy. But of course - this is PURELY subjective! I am not saying this is a statement of fact.

Answer 4

I was an athiest and am now a Christian. Athiests won't have a certain knowledge of hell, that's their point they don't believe there is one, so it doesn't take courage or goodness to 'not believe'.

They're not rejecting anything because they don't believe in it. If they say otherwise then I think they do protest too much. Why worry about something that doesn't exist!

Answer 5

I don't really care either way, not sure if thats good or bad? I like to think there is a higher being but wouldn't want to worship or worry about whether I would go to heaven or hell. I like to think there is life after death but will never know for certain. I just want to enjoy life and the environment I live in, who or whatever gave it to me.

Answer 6

As an athiest myself i totally agree. I reject the idea of God and Christianity but i still live in peace and respect others opinions.

Answer 7

Honestly, it doesn't make for a better christian, just a better human.

I have a religious background, and it was the worst 9 years of my life. I did not choose to not believe "in the sure and certain knowledge that I will be damned in hell". I never believed in the first place. At the age of 5, I was first exposed to the church and its teachings, and even then, I was amazed that people could believe that. I spent many years as an outcast among my peers, simply because those who accepted the indoctrination were weak in my eyes. I spent most of the time from the age of 9 until 14 defending my lack of faith, as well as reading the bible (mandatory punishment for not believing in it). During that time, I only found more and more reasons to not believe. Questions that I would raise couldn't be answered by the churches hierarchy, and only resulted in more punishment.

My morals are not defined by this archaic book, nor are they the direct result of written law. I have my own sense of right and wrong, which at times is in direct opposition to both. I've acted in direct opposition to both on occasion, simply because it was the right thing to do...and dealt with the consequences for those actions. The bible, at times, does have an acceptable message, but most of it gets lost in the contradictions, and forced obedience. Most biblical law forces a docile nature on its followers (not the zealots mind you), simply to keep the "herd" in line. This isn't an attack, but fact. Do the research, and make sure that those sources do not contain any type of biblical reference. You can't get an unbiased view if you're using references from one of the sides your researching...

If you choose to use the values taught in the bible, that's fine. Just please realize that most of those values were taken from other religions, and just restructured to fit the christian mythology.

Answer 8

If you mean that they are more moral people because they maintain their values without an ulterior motive, such as hell avoidance issues, then I have to agree. However, I think the subtraction of "fear of burning" makes them completely seperate from christians. Also I have met far too many christians who don't worry about morality much at all because they believe they are exempt from it because of christ's death on the cross giving them unearned absolution.

Answer 9

I am an atheist and I do think I am a good person, but not any more good than anyone else just becasue we believe different things. I think it is more effective to judge someone's morality through what they actually do, or don't do, rather than by how often they go to church or how religious they say they are. An atheist and a theist can be equally good, but maybe with different motivations

Answer 10

Frankly I find atheists to be honest and far more trustworthy than Christians. For the most part they are nonjudgmental and open minded. If they do condemn something it's because they've done their best to study the subject and know what they're talking about. Christians base there opinions on superstition and bigotry.

Answer 11

Being a Christian is no easy task. God never promised a walk in the park when He called people to follow Him. That in itself is pretty realistic if you ask me. A lot of people think that God is going to be their magic genie granting every wish. What they fail to understand is that we are on His time, not the other way around. I think they get discouraged if he doesn't answer them immediately. So they turn to so called scientific proof. It makes them feel safer. They put their trust in God and it didn't turn out the way they wanted it to. So they feel foolish and think science is going to save them from that. It won't. A lot of atheists are good people, but if they reject God it's not going to amount to much. They won't get eternal life after they die, but they will get what they believe in here on earth: nothing. And what do you know about the church Trebs? You're an atheist. To mztheword: I understand evolution very well. I know both sides of the argument, do you? Big C by the way.