Does theism necessarily make you a good person? Does atheism make you a bad person?

Question

While most Americans believe that getting rid of religion is an impossible goal, much of the developed world has already accomplished it. Any account of a “god gene” that causes the majority of Americans to helplessly organize their lives around ancient works of religious fiction must explain why so many inhabitants of other First World societies apparently lack such a gene. The level of atheism throughout the rest of the developed world refutes any argument that religion is somehow a moral necessity. Countries like Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom are among the least religious societies on Earth. According to the United Nations’ Human Development Report (2005) they are also the healthiest, as indicated by measures of life expectancy, adult literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate and infant mortality. Conversely, the 50 nations now ranked lowest in terms

TerryT, atheists and theists alike enjoy the tasty goodness of pumpkin bread.

Answer 1

I'm going to quote an answer by tjreamer to a different question from earlier today:

"The USA is the MOST religious of all industrialized nations...and mostly Christian. Polls estimate over 75% of US citizens believe in the god of the bible, and an atheist would have as much chance of being elected president as Osama bin Laden.

The USA also has the highest rates of violent crimes, murder, gambling, teenage pregnancy, incarceration, abortion, the largest disparity between rich and poor, weakest social safety net, poverty, malnutrition, infant mortality, and illiteracy among ALL modern industrialized nations.

The parts of your country with the highest rates of religious belief, such as the bible belt in the South, also have the highest rates of all the above, compared to less religious parts of the country. You can connect the dots yourself."

Answer 2

NO
NO
The countries you state as least religious also have some common problems.
would you really like to live in Sweden???
the only country that you can point to in your argument that represents growth is Canada.its the only country that takes care of its people.i don't think religion has much influence on these countries.i mean there is so many factors that a person can go insane!!!
although,i would say atheist's in America have a role that is worth considering.
God Bless

Answer 3

Alrighty then then also rely on technology and now think about this without there manmade technology they are nothing and you better know it and these white groups and countries you have named dont know much about the earth, nature or wisdom!
with out a telescope microscope and study you see they never take time out to just live breath relax in calm!
they work all the time for material gain and would not know how to survive if they needed to totally rely on what Allah swt has made quite available to them believe it!

Answer 4

Simply put, regular Freemasonry requires that a man believe in a Supreme Being in order to become a member. As such, Atheists are not permitted to join Freemasonry. If your grandfather was a self-professed Atheist and he joined Freemasonry, then he aw either misinformed (which is very unlikely as Freemasonry takes this very seriously), he lied about his beliefs in order to join, he became an Atheist after he joined Freemasonry, or he joined a lodge that was not "regular". While there may be other unknown factors involved simply put, an Atheist cannot join Freemasonry.

Answer 5

Some of the worst people alive are Christians and some of the best people alive are atheists. All that means is there are good and bad people whether they believe in a God or not. Believing does not make one good and not believing does not make one bad. It is what we do to each other that makes us good or bad.

I know some very mean Christians, but I also know some very good honest Christians. I know some mean atheists and I know some good honest atheists.

Answer 6

Being a good person has nothing to do with being a theist or an atheist.
We all ahve in us the seeds of the good and the bad, and we adapt to the environment and use them as necessary.

Answer 7

Being an athiest doesn't make you a bad person, but it means you're going to hell after you die.

To answer your paragraph...America is hardly a theistic society, so any point you may make becomes moot. It doesn't take a gene to make people believe in God, it takes humility.

Answer 8

Goodness is relative, but if you are a theist, you probably are a thinking person and therefore with a fully functioning conscience. All that is required of a good person is to have a healthy conscience, in my opinion. So, I would answer your question in this way, if you are a theist, the odds are very good that you are a good person.

Answer 9

only bad things can come of the lies and greed of organized religion

Answer 10

Hitler believed in God. He claimed to be Catholic. So, no, it doesn't guarantee anything.