Question for atheists?

Question

I just have a quick question and before I ask it I want to set some guidelines. I am a Christian and am not here to bash you or convert you. I also would like it if you did not answer my question with another question. Also I am not here to bash you and showing you respect so I would hope you will do the same and anyone showing disrespect on here no matter what side you fall on just goes to prove why noone would want to believe in what you do. The question is what does an atheist do to better the country or moral stand points on things like volunteering or helping out someone in need? I'm not asking this to be a dumb question or put you down I honestly want to know the answer.

No I'm asking if atheists meet and maybe get together and hand out food to the homeless or clean up trash on the side of the road. Or does maybe one atheist believe in volunteering and another says its governments responsibility. Like do you have a common foundation of rules if you are an atheist. Like you are suppose to help a fellow person out or whatever each of you believes separately is what goes?

Answer 1

Not to violate the rules you put forth, but are you asking that I list the volunteer work I've done recently?

Answer 2

Well an atheist can give to charity, go help people - anything a religious person does.

The moral difference? The atheist is doing whats right because its right - not because some magical santa-claus will reward or punish him based on his behaviour.

Do you refrain from rape and murder because you're afraid of God or because you know its wrong? See? People dont need God to be moral people. All the studies that have been done show there are few atheists in jail compared to the huge number of christians.

Addendum: Well no I don't guess atheists get together as a group to help people but they might belong to other organisations that do - Try to remember - its hard for a group to be cohesive based on something they're not. We're not religious - having a belief can bring people to together, its hard for a lack of one to do the same. Kids might go to a party where they're told santa would attend but older kids dont meet up to talk about not believing in santa - they have better things to do.

I'll tell you one difference an atheist wouldnt only be interested in - as you put it - helping a 'fellow' person out. So what - you take a bunch of blankets out on the street and ask the old guy freezing his butt off if he's a christian? and if he's not you move on??? You call that morality?

Answer 3

You know, that's a good question and except for the normal snide remarks, it does prove to us atheists can be good people, too, and we stereotype them early on in life as they apparently do us. When I was growing up, we lived on the 'wrong side of the tracks'. Though my family did not live in poverty and lived quite well, those on the 'north side' put down any of us. And within the 'south side' those that went to church were much well-behaved than those that didn't. But, anyway, so even on the southside there was segregation according to religion; the good kids and the bad interpreted as the christian kids vs the 'evil' kids. So why was this true even then? Why did the non-churchgoing kids always get into trouble and those of us who went to church did better in school, and our neighbors were all friendly with us. But that was where I really recognized the christian spirit in my parents; they accepted all kids into our home, and I know they had a positive influence on those kids that didn't go to church. And I have friends from every walk of life, but until I got on Y/A, I never felt antagonism toward my Christianity. I've never felt the need to strongly defend my God like I do here.

Answer 4

Asking what "an atheist" does to help the country is confusing. I can't tell if you want to know what all atheists do, or what a typical atheist does or simply for evidence that some atheists help the country.

Anyway, atheists have done a lot historically to help people. The easiest example is the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. They have donated millions of dollars worth of computing equipment to underprivileged schools.

They also have the largest amount of money ever earmarked for a private aid campaign ($80 Billion for Africa).

As far as what all atheists do, or what a typical atheist does, there isn't really an answer. Atheists are diverse people and each individual helps the community differently.

Edit: I just read your questions and it seems I misunderstood. Atheists don't all get together as atheists to help somebody. A lot of the various volunteer things I have worked on have had many atheists volunteering, but they weren't "atheist campaigns" or anything.

For example, I've volunteered in various ways to help raise awareness and money for hunger and homelessness. I've also helped build houses with that organization whose name I can't remember right now. I've also gone into the inner city to teach underprivileged children.

However, all of those things were with organizations that were neither faith-based nor exclusively atheist. They were simply service organizations for whom anybody could volunteer. I had many atheist friends with me, so you could say that's a group of atheists doing volunteer work. However, we weren't doing it because of our atheism, but did it instead out of a duty to society.

Answer 5

I'd like to start by telling you that I appreciate that you have tried to remain as respectable as possible in asking this question.

You ask if atheists volunteer, help the community, contribute, etc. The answer is simply that yes we do. However atheists do these things on their own accord as individuals instead of as a group.

Since each atheist as an individual holds different beliefs, the only common belief we share is really a lack of belief in supreme beings. That is the only thing that links us together as a 'group'.

There are atheist or secular organizations that do charity work, volunteer, and offer a contribution to the community but as far as your question, this is really up to each individual person regarding participation in these organizations...just as it is up to the individual Christian regarding whether or not to participate in such Christian organizations.

Since atheism is not a religion, there is nothing that we are "supposed" to do. Like I stated above, the only thing all atheists have in common is a lack of belief in supreme beings.

Answer 6

I give money to equality charities. I volunteer at the homeless center, babysitting children while the parents are out looking for employment.

Americans are the most giving of all the nations of the earth when someone is down and out... that includes atheists. We don't hate g-d or people, we just don't believe that g-d exists.

One big difference because of this belief is we often are the first out to help, because so many people fall to their knees first, which, you must admit, takes time.

Answer 7

I'm a Christian too but I live in Japan where very few locals are converts. It's so odd coz crime is low and people here are soft-hearted. Most of the wrong doings are committed by people who are too stressed from their jobs and reached the boundary of insanity. On clubs, discos, or any place where alcohol is served riots are rare. They do charity specially to third world countries, they do volunteers.... a lot. In our neighborhood every house is doing a part for an elderly living alone. In my son's kindergarten because of language barrier every mother is supportive of me. They are good law-abiding citizens.

Answer 8

I donate to goodwill and salvation army
I give my time to elderly helping out with stuff they can't do
I spend time with some of these same elderly who often live alone and don't get the company very often
I've given things that range from food and clothes to furniture to less fortunate people

As far as being a good Samaritan, I think I qualify.

To better the country, I fight for equal rights for everyone. Christians, Muslims, gays, blacks, whites, browns, greens, Yankee fans, handicapped kids, you name it. I oppose religious limitation in science and in civil rights.

Without being disrespectful to your faith, if you look at the track record throughout history (not the bible), Christians have done a lot of harm and a lot of good both. If it weren't kept "in check" by someone, that bad stuff would still be happening. Well, it still is in some cases, but it takes time.

Hope that answered your question.

Answer 9

Hello. I am an atheist. I have helped to build two different churches in my life time. I have volunteered as a big brother (Big Brothers and Big Sisters Organization), have worked for several years for the Easter Seals Organization, have helped raise money for many charities including the St. Baldrick's Foundation - helping children with cancer, I served on the board of an art organization that was non-profit for several years and am currently the treasurer of my church that I attend regularly. Again, hello - I am an atheist. I do not believe in god. I serve the public and I contribute to society in many ways. Thanks for the question.

Answer 10

No, there's no common foundation of rules. There are plenty of atheists who volunteer, and plenty of atheists who don't. We're a large, diverse group of people connected only by the absence of belief in gods.
Generally, when atheists do volunteer they don't get together with a group of atheists, they just get together with a group of people, regardless of religion. It's typically only theists who feel that a charity should have those sorts of membership criteria.

Answer 11

I regularly attend my public city council meetings and put my two cents in. Every year I adopt three stars off the XMas tree for needy children (there's a reason for three, not relevant here). Once a month I work a day at the homeless shelter with my friend who is an asst. director there.

I think it would be interesting to see your answer to the question.