14 "Unexceptional? But aren't atheists less moral than religious people?"
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This article is from the Atheism FAQ, by mathew meta@pobox.com with numerous contributions by others.
14 "Unexceptional? But aren't atheists less moral than religious people?"
That depends. If you define morality as obedience to God, then of
course atheists are less moral as they don't obey any God. But usually
when one talks of morality, one talks of what is acceptable ("right")
and unacceptable ("wrong") behaviour within society.
Humans are social animals, and to be maximally successful they must
co-operate with each other. This is a good enough reason to discourage
most atheists from "anti-social" or "immoral" behaviour, purely for
the purposes of self-preservation.
Many atheists behave in a "moral" or "compassionate" way simply
because they feel a natural tendency to empathize with other humans.
So why do they care what happens to others? They don't know, they
simply are that way.
Naturally, there are some people who behave "immorally" and try to use
atheism to justify their actions. However, there are equally many
people who behave "immorally" and then try to use religious beliefs to
justify their actions. For example:
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners... But for that very
reason, I was shown mercy so that in me... Jesus Christ might
display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would
believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the king eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and
ever."
The above quote is from a statement made to the court on February 17th
1992 by Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious cannibal serial killer of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It seems that for every atheist mass-murderer,
there is a religious mass-murderer. But what of more trivial morality?
A survey conducted by the Roper Organization found that behavior
deteriorated after "born again" experiences. While only 4% of
respondents said they had driven intoxicated before being "born
again," 12% had done so after conversion. Similarly, 5% had used
illegal drugs before conversion, 9% after. Two percent admitted to
engaging in illicit sex before salvation; 5% after. ["Freethought
Today", September 1991, p. 12.]
So it seems that at best, religion does not have a monopoly on moral
behaviour.
Of course, a great many people are converted to (and from)
Christianity during adolescence and their early twenties. This is also
the time at which people begin to drink and become sexually active. It
could be that the above figures merely indicate that Christianity has
no effect on moral behaviour, or insufficient effect to result in an
overall fall in immoral behaviour.
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