Does Atheism Attract Evil ?

[wannabe]

Atheism
Attracts Evil ,
Because it has nothing to back it up.

Therefore Evil has an easy target and manifest.

Would it be true to say that the 'pool of christianity' that exists within our society
feels a stronger resistance ( as opposed to those without a god ) to Evil,
given that the Christian God is supposedly Anti-Evil.

Sort of like a force that pushed evil from one place to another until Evil finds a
better place to live. ( Jesus's love exposes evil,) (for he sees all truths and has
high moral standards.).

Cant verify the facts, but i think that the higher percentage of Evil doers
would fall by the way of Atheists.

Simply because of of the way Evil unfolds (or tries to become ).

If someone wants to run with a bad idea, they are not going to
run it through the church first.

So does Atheism Attract Evil ?

[Tcg]

Cant verify the facts, but i think that the higher percentage of Evil doers would fall by the way of Atheists.

That presents a major problem on a site dedicated to debate. The absence of facts leaves us with nothing but hunches and unsupported opinion.

So does Atheism Attract Evil ?

This can't be answered accurately without some reference to relevant facts. We can address whether or not some assume this to be true. That, however, doesn't answer the question above.


Tcg

[Divine Insight]

Cant verify the facts, but i think that the higher percentage of Evil doers
would fall by the way of Atheists.

Nope, you definitely can't verify that claim. Our prisons are filled with religious believers. Religious people cheat on their spouses at a very high rate as well as committing many other immoral deeds.

This idea that Christians can make an attack on atheist as somehow attracting evil doers is absolute nonsense and cannot be supported by any statistical evidence.

Christians, overwhelmingly in general, simply aren't good enough people to be casting stones at others.

You might be able to point to Jesus as a model for morality to some degree, although even Jesus had his own moral failings. But even if we assume that Jesus was perfectly moral that doesn't help Christians, or Christianity.

Like Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I like your Jesus, but I don't care much for your Christians".

In fact, I know many atheists who are more Christ-like than most Christians I know.

Keep in mind that an atheist doesn't need to disagree with the moral values assigned to Jesus. Agreeing with the morality associated with Jesus and believing that Jesus was the demigod Son of Yahweh or a full-blown incarnation of Yahweh has nothing to do with morality. In fact, Yahweh is clearly not a moral God. He's a self-proclaimed jealous God who hates more people than he likes. And I think there is a very good case to ask whether Yahweh even knows what love is, much less whether he actually loving anyone.

I know a ton of atheists who have far higher moral values than Yahweh, myself included.

[bluegreenearth]

[Replying to post 1 by wannabe]

The first problem with the OP is the use of the word "evil" because it is a subjective concept. "Evil" is a label normally assigned to a set of behaviors that produces consequences which detract from an ability to achieve a specified subjective goal. For instance, if the specified subjective goal is to maximize well-being and minimize harm for the most people, then any actions which deliberately inhibit an ability to achieve that desired goal will be labeled as evil. On the other hand, if the specified subjective goal is to maximize compliance with an authoritarian theocratic ideology regardless of the harm this will inflict upon the well-being of most people, then any behaviors which deliberately inhibit the realization of that goal will be labeled as evil.

Secondly, the OP wants to treat the concept of atheism as though it described some kind of manifesto or ideology when it is nothing more than a single position on a single claim. The "atheist" identity indicates nothing about a person's political persuasion, concept of morality, or position on any issue that would constitute a worldview apart from lacking belief in the existence of a god. Since beliefs inform actions and atheism is defined in this context as a lack of belief, the concept that atheism could attract evil is illogical.

Secular Humanism, for example, does constitute a worldview many but not all atheists happen to adopt. Secular Humanism is comprised of specified beliefs that do inform the actions of those who subscribe to it. Now, if you want to claim that Secular Humanism attracts evil, we could consider and evaluate any evidence you might have to support this assertion. However, you will first have to specify your intended subjective goal in order for us to determine if the behaviors informed by Secular Humanism deliberately detract from that goal in such a way to be labeled as evil.

Is the intended goal to maximize well-being and minimize harm for the most people? If so, then I find no evidence to suggest that Secular Humanism attracts evil because the behaviors it informs wouldn't deliberately detract from the specified subjective goal. If your intended goal is to maximize compliance with an authoritarian theocratic ideology, then Secular Humanism would seem to attract evil in the sense that it motivates behaviors that will deliberately detract from that subjective goal.

[SallyF]

Atheism
Attracts Evil ,
Because it has nothing to back it up.

Quite a claim.

But Atheism isn't an "it".

The Christianities are "its".

Communism is an "it".

Hinduism is an "it".

Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods and god-men and angels and devils and bodhisattvas and such.

We don't have rules and codes of non-worship and so forth. We simply don't do religions. (And atheism clubs are generally a failure.)

But just as our hearts are not open to gods, neither are our hearts open to the wiles of Satan.

For Christians though, it's worth pondering at length the source of evil …

[wannabe]

[Replying to post 3 by Divine Insight]


wannabe wrote:

Cant verify the facts, but i think that the higher percentage of Evil doers
would fall by the way of Atheists.


Nope, you definitely can't verify that claim. Our prisons are filled with religious believers. Religious people cheat on their spouses at a very high rate as well as committing many other immoral deeds.

This idea that Christians can make an attack on atheist as somehow attracting evil doers is absolute nonsense and cannot be supported by any statistical evidence.

Christians, overwhelmingly in general, simply aren't good enough people to be casting stones at others.

You might be able to point to Jesus as a model for morality to some degree, although even Jesus had his own moral failings. But even if we assume that Jesus was perfectly moral that doesn't help Christians, or Christianity.

Like Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I like your Jesus, but I don't care much for your Christians".

In fact, I know many atheists who are more Christ-like than most Christians I know.

Keep in mind that an atheist doesn't need to disagree with the moral values assigned to Jesus. Agreeing with the morality associated with Jesus and believing that Jesus was the demigod Son of Yahweh or a full-blown incarnation of Yahweh has nothing to do with morality. In fact, Yahweh is clearly not a moral God. He's a self-proclaimed jealous God who hates more people than he likes. And I think there is a very good case to ask whether Yahweh even knows what love is, much less whether he actually loving anyone.

I know a ton of atheists who have far higher moral values than Yahweh, myself included.


Our prisons are filled with religious believers. - cant verify the facts
Religious people cheat on their spouses at a very high rate - cant verify the facts
as well as committing many other immoral deeds. - cant verify the facts
Christians, overwhelmingly in general, simply aren't good enough people to be casting stones at others. - cant verify the facts
He's a self-proclaimed jealous God who hates more people than he likes. - cant verify the facts
I know a ton of atheists who have far higher moral values than Yahweh, myself included. - cant verify the facts

The fact is that your rebuff has just as many unverifiable facts as my opening
statement if not more.

my statement merely considers the path of evil, given the labels of groups of today's objective society.

If you step back from the world and consider the direction of Evil given all the different directives of the groups in the world , logically evil would find an easy way in.
Atheism not having a specific agenda for the sake of its moral structure except for laws unto oneself doesn't throw up an obvious forseeable obstruction to Evil.

Therefore my OP

[wannabe]

[Replying to post 5 by SallyF]


wannabe wrote:

Atheism
Attracts Evil ,
Because it has nothing to back it up.



Quite a claim.

But Atheism isn't an "it".


'It' is Atheism that represents all those who do not believe in a god (some what of a large group) Atheism is a group.

[SallyF]

[Replying to post 5 by SallyF]


wannabe wrote:

Atheism
Attracts Evil ,
Because it has nothing to back it up.



Quite a claim.

But Atheism isn't an "it".


'It' is Atheism that represents all those who do not believe in a god (some what of a large group) Atheism is a group.

Atheism is NOT a group.

The Christianities are examples of groups.

As I mentioned, atheist clubs are generally a failure.

Christian huddles are generally a success.

This New Atheist does not belong to an atheist club/group/congregation.

Almost all atheists I know have NEVER belonged to an atheist group.

And NO atheist I know of has EVER attracted evil.

In fact, I see atheism as casting off the evil of religious brainwashing and financial, physical and emotional exploitation and/or abuse.

I do see that religion can attract evildoers who recognise easy prey in those who accept what they are told through "faith" alone.

We atheists are most unlikely to be taken in by such priests and pastors.

And if Satan wasn't just Christian superstition, Satan would know he was wasting his time trying to enter our hearts.

[Zzyzx]

.

Atheism not having a specific agenda for the sake of its moral structure except for laws unto oneself doesn't throw up an obvious forseeable obstruction to Evil.

Religion, in spite of its claims, evidently does not 'throw up an obvious foreseeable obstruction to Evil". For example:

According to a Pew survey of prison chaplains, 89.4% of prisoners are religious (50.6% Protestant, 14.5% Catholic, 9.4% Muslim and remainder various others. No religious preference = 10.6% (while 23% of the US population)
https://www.statista.com/statistics/234 ... prisoners/
https://religionnews.com/2019/03/21/non ... in-the-us/

If religion did provide an obstruction to evil, why are religious people OVER represented in prison? (89.4% prison population vs. 73.7% of US population)

[wannabe]

[Replying to post 4 by bluegreenearth]

Evil | Definition of Evil by Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evil
Evil definition is - morally reprehensible : sinful, wicked.

Evil is something that needs to be changed for the sake of its directive, as agreed by most who do not wish to encounter it.

bluegreenearth wrote:

The first problem with the OP is the use of the word "evil" because it is a subjective concept. "Evil" is a label normally assigned to a set of behaviors that produces consequences which detract from an ability to achieve a specified subjective goal. For instance, if the specified subjective goal is to maximize well-being and minimize harm for the most people, then any actions which deliberately inhibit an ability to achieve that desired goal will be labeled as evil. On the other hand, if the specified subjective goal is to maximize compliance with an authoritarian theocratic ideology regardless of the harm this will inflict upon the well-being of most people, then any behaviors which deliberately inhibit the realization of that goal will be labeled as evil.

lets not complicate the definition with just one way evil attacks.

bluegreenearth wrote:

Secondly, the OP wants to treat the concept of atheism as though it described some kind of manifesto or ideology when it is nothing more than a single position on a single claim.

I haven't treated Atheism as any sort of concept beside the fact that the people who call themselves Atheists form part of an overall group of people who all have the same disbelief of a god.

Also I haven't made any accusations-
I just aired a view as to the avenues evil might take given the understanding of what evil might be up against in the wake of its advertised moral opposition. Such as -
( Quote: no evidence to suggest that Secular Humanism attracts evil because the behaviors it informs wouldn't deliberately detract from the specified subjective goal)

But I do see your point on groups such as secular humanism not being evil because of its social agenda.

Christianity and other groups also have social agendas (which oppose Evil)