This shouldn’t be a question that has to be asked, but we live in a nation that may actually believe that you can’t have morals and values without religion. Yes, the majority of the United States is religious in some way, and far too many of those people believe that those of us that are not religious just can’t have any values or morals.

Surveys consistently show that atheists are looked down upon more than any other group (in terms of religious belief). People would rather their daughter marry a felon, as long as he was a “good Christian” than her marry someone who doesn’t believe in God.

Is it that atheists just see things differently? It can’t be. If that were the case, then each denomination should judge all others not of their faith the same way. To a Christian, an atheist should be no different than a Jew, a Muslim or a Buddhist. But that’s not the way it is.

It doesn’t matter who you pray to, as long as you pray.

The one belief across religious lines seems to be that only “God” (in quotes to indicate God is whomever you personally call “God”) can teach you the way to live. It really brings up an argument about moral relativism, a belief that morals are not universal, but instead relative to each society, person or region. There is obviously much more to the moral relativism discussion, but it’s far too complicated and in-depth to discuss in one article.

The point is that there are many views as to how and why people live by their moral codes. Evolutionary biologists believe that morality has evolved in line with natural selection, and is always in line with what promotes survival and reproduction.

Others may hold the view that morals are a product of the society you live in. The morals that I have being raised the way I was may differ from someone living on the other side of the world. We may even have the same moral code that we live by, but we may have arrived at them in a different way.

If an atheist and a Catholic live identical lives, one with the influence of religion, and one with no exposure to religion, wouldn’t that be proof enough that morality is not religion based?

I have been exposed to religion, but I have not been religious in a long, long time. And even when I was exposed to it, I had already had my morals instilled in me by my parents, who were also not religious.

To me, values and morals are the product of a successful society, good parenting, and the laws that govern that society. This can be achieved through religion, but it doesn’t have to be.

The fact is, I’ve never been arrested, I never got in trouble at school when I was younger — hell, I’ve never even had a speeding ticket. And I don’t believe in nor do I fear God. I live right because I live right. Religion has nothing to do with it, and it never has for me.

If you watch television enough, you’re bound to hear that “we need to bring back family values,” or that “ever since they took God out of the schools, this country has no values.”

I agree that the morals and values of this country are going downhill, but it’s not a lack of religion that’s doing it. It’s a lack of parenting and a lack of education. Both political parties are to blame for this, as are atheists and religious people. I would prefer a nation full of happy families, with moms and dads raising their kids to fear them — not God — and educating them to grow up and continue the cycle. The difference between myself and conservative Christians who are fighting for these “family values” is that I don’t think this comes from religion. It’s the product of a well made society and system of justice.

Fear the law, fear your parents getting mad, fear your inability to raise a child by yourself at 17, fear being homeless because of the bad decisions you are making. But don’t fear where you will go when you die.

So yes, atheists can have morals and values and be good people. There is no need to fear an atheist if you are religious. Trust me, we’re harmless. All we are asking is that you keep your religion to yourself. All of your beliefs about family values, I’m on your side. I want those things too, I just want them to be achieved through education and not through God.

If we want this nation back on the right track, both political parties, as well as people of all religions and atheists, need to work together to help teach the next generation.

How do you expect children to believe anything they are learning when “facts” about global warming, evolution and sex education are being manipulated for political purposes?

I actually believe that people are, by nature, good. I believe in doing the right thing. I donate money to worthy causes (when I can spare it), I hold doors for people, I say “thank you,” and trust me when I say that I am a good person.

I’m such a good person that if you didn’t know better, you’d think I was religious. And that’s why you should not judge an atheist. Morality and values exist in everyone. Religion is not the determining factor.

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