Why do people think atheists don't have morals?

I know many, many Republicans who are Atheists. I also know many Christians who, like you, love nothing more than to go against God's word by being argumentative & judgmental.

Whoa.... I agree with the second parts, but since when did being conservative REQUIRE you to be religious? I believe in a conservative government, limited interference and many other conservative tenets. But I do not agree with all. I agree with a few of the liberal tenets, but a select few. I am definitely more conservative than liberal.

How so? Can you lay out how atheism is metaphysically compatible with anything but ethical nihilism? If there is no higher order or transcendent being/principles then there is no good or bad. It's that simple.

Not really. I strive for perfection in this life to ensure my children will have a better one. I try to help others when I can. Striving to leave a better world for others, I believe, is a noble cause. Even if I am only a small part of that world. Everyone matters.

Why does there have to be anything past us? Why can't we just be better, just to be better?

Because better has no meaning if there is not an objective standard. There is no way to say that not killing someone is better than killing someone if there is not an objective value scale.

The Definition of Morality

The term “morality” can be used either descriptively to refer to some codes of conduct put forward by a society or, some other group, such as a religion, or
accepted by an individual for her own behavior or normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.

[link to plato.stanford.edu]

Okay, I will agree with that in concept. But who says the scale came from god? I think it is much more likely that by indiscriminate killing our fellow humans, the likely hood our species to survive would lessen. Why doesn't a lion kill every other lion it sees? Why do bees work together? Why is it that when looking at every other animal on the planet the religious can come up with all sorts of scientific reasons for them to act like they do, but when looking at ourselves, those same reasons magically don't apply... and must be God's doing?

This doesn't address my point. I said that they shouldn't have morals. If there is no transcendent good or bad, then all morals are equally arbitrary. I could say that raping and consuming infants is the height of greatness and there is no argument against it. Some people like to believe that they have bridged the is-ought gap, but those people are delusional idiots or people pushing an agenda for their own selfish motives.

You are assuming that survival is good in itself. Why should I care if our species survives or if any life at all survives? Life is not inherently good (unless there is an objective value scale).

Oh atheists have morals, they just have their own private set of morals, they be from "ok" to "insane".

One atheist may think bashing the skulls of babies is ok and another that it is not, you never know, plus they're known to be shifty in character and what stops them from being shifty? Not a thing.

This is not a surprise:
Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists
[link to usatoday30.usatoday.com]

or when they try their own wings:
[link to apologeticspress.org]

OK ~ you said they shouldn't have morals. That doesn't mean that they don't. That is your POV & you certainly have every right to your own beliefs ~ just as they do.

Not all Atheists are the same. Not all Christians are the same. Many horrific acts have been done in the name of God.

The same can be said of Christians or any other religion. Why is Christianity so divided? Why do so many Christians cherry-pick the parts of the bible that suit them & ignore the rest?

Survival is embedded into all of us. Life is not inherently good. But it is not inherently bad either. The way that we conceive the world around us is a product of our genetics and our environment. If a person is "wired" weakly, they are less likely to survive and less likely to pass the genetic portion on to off spring. That is evolution my friend. The strong will survive. packs, hives, schools, etc. survive in greater numbers than lone creatures.

Why do people try so hard to poison the well of christianity?
You guys know that all these false indictments only strengthen it?
Back to the drawing board

The religious and their circular logic. We can't strengthen something that doesn't exist....

Which people are you referring to? What false indictments?

This is not a moral argument. You forget the is-ought gap.

If your argument is that what is good for the spread of your own genes, then that is a moral proposition. So, why should I not go about killing people who are not in my tribe? Why should I not use the Genghis Khan method and rape thousands of women and kill their men? That would be the very best way to ensure the spread of my own genes and the survival of my descendants.

That should say "what is good for the spread of your own genes is good"

The moral argument is that as we have evolved, we have developed deeper thoughts than just spreading our genes. The majority of animals don't just go around raping every female they see. My argument is that we are not as different from a lot of the other creatures on this earth and the religious would believe. We do have self awareness. But arguably, so do dolphins, whales, octopi and in a less restrictive sense the hive mind of a bee colony. There are plenty of other examples. But you arrogance doesn't allow you to see this. You take it as an insult. When there was none given. You feel that you need to be special and will have a special home in a fictional world. I don't seek to bring people down a notch to step on them, but rather to get everyone united for the common good.

is god powerful?

Heres the caveat, I have never read the bible

Sorry are you serious? I can't tell

god knows everything?

Yes ~ being absolutely sincere & hoping for civilized discussion!

Another sincere question: How can someone claim to be Christian & not bother to read the bible?

So you want me to tell you what to think?\

Well, fine if you insist. Start with the pope and exodus 20 v 1-15

I could never be a christian because of my past. I used to say things like "religion is war|

Completely indoctrinated. I am recovering

But that is the honest truth, I have never read the bible cover to cover. I have not read all translations either

It's a strange pattern, but most of my boyfriends have been atheists. All but one had morals and a strong sense of character. I learned a lot from them, even though I'm by no means an Atheist myself.