Many well known, probably all, atheists claim that morality is in no shape or form derived from any religion. In fact they claim that it is the other way around, religions adopt the morality of the time an culture they are practiced in.
This is why, they claim, we don't stone gay people today, or women who are not virgin before marriage, or people who work on sabbath, we don't even turn the other cheek. Simply put they claim that we pick and choose from the religion whatever agrees with our preexisting morality to justify it, and we throw away the rest which is no longer fit for a modern society or modern people.
There are probably even god scientific explanations for where morality comes from, how it is evolutionary justified, and if I'm not mistaking Richard Dawkins wrote a book on the topic.
Then why do atheists, including Dawkins claim that religion is the root of all evil? That obviously contradict their first point about morality. And then they bitch about inconsistencies in books which are at least a thousand years old and often written by different authors, when a living person contradicts himself all the time making public statements during a lifetime.
Because if morality does not come from religion, then those religious fanatics doing stupid shit picked and chose those particular verses which agree with their morality. That is, take away their religion and they find some other philosophy which they can pick and chose from to justify the stupid shit they are prone towards.
So, religion is not the root of all evil, carefully explained by atheists themselves, people wanting to do stupid shit will find a way to do so, religion or no religion.
Religions are like knifes, you might use one to cut food and feed people, or you might use it to kill people, or you might not have one at all. Is it then sane to try to eliminate it? Do knifes kill people? Or do people kill people?
Certainly religions have some roll in it, but not unless people want to believe. For example many have little to look forward to in this life, and I don't just mean sick and old people, I mean many perfectly normal people are smart enough to realize that they are working at a dead end job, for a minimum wage and no perspective for anything in their life. They are burning through it, not knowing what to do, or what the point with it all is. They turn to religion for hope that their lives, so to speak, cosmically speaking matters. Take away that and what will people do? No one knows, but we can look at Sweden, one of the most non religious countries, but also one with highest mortality rate, might there be a correlation? But perhaps it is more appropriate for people to lack religion and commit suicide rather than risking fanatics killing other people for their god. On the other hand religion might save many from suicide, who will later do great things, while fanatics killing other people do exist without religion, just look at what happened in Norway, no religious motive. As we already established morality does not come from religion, people prone to violence will find a way to justify it, by religion, race, nationality, football team, e.t.c
Beside one can wiggle religion and make it fit modern morality and society. Can one do the same with ideas which will replace it? Atheist often use this point to attack religion, claiming that it is not an authority because it is changing. Forcing religious people to defend their religion making it more rigid, hence more radical and dangerous. Once again contradicting intent by the outcome.
Hence atheists especially the ones calling themselves militaristic only harm their cause, making religions more radical.
Would one really want to improve the situation and not just sell books talking about hot topic, one would first think things through, so that one does not contradict oneself. And more of all one would embrace religion as a philosophical topic and try to talk about it in modern society and what one can learn from it, that is, religion 2.0 - rational approach, not the irrational and frankly rather childish attacks on religion many are involved in, equally blind an irrational as the people they are attacking.
What is needed, and I think I have said it before, are atheists for religion! We don't need militaristic and radical atheists that is a stupid idea, we need rational people, religious or atheists does not matter.
Once again if people want to be militaristic, radical, violent, us-vs-them, they will find a way to justify that behavior, by religion, race, nationality, sport, politics, economics and atheism.
Peace!
P.S. I think I have a good name for it: Agnostic against atheism!
D.S.
P.S.
In the end it is about having something to be passionate about, regardless of whether it is religion, sport or atheism. Too rational life without passion, over thinking things and rationalizing indulgences is very boring, and sad, which is more probable cause for suicide than lack of religion.
