The Sinner in the Mirror

The Sinner in the Mirror: Why Atheists Are Stereotyped as Immoral, Secular Humanism.org, By Phil Zuckerman, February/March 2023 https://secularhumanism.org/2022/11/the-sinner-in-the-mirror-why-atheists-are-stereotyped-as-immoral/ The Non-Prophets, Episode 22.34.4 featuring Cynthia McDonald , Phil the Skeptic...

The Sinner in the Mirror: Why Atheists Are Stereotyped as Immoral, Secular Humanism.org, By Phil Zuckerman, February/March 2023

https://secularhumanism.org/2022/11/the-sinner-in-the-mirror-why-atheists-are-stereotyped-as-immoral/

The Non-Prophets, Episode 22.34.4 featuring Cynthia McDonald , Phil the Skeptic Atheist, Jonathan Roudabush and Infidel64

In public perception, a common misconception links secular individuals to immorality due to the assumption that without belief in a deity, morals are Not possible without a deity.
Clarence Thomas, said “if your an atheist, what does an oath mean?” , Thomas, the impartial U.S. Supreme Court Justice, husband of a Christian-fascist insurrectionist.
Recent research by Professor Will Gervais reveals this bias, impacting political and social interactions. Historical influence of religious authorities, complexity of morality, and projection contribute to this stereotype. Projection is when negative qualities are projected onto others, seen in stereotypes of Native Americans as savages and Black men as predators.

This stereotype is flawed; empirical data indicates non-believers often advocate for empathy and justice. This raises questions about true sources of morality and who truly demonstrates it. Its interesting that we have reports from multiple religious organizations about sexual assault, grooming, financial impropriety and down right theft are still saying, atheists don’t believe in god so they are not trustworthy.The article mentioned freewill and arguments about morality, but it misses the point. Christians aren’t taking a serious philosophical position, just regurgitating what they’re told on Sundays.

They say morals come from the bible, but have no idea what it says. Traditional marriage? The bible sets a price for a rape victim to forcibly marry her rapist. Abortion? The bible has a recipe/potent for the priest to cause an abortion, but only to protect the man’s rights.
Christians deeply misunderstand what atheist means, they have been told repeated lies. Interestingly, projection might explain why the stereotype of atheists as immoral persists. Theists may project their moral shortcomings onto atheists to avoid self-examination. Ironically, non-religious people often hold more compassionate, just stances on issues like gun control, climate change, immigration, and healthcare.

Theists feel God is the arbiter of morality and because of this it is objective not subjective, but there is no consensus on what any imagined god wills or wants with respect to moral questions. All human conclusions about God’s assumed moral directives are nothing but interpretations reflecting the will, culture, worldview, or power of the humans doing the interpreting. Obedience to a god, defies self-moral reasoning. Their morality is usually based on threats of going to hell or heaven, which is abusive.

If you’re good because of god, then you are not good.

#godless #humanist #agnosticatheist #atheist #antireligion

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