Do you think an atheist society can be successful?

I'd just like to know how people view on religion in terms of it's ability to stabilize a society. By successful I mean; good birth rates, employment rates, low crime, that sort of thing (technology has nothing to do with it by my metric). Do you think that a purely atheist society, can unite and proliferate? Let me know what you think.

Voting Results
57% Normal
Based on 30 votes (17 yes)
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Comments ( 22 )
  • nobodynose

    I think a lot people need a higher power in their life to help them get along/explain things they don't understand/develop moral guidelines. Not that all people need it, but I bet a completely atheist society would have higher rates of immoral or selfish activities.

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    • Grunewald

      I think atheistic societies have different vices. There is no such hing as a fully atheist society, just as there is no such thing as a fully Christian society. Even in a Christian 'culture', not all of those who say they believe will actually believe in their hearts. This matters because our motivations are driven by what we believe, and this determines how we act.

      I'm actually currently living as a Christian in a country that has a 'secular' state, and in which atheism is encouraged through the school system. Religion is frowned upon or seen as a curio. Christianity is very rarely presened in a positive light by state schools/universities or any kind of state-subsidised cultural centre, like theatres, libraries, social and cultural programs, art galleries, museums - which are very popular centres of public life here. The people with the monopoly on 'knowledge' and 'culture' here seem to say that Christianity is something outdated and obsolete of yesteryear, and that it has done little if anything good for the world. Some people see past this, but most do not.

      People still lie and cheat and backstab just like in my own nominally 'Christian' home country (in which there most people actually don't have a personal faith in Christ, but follow the moral codes left behind by those who did, once.). The difference in the secular country is that it's not seen as such as a moral scourge when it happens, and it's harder to get a complaint about such behaviour taken seriously. 'That's just life. Have you been living under a rock? Grow up.'

      Attitudes are different though. People will do obviously 'altruistic' acts in public but it's not clear whether they're just doing it out of a sense of guilt - or maybe to be 'seen' doing it by others. In bigger cities sometimes pregnant women have to ask someone on the subway to give up their seat. Or, people might offer their seat to a pregnant woman but not to someone who is ill/heavy-laden/extremely tired, because the 'unwritten rule' only covers pregnant/elderly/disabled people, and so nobody would think to give them a dirty look. In bigger cities if you fall in the street sometimes nobody will help you (fear of lawsuits, 'it's none of my business', etc.). The attitude in businesses/shops/workplaces of 'I don't care about your struggle and nobody can oblige me to', or 'I'm not helping you because I won't get paid for it' or, 'It's only wrong if you get caught', is quite difficult to get used to.

      But don't even get me started on the vices of so-called 'Christian' societies...

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    • jinx5543

      While that could be true the same thing could be applyed to any other group of people. While there would be no god or thought of do good and get into some sort of heven that would not mean moral guidelines wont develope, and with the immoral or selfish activities those depend on the person and how often those types of people would be in that society.

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    • Murun

      Nonsense. My morals have nothing to do with religious teachings, just human ones.

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      • bob7

        Ur parents were religious thats why u have morals

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        • Murun

          No they weren't. I was never christened, baptised or indoctrinated in any way. Moral teachings were presented as common sense sharing a planet with your fellow humans, not a set of codes from an ancient book of dubious authorship.

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          • bob7

            Before religion , humans were a bunch of savages , thats what i meant

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      • Hateful1

        Your a self confessed atheist pastor who lives on donations from your parishioners. Your morals are somewhat suspect.

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  • russsugar

    It would be hella savage world man. During the good days, the bad days? undescribeable. Haha someone actually thinks our morals come from humanity?? we are animals, but we have a God given conscience that tells us whats right or wrong. People call it gut feeling too

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  • Nickvey

    why would i think they could be normal? they have no moral basis , just look at Hillary Clinton. she kills chickens as a sacrifice to Molack

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    • Hateful1

      It's Moloch.

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      • Nickvey

        what he said

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  • Nickvey

    atheists tend to be full of hate and never smile , they dont want anyone happy because happy people cannot be controlled. show me a happy atheist and i'll show you a man wasted on drugs.

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  • No, I don't think an atheist society can be successful because there is nothing keeping people in line.

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    • whazzup1000

      we wouldnt need religion if people didnt need a sky daddy to keep them in line

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      • Agreed.

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  • BlackCatsAreAwesome

    Yes but no communism or feminism. It's those two aspects that always ruin it.

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    • fakeaccount4

      I get that it's in fashion to hate on "feminism" but how has it actually "ruined" a society ?? Are you saying it's bad to have equal rights 🤔 ?

      Or are you talking about the fringe groups of radicals which exist in any movement, and are mostly ignored??

      I'm not siding with feminism and i suspect you are talking about radicals which I hate as well, I just dont see how those idiots have any power to have "ruined" a whole society. ?

      Actual Feminism is basically dead as it is no longer needed in the first world, so I'm not sure to which you're referring..People who call themselves feminists these days are most likely just psycho liberals.

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  • CozmoWank

    Yeah, why not?

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  • Murun

    It's the only kind of society that could ever hope to be successful. Unfortunately it's never likely to happen any time soon as so many people are hung up on their various gods.

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