[RobRoy]

As I've said to many self proclaimed atheists (almost all are actually agnostics), if you want to see how a TRUE atheist would live, just watch the movie "Natural Born Killers".

If we are an accident, the concept of an immoral act simply does not exist. Only fear would keep any INTELLIGENT atheist in line. That would make for a pretty dangerous and fearful world.

[tortoise]

If we are an accident, the concept of an immoral act simply does not exist. Only fear would keep any INTELLIGENT atheist in line.

What keeps a theist in line? By your argument, the same fear of consequences.

I would also point out that most people are moral in the broad Golden Rule sense because it is beneficial, provably so mathematically. So-called "enlightened self-interest" provides plenty of carrot for the theist and atheist alike -- it isn't all stick.

(As a really high-level argument, our existence NOT being an accident does not imply that any kind of morality exists either. That is a grossly defective inference that is just kind of assumed by many people. We can't convince intelligent atheists to be theists with bad reasoning and poor logic.)

[stands2reason]

If we are an accident, the concept of an immoral act simply does not exist.

Not true.

[stands2reason]

You apparently never heard of Buddha.

[qam1]

As I've said to many self proclaimed atheists (almost all are actually agnostics), if you want to see how a TRUE atheist would live, just watch the movie "Natural Born Killers". If we are an accident, the concept of an immoral act simply does not exist. Only fear would keep any INTELLIGENT atheist in line. That would make for a pretty dangerous and fearful world.

What a bunch of tripe,

But in the REAL world

1) Atheist/Agnostic are ~15% of the population yet make up just  0.2% of the prison population, while Christians make up 76.5% of the general population yet 83.8% of the prison population.

2) From 1991 to 2001, The Number of the non-religious doubled in number while at the same time the number calling themselves Christians declined by 10% this decline in Christianity is especially seen in young people.

Yet the even though the younger generations are the most unchristian,  violent crime rate has declined through this period, as well as the abortion rate dropped by about 25 percent for both married and unmarried women through the 1990s , The teen Pregnancy Rate Reached a Record Low, More Teenagers are saying no to sex and Drug use by teenagers continues to decline.

Now if believing in an invisable man in the sky had anything to do with being moral, As the country turns more secular wouldn't the trends be going in the opposite direction?

Here is two articles for ya' on how the morailty of young people in our country is improving greatly

Rush Limbaugh on the Next Generation and It's the Morning after in America

You will notice 1 thing missing from both articles, Religion.

3) Born Again Christians are more likely to divorce than Non-Christians

Born Again Adults  - 27%
All other adults - 24%

Non-denominational Protestant - 34%
Jews - 30%
Baptist - 29%
Mormons - 24%
Catholics - 21%
Lutherans - 21%
Atheists/Agnostics 21%

4) The births to unmarried women rate is highest in the Bible Belt

5) Modern day Japan is for all practical purposes an Atheist country yet their society seems to be doing fine. Compare them to very Christian countries like those in Latin America whose societies are in constant chaos and turmoil. 

It's not hard to figure out why this is the case, just look at the philosophies

Atheist: This is all that's it, you only get one shot so don't screw it up

vs

Christian: God doesn't want you to sin but *Wink* *Wink*, God made you a sinner so do what you will just somewhere down the road just accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior and put some bucks in the collection plate and all is forgiven and you get to go to paradise for eternity!