Atheists improve society

The Orange County Register ^ | 11 June 2002 | Richard Cheek

[thinktwice]

In your June 7 editorial on the moving of the Ayn Rand Institute to Irvine ["Ayn Rand in O.C.''], you stated that you took issue with some of Ayn Rand's positions, including her ardent atheism. In today's world of terrorism and conflicts fueled by ardent religious beliefs, it would seem appropriate that you would take issue with ardent religious people, not with any atheists.

[thinktwice]

This charming "letter to the editor" is within the collection of letters now available at the given newspaper link. It won't be easily available after 11 June.

[AppyPappy]

Atheists use reason to solve human problems, to make their way in life, to seek happiness and to live with the human community. Ardent atheists are assets to our world.

Yeah. People like Stalin.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I have no problem with atheists. It is the atheists who are anti-religion and particularly anti-Christian that are the scourge on society.

[KC_Conspirator]

Yes athiests like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. Less than a century and over 100 million dead. What a wonderful track record!

BTW, I am pretty sure that Einstein was not an athiest, but because people assume that he was a scientist he did not believe in God or religion. I just think he was quite secular.

[stuartcr]

What about non-atheists that are against organised religions?

[buffyt]

Satan is dancing in hell, giggling... he loves this kind of crapola.

[buffyt]

Satan's greatest trick is convincing humans that he doesn't exist.

[FormerLib]

Ardent atheists are assets to our world.

Not only Stalin, but Mao, Castro, Pol Pot. The list just goes on!

LOL!

[FormerLib]

Religions have consistently resisted progress. Examples include the ...abolition of slavery...

Apparently, this public-educated Twinkie-muncher never heard of the Second Great Awakening?

[FormerLib]

Not much different that Christianity, really

Thanks for confirming how little you know about Christianity.

[Violette]

I am an atheist. When I allowed my family to learn this about me, I was separated from my niece and nephew because their parents did not want my ideology passed to them. (What's interesting is that atheists are not interlopers)That was almost 20 years ago. Now, my sister has confessed to me that she wished she had allowed them to interact with me more. She has discovered that I actually do not eat babies for breakfast, that I have a high standard for myself and my friends, that I have become a very trusted member of my community and my work. Her children took difficult paths and did not do as well as she had hoped. People often times do not believe that I am atheist because I am a moral person. I am a good person, I just don't believe in God. Atheist does not equal immoral, socialist, nazi, or any other group you want to associate it with. It simply means, does not believe in God. That's it.

[thinktwice]

Bump!

[Protagoras]

Yeah. People like Stalin.

And people like Luther Burbank, Andrew Carnegie, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.

So what's the point? God uses everyone for his own purposes, even unbelievers. Some are good, some are bad. Same as believers.

[AppyPappy]

Tell it to the writer of the letter. I'm a former atheist. When I was an atheist, I never considered myself part of any group. I have no idea what the writer is saying.

[Protagoras]

What a wonderful track record!

Shall we name some noted believers who have done unspeakable things?

[AppyPappy]

Here is a statement used as a fact by the writer:

Atheists use reason to solve human problems, to make their way in life, to seek happiness and to live with the human community.

How did Stalin accomplish these things in his atheist state?

[Gurn]

Just what I like to see: atheist crap on a conservative web site.

[elfman2]

"Most religions teach a contempt for earthly life "

Even as an Atheist, I say this is BS! This whole article sounds like it was written by an angry freshmen who just discovered that the world wasn't the fairy tale that he was thought.

Please don't judge all Objectivists or even all atheists by this idiot. Even faiths have morons as members. I'm surprised the OCR ran it.