My next objection to modern Atheists is the proof of some sort of moral superiority of Atheism (or Humanists as it appears to be in vogue lately).  This is usually arrived at by declaring that religion has been the source of near all of humanity’s ills throughout history and has done near nothing to advance the human condition (i.e. Godless societies are happier and healthier).  I won’t get into a debate about the role of Faith throughout history but I would be happy to discuss the history of the last 100 years.  In fact, let’s discuss the 40 million killed during the ‘Great Leap Forward’ of the atheistic People’s Republic of China. The countless millions killed by Josef Stalin in the ‘godless’ Soviet Union, the agrarian communists and the ‘Killing Fields’ of the Khmer Rouge.  We could discuss the gender rights of the PRC to include forced sterilizations and sex selection by Chinese peasants.  The killings of homosexuals by the Soviet Union or the stifling hell that the North Koreans run their country are good examples.  Perhaps religion has had a higher body count over the entire breadth of history but governments with atheism being key parts of their creed have certainly made a good start in catching up.  Certainly dead people within my life-time have greater resonance than bringing up the Crusades that happened centuries ago.  The point is not to say that religious-based governments have a better track record (good god, no) but to say that Atheism has more claim to moral superiority than religion is foolish because the facts simply aren’t there.  Rather, morality and wisdom in rulers is a function of their personal sense of ethics and behavior and generally has precious little to do with their belief or absence of belief in a Diety.  I will take a moral and wise believer over an amoral and villainous non-believer (and vice versa) any day of the week.

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