Atheist ethics are better than Christianity. Rather than trying to tell Christians they are wrong and God doesn’t exist, our message needs to be a positive statement of ethics and morality based on nature.
Christians claim to have better ethics, better morality. Without God we would all be evil. This is nonsense of course. Atheism has the better ethical claim, but how do we convince Christians of this point?
I believe it is easier to persuade someone of a better idea rather than convincing them they are wrong. We need to “sell” Christians the better ethic. Once they buy it, God is doomed.
In what sense do Christians claim to have better ethics? We believe that objective moral duties and obligations exist. Atheists may believe the very same thoughts and behaviours are right or wrong, but the atheist moral code is a matter of preference or social conditioning.
“without God we would all be evil.”
You’re right. That is nonsense. Even with God we are evil, we stand guilty and in need of forgiveness. To one degree or another every person on earth is a liar, hypocrite, adulterer, bigot, dishonest, greedy, selfish, etc.
“All have sinned and fall short of God’s expectations for us.”
The issue is not how “good” we are. Any given atheist may be a better person than any given Christian. The issue is one of guilt. You and I are both guilty and will remain guilty until we receive the gift of salvation freely offered by Jesus.
Christianity demeans humanity by saying we are naturally evil. We aren’t.
Evil is a terrible thing. When I speak of evil, I am talking about the rape of children, slavery, and torture. These things are evil. To say that hypocricy and greed are evil discounts the true evil people suffer.
The Atheist Ethic embraces life for that is all we have. We don’t tell suffering people to tough it out because everything will be made right in heaven. There is no heaven, and if something is to be made right, it has to happen now.
The Atheist Ethic opposes death, for that is the end. We don’t try to cheapen it by saying people really aren’t dead but are happily in heaven. When they are dead they are gone, so we shouldn’t kill them. Nothing will ever bring them back.
Christian sin and grace give someone an imaginary disease cured by an imaginary medicine, for which you pay real money. It’s fraud, and that is unethical.
I am not guilty of sin. If I hurt someone, I must try to make it right. I can’t pass that responsibility on to Jesus or anyone. It’s my own. Some things cannot be made right and that is terrible. I shouldn’t do those things.
Atheist ethics are rooted in nature and are centered in human beings. This is good. Christian ethics are a moving target. Through the years Christianity has embraced slavery then condemned it; treated women very badly, treats them better today, but still treats them badly; rejected homosexuals and persecuted homosexuals; and many other bad things. Today’s atheist advocates for a positive humanist ethic rooted in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is far superior to what Christianity has ever had to offer.