(January 8, 2013 at 5:03 pm)HalcyonicTrust Wrote: I personally find life more meaningful without a god than with one. That's why it's worth being atheistic.
I hate when anyone of any labels say "I am an". Atheist is a position, not who the person is. "Atheist" will no more make one automatically good or evil than any other label. All atheist says is "I do not hold a belief in a god or gods".
"Atheist" does not convey class, or education level, or politics. I know of "atheists" whom do nothing but say "I don't believe" and do nothing to educate themselves. I know atheists who own guns and voted for Mitt Romney. I don't know of any "atheists" personally in our prison systems, but I am sure there are. I am also sure in a more "atheistic" majority like the UK their prisons would reflect a higher rate of atheists because that reflects the population, although they have a total lower crime rate than the US.
Christians represent the majority of our prisoners because they come from a society with a majority of Christians.
Ultimately labels do not matter. We still are individuals in a long evolution all capable of the same range of human emotions and actions, both constructive and destructive.
I wouldn't treat the word "atheist" as a worldview or a personal philosophy. It is just a statement about one position on one issue. Humans are always more complex than the religious or political positions they hold.
