If I were an Atheist

[Dystopia]

This explains why atheist nations typically have an abysmal human rights record.

Bullshit.

Meaning, the facts are exactly the opposite of what you claim:





Denmark, Estonia and Sweden have the highest proportions of atheists and are at the top in the HDI.

Religious shitholes such as Niger, Pakistan and Syria are at the bottom.

I'm not denying that's true but you should take into account that while in Sweden or Iceland there are more atheists the majority of the population isn't atheist but simply non religious or secularist. I think what causes more development is not atheism but free thinking, critical thinking and overall cultural mentalities the people in those countries have (i.e. Common good, working hard for the community, being compassionate with others, etc.) - Truth be told, a few religious ideas can help the economy

In the book, Weber wrote that capitalism in Northern Europe evolved when the Protestant (particularly Calvinist) ethic influenced large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and engaging in trade and the accumulation of wealth for investment. In other words, the Protestant work ethic was an important force behind the unplanned and uncoordinated emergence[2] of modern capitalism. This idea is also known as the "Protestant Ethic thesis."[3]

In 1998 the International Sociological Association listed this work as the fourth most important sociological book of the 20th century

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protest...Capitalism

I'm not saying nations need religion, but in some historical contexts it has helped. I think work ethics, regardless of the source is much more important than being atheistic or not

Also, some countries there like Japan are not that atheist, many Japanese are not religious but superstitious and adhere to traditions like Buddhism, a significant part believes we are all connected and that there is reincarnation