What is the Most Ancient and Unchanging of All "Religions"


There are so many cliches Christians use when describing atheists. A few of them are, "no moral grounding," "don't believe in anything," and "don't accept the truth." Christians do not quote atheists or survey them to see if what the attribute to them is what atheists actually think. Instead Christians make up things about atheists and publish them as if they were true.

Apparently there is not enough money for atheists to mount the same level of propaganda against Christians it mounts against atheism. Or, atheism's set of morals and convictions are just not juiced up enough to draw commercials or advertising. But, atheists, secularists and humanists have something to say. There are some best selling books and occasionally some good writing on the net. 

At the risk of over generalizing, I would say the views of the majority of nonbelievers would go like this: Ever since the beginning of humans there have been both those who believed in gods and those who did not. The experience, at least since recorded history, of societies where non belief was common has been no worse than societies where belief in a god or gods was common. Today, individuals who do not believe in a god or gods have records of citizenship and in the common good that are as good, or maybe better, as those who believe in a god or gods. 

The link by a humanist explains during times of crisis and disaster those who do not believe in a god or gods focus on the demonstrated ability of humans to see their way through current problems and persevere. Humans have, so far, persevered through larger challenges than those we experience in modern life. If humans have done this before there is the optimism they can do it again. This is not based on imaginary gods but history and experience.

This optimism about humans surely has been present for as far back as there have been gods. It has not changed while a litany of gods has come and gone. If you are one who despairs over the "lost morality" around you remember humans have come through these periods for two or three hundred thousand years. The god that instructs you about human morality is but a brief flash in human history and no doubt will be gone like all the others.

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