Atheists DON'T have morals? WHAT??!??!??!?!

[Im A Little Pea]

I understand why they think so.
No deity means that morals truly are subjective. There isn't one authority to morals, and every society or person sees it differently.
However, I'm pretty sure everyone has them, no matter how different they might be.

I still resent those accusations, because they're false and insulting. We're all people, we all have feelings and needs, and most of us, those who are sane, would probably be aware to the fact that other people are the same as us. We don't want to be hurt and most people don't want to hurt others. It isn't about having faith, it's being sane.

I'd never understand why people see life as meaningless without afterlife; if anything, it's the other way around.  

[=X-Sparker + AquaKiller=]

I don't know how many times I have to quote this: God spent the first five books of the Bible wiping people out. He even threatens his believers to kill their own children as a "sign of devotion" to him. Some moral he has...

Honestly, though, if your friend has nothing else better to do with her life without God... She must have a pretty sad life (You'd probably take offense anyway, but I have to say I think this is true).

 

[Ammonia Spike]

A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
(Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science", New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930)

(I know this is a copypasta response, but I love this quote.)  

[RestlessRenegade]

This is actually a really common idea. Philosophers since the Greeks have been saying that without God, man has no morality. They argue, among other things, that God creates fear which enforces good behavior, God inspires people to be good, and God rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior. Without a supreme deity telling people how to act, there would be no need for social order or kindness; we'd all just do whatever we wanted.

Of course, as atheists we know that isn't true. I think it's hard to predict what the world would be like without religion (and I'm a little skeptical that the species will live long enough for such a thing to happen) but on a personal scale, I don't just do whatever I want because I believe there's no God to punish me now or hell to punish me after death. I act in a socially acceptable way and I try to be a good person because I think it will better the world around me, and it makes me feel better.