Changes

[[File:Beggar in Cambodia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A beggar in [[Cambodia]]. In Cambodia, the vast majority of the population adheres to a nontheistic form of [[Buddhism]] called the Theravada school of Buddhism.  

[[File:Beggar in Cambodia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A beggar in [[Cambodia]]. In Cambodia, the vast majority of the population adheres to a nontheistic form of [[Buddhism]] called the Theravada school of Buddhism.  

 

 

 

A comprehensive study by [[Harvard University]] professor Robert Putnam found that religious people are more charitable than their irreligious counterparts.<ref name="Burke Campbell">Multiple references:

A comprehensive study by [[Harvard University]] professor Robert Putnam found that religious people are more charitable than their irreligious counterparts.<ref name="Burke Campbell">Multiple references:

*Burke, Daniel, Religion News Service (May 13, 2009). [http://web.archive.org/web/20130310113024/http://www.pewforum.org/Religion-News/Religious-people-make-better-citizens-study-says.aspx "Religious people make better citizens, study says"]. Pew Research Forum. Archived on March 10, 2013 by Internet Archive.  Retrieved July 19, 2014.

*Burke, Daniel, Religion News Service (May 13, 2009). [http://web.archive.org/web/20130310113024/http://www.pewforum.org/Religion-News/Religious-people-make-better-citizens-study-says.aspx "Religious people make better citizens, study says"]. Pew Research Forum. Archived on March 10, 2013 by Internet Archive.  Retrieved July 19, 2014.

*Campbell, David and Putnam, Robert (November 14, 2010).  [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-11-15-column15_ST_N.htm "Religious people are 'better neighbors'"]. USA Today website.  Retrieved on July 19, 2014.</ref>  

*Campbell, David and Putnam, Robert (November 14, 2010).  [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-11-15-column15_ST_N.htm "Religious people are 'better neighbors'"]. USA Today website.  Retrieved on July 19, 2014.</ref>  

 

From a  moral, [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] and spiritual perspective, [[Atheism|atheists]] have an inability to satisfactorily explain the existence of [[love]].<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall</ref><ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref>]]

From a  moral, [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] and spiritual perspective, [[Atheism|atheists]] have an inability to satisfactorily explain the existence of [[love]].<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall</ref><ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref>]]

From a  moral, [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] and spiritual perspective, atheists have an inability to satisfactorily explain the existence of [[love]].<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall</ref><ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref> See also: [[Atheism and morality]]

From a  moral, [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] and spiritual perspective, atheists have an inability to satisfactorily explain the existence of [[love]].<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall</ref><ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref> See also: [[Atheism and morality]]

When a man says, “I love you,” to his wife, he is simply expressing something about his hormonal levels toward her as a mate. What he is really saying is, “My hormones surge for you,” not “You are my soul mate,” because the atheist doesn’t believe in souls or metaphysical connections between humans.

When a man says, “I love you,” to his wife, he is simply expressing something about his hormonal levels toward her as a mate. What he is really saying is, “My hormones surge for you,” not “You are my soul mate,” because the atheist doesn’t believe in souls or metaphysical connections between humans.

Incidentally, a man’s hormones might start surging for another woman (or several women) at some point. The same man might also be ready to say, “I love you,” to these new women, too.<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall </ref>}}

Incidentally, a man’s hormones might start surging for another woman (or several women) at some point. The same man might also be ready to say, “I love you,” to these new women, too.<ref>[http://www.strangenotions.com/atheists-love/ How do atheists define love?] by Dr. Taylor Marshall</ref>}}

A [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] wrote about atheism and love:

A [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] wrote about atheism and love:

Tepper argued that the best source of this ‘love’ is [[God]]. 1 John 4 describes ‘God as love’. She said that love comes in relationship (we can’t love being alone) and God is love because God is Trinity. She went on to propose that love is never self-centred, in fact love is sustained through self-sacrifice (we wouldn’t have many friends if love is all about me).<ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref>}}

Tepper argued that the best source of this ‘love’ is [[God]]. 1 John 4 describes ‘God as love’. She said that love comes in relationship (we can’t love being alone) and God is love because God is Trinity. She went on to propose that love is never self-centred, in fact love is sustained through self-sacrifice (we wouldn’t have many friends if love is all about me).<ref>[https://atheistforum.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/what-is-love-how-materialist-atheism-fails-to-have-a-satisfactory-answer/ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer], July 9, 2014</ref>}}

[[File:Fra Angelico Lamentacion por la muerte de Cristo.jpg|thumbnail|left|200px|[[Jesus Christ]] and his apostles taught a gospel of love.<ref>[http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/Gospel.htm ''The Triumph of the Gospel of Love''] by Monk Themistocles ((Adamopoulo)</ref> ]]

[[File:Fra Angelico Lamentacion por la muerte de Cristo.jpg|thumbnail|left|200px|[[Jesus Christ]] and his apostles taught a gospel of love.<ref>[http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/Gospel.htm ''The Triumph of the Gospel of Love''] by Monk Themistocles (Adamopoulo)</ref> ]]

The Christian website ''Good to those who love God'' declares:

The Christian website ''Good to those who love God'' declares:

== Atheism, marriage, domestic violence and low fertility rates ==

== Atheism, marriage, domestic violence and low fertility rates ==

 

* [[Atheism and women]] (In terms of [[global atheism]], there are significantly more atheist men than women. In addition, in the [[Western World]], the [[Atheist Population|atheist population]] is skewed towards white men. See: [[Western atheism and race]])

* [[Atheism and women]] (In terms of [[global atheism]], there are significantly more atheist men than women. In addition, in the [[Western World]], the [[Atheist Population|atheist population]] is skewed towards white men. See: [[Western atheism and race]])

== Atheism, God, love, anger and apathy ==

== Atheism, God, love, anger and apathy ==

[[File:Ray Comfort Promo Picture.jpg|left|thumbnail|200px|The Christian evangelist [[Ray Comfort]] contends that atheists hate God because they know that He does exist.<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2009/02/87777/ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong]</ref>  

[[File:Ray Comfort Promo Picture.jpg|left|thumbnail|200px|The Christian evangelist [[Ray Comfort]] contends that atheists hate God because they know that He does exist.<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2009/02/87777/ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong]</ref>  

 

 

 

Comfort declared in 2009: "Atheists don't hate fairies, leprauchans or unicorns because they don't exist. It is impossible to hate something that doesn't exist. And that makes the point."<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2009/02/87777/ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong]</ref>]]

Comfort declared in 2009: "Atheists don't hate fairies, leprauchans or unicorns because they don't exist. It is impossible to hate something that doesn't exist. And that makes the point."<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2009/02/87777/ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong]</ref>]]

</ref>  

</ref>  

In July of 2000, [[Creation Ministries International]] reported:

In July 2000, [[Creation Ministries International]] reported:

{{cquote|For years, many people have scoffed at any suggestion that the evils in society could be linked with the teaching of the theory of [[evolution]]. But new research has confirmed what Bible-believers have known all along—that the rising acceptance of [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]’s theory is related to declining morality in the community.

{{cquote|For years, many people have scoffed at any suggestion that the evils in society could be linked with the teaching of the theory of [[evolution]]. But new research has confirmed what Bible-believers have known all along—that the rising acceptance of [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]’s theory is related to declining morality in the community.

== Atheism and lower empathy towards others ==

== Atheism and lower empathy towards others ==

[[File:Beggar.jpg|thumb|right|205px|A child in [[Thailand]] where the nontheistic form of [[Buddhism]] called the Theravada school of Buddhism is prevalent. In 2010, the Pew Research Forum indicated that 93.2% of the people of Thailand were Buddhists.<ref name="pew2010">[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2012/12/globalReligion-tables.pdf Pew Research Center - Global Religious Landscape 2010 - religious composition by country].</ref>  

[[File:Beggar.jpg|thumb|right|205px|A child in [[Thailand]] where the nontheistic form of [[Buddhism]] called the Theravada school of Buddhism is prevalent. In 2010, the Pew Research Forum indicated that 93.2% of the people of Thailand were Buddhists.<ref name="pew2010">[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2012/12/globalReligion-tables.pdf Pew Research Center - Global Religious Landscape 2010 - religious composition by country].</ref>  

 

 

 

[[Per capita]] [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] in America give significantly less to charity than [[theism|theists]] even when church giving is not counted for theists (See: [[Atheism and charity|Atheism and uncharitableness]]). ]]

[[Per capita]] [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] in America give significantly less to charity than [[theism|theists]] even when church giving is not counted for theists (See: [[Atheism and charity|Atheism and uncharitableness]]). ]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and charity|Atheism and uncharitableness]] and [[Atheism and narcissism]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and charity|Atheism and uncharitableness]] and [[Atheism and narcissism]]

{{Cquote|[[Richard Dawkins]] is perhaps one of the last men on Earth who should be discussing what is the right and proper way to raise children, given that the number of his wives outnumber his offspring.  

{{Cquote|[[Richard Dawkins]] is perhaps one of the last men on Earth who should be discussing what is the right and proper way to raise children, given that the number of his wives outnumber his offspring.  

In his letter to his daughter Juliet, addressed to her at the age of ten and published in ''A Devil’s Chaplain'', there is little mention of love, no admission of regret, and no paternal promises. As one British journalist noted, the letter is “coldly impersonal” and “authoritarian.” There is no expression of interest in what might be important to her. <ref>[http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf The Irrational Atheist. Chapter VIII DARWIN’S JUDAS] by Vox Day</ref>}}

In his letter to his daughter Juliet, addressed to her at the age of ten and published in ''A Devil’s Chaplain'', there is little mention of love, no admission of regret, and no paternal promises. As one British journalist noted, the letter is “coldly impersonal” and “authoritarian.” There is no expression of interest in what might be important to her.<ref>[http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf The Irrational Atheist. Chapter VIII DARWIN’S JUDAS] by Vox Day</ref>}}

== Objective love exists. Atheists are wrong about love/morality being merely subjective ==

== Objective love exists. Atheists are wrong about love/morality being merely subjective ==

[[File:G. Christina.jpg|thumbnail|left|205px|Picture of [[Greta Christina]] in 2010.

[[File:G. Christina.jpg|thumbnail|left|205px|Picture of [[Greta Christina]] in 2010.

 

<small>(photo from [https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgipps/4988339630/in/photolist-2rDM3o-bt3Ftm-bFXxr4-5nz1zL-7fobnw-7fobys-7fjigk-7fjiwX-7fobh5-5T99Aj-5T4L6K-5T98K1-5T96wf-5T4NZF-7e8Beb-7c7bCe-7e8zi9-7caZdy-8ANxzG-7e8xjS-8AKsPT-68xpDc-68xpDt-6rdw8-bHrFL6-bHrFKZ-fznm8w-eUwdEY-bqezJr-e3JzYN-fQtemN-axf5DW-dQotEq-7agx5n-okT16-MvRwB-8ANxss-8ANxSw-8UMG16-9LdtG8-bnvf16-adV2DK-bG97z6-bG97fc-bG96TK-btehjh-82T2J-oAdNG-2VKxNd-2uHoFH Flickr], see: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ license agreement])</small>]]

<small>(photo from [https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgipps/4988339630/in/photolist-2rDM3o-bt3Ftm-bFXxr4-5nz1zL-7fobnw-7fobys-7fjigk-7fjiwX-7fobh5-5T99Aj-5T4L6K-5T98K1-5T96wf-5T4NZF-7e8Beb-7c7bCe-7e8zi9-7caZdy-8ANxzG-7e8xjS-8AKsPT-68xpDc-68xpDt-6rdw8-bHrFL6-bHrFKZ-fznm8w-eUwdEY-bqezJr-e3JzYN-fQtemN-axf5DW-dQotEq-7agx5n-okT16-MvRwB-8ANxss-8ANxSw-8UMG16-9LdtG8-bnvf16-adV2DK-bG97z6-bG97fc-bG96TK-btehjh-82T2J-oAdNG-2VKxNd-2uHoFH Flickr], see: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ license agreement])</small>]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and communism]] and [[Soviet atheism]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and communism]] and [[Soviet atheism]]

According to the [[University of Cambridge]], historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the [[Marxism-Leninism|Marxist-Leninists]] to power."<ref name="Marxism-Leninism">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20130728215151/http://www.investigatingatheism.info/marxism.html|title="Investigating atheism: Marxism"|publisher = [[University of Cambridge]]|quote=The most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power. For the first time in history, atheism thus became the official ideology of a state.|year=2008|accessdate=July 17, 2014|}}</ref> Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "[[Bolshevik]] communists were not merely atheists but, according to [[Lenin]]'s terminology, [[militant atheist]]s."<ref name="Lenin & militant atheism">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ufC9Ar8iuDcC&pg=PA161&dq=The+Bolshevik+communists+were+not+merely+atheists+but,+according+to+Lenin%27s+terminology,+militant+atheists.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1oFUUdj6PIiK0QGvq4CAAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Bolshevik%20communists%20were%20not%20merely%20atheists%20but%2C%20according%20to%20Lenin's%20terminology%2C%20militant%20atheists.&f=false|title =''On Superconductivity and Superfluidity: A Scientific Autobiography'' |author=Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg|publisher = Springer Science+Business Media|pages=p. 161|year=2009|quote=The Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists.|accessdate = July 17, 2014}}</ref> However, prior to this, the [[Reign of Terror]] of the [[French Revolution]] established an [[atheist state]], with the official ideology being the [[Cult of Reason]]; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the [[guillotine]].<ref>Multiple references:

According to the [[University of Cambridge]], historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the [[Marxism-Leninism|Marxist-Leninists]] to power."<ref name="Marxism-Leninism">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20130728215151/http://www.investigatingatheism.info/marxism.html|title=Investigating atheism: Marxism|publisher = [[University of Cambridge]]|quote=The most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power. For the first time in history, atheism thus became the official ideology of a state.|year=2008|accessdate=July 17, 2014}}</ref> Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "[[Bolshevik]] communists were not merely atheists but, according to [[Lenin]]'s terminology, [[militant atheist]]s."<ref name="Lenin & militant atheism">{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ufC9Ar8iuDcC&pg=PA161&dq=The+Bolshevik+communists+were+not+merely+atheists+but,+according+to+Lenin%27s+terminology,+militant+atheists.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1oFUUdj6PIiK0QGvq4CAAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Bolshevik%20communists%20were%20not%20merely%20atheists%20but%2C%20according%20to%20Lenin's%20terminology%2C%20militant%20atheists.&f=false|title =''On Superconductivity and Superfluidity: A Scientific Autobiography'' |author=Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg|publisher = Springer Science+Business Media|pages=161|year=2009|quote=The Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists.|accessdate = July 17, 2014}}</ref> However, prior to this, the [[Reign of Terror]] of the [[French Revolution]] established an [[atheist state]], with the official ideology being the [[Cult of Reason]]; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the [[guillotine]].<ref>Multiple references:

<!-- Guillotine -->*{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bf3m7IVAa9gC&pg=PA461&dq=France+atheism+guillotine++Christians+executed&hl=en&sa=X&ei=l4lUUaTRBufG0QGe0IHACA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=France%20atheism%20guillotine%20%20Christians%20executed&f=false|title =''Christianity: The eBook''|author=James Adair|publisher = JBE Online Books|year=2007|quote=Although the Civil Constitution called for religious liberty, which was extended to Jews as well as Christians, many revolutionaries pushed for the establishment of a new state religion, either the Cult of Reason (atheists) or the Cult of the Supreme Being (Deists). Changes to the calendar eliminated references to Christian holidays, and even the ancient seven-day week, and a list of officially recognized saints included such famous thinkers such as Socrates, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A period of political persecution, often with religious overtones, broke out, known as the Reign of Terror. Thousands of people were executed by the guillotine, including many of the original leaders of the French Revolution.|pages=p. 461|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}

<!-- Guillotine -->*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bf3m7IVAa9gC&pg=PA461&dq=France+atheism+guillotine++Christians+executed&hl=en&sa=X&ei=l4lUUaTRBufG0QGe0IHACA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=France%20atheism%20guillotine%20%20Christians%20executed&f=false|title =''Christianity: The eBook''|author=James Adair|publisher = JBE Online Books|year=2007|quote=Although the Civil Constitution called for religious liberty, which was extended to Jews as well as Christians, many revolutionaries pushed for the establishment of a new state religion, either the Cult of Reason (atheists) or the Cult of the Supreme Being (Deists). Changes to the calendar eliminated references to Christian holidays, and even the ancient seven-day week, and a list of officially recognized saints included such famous thinkers such as Socrates, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A period of political persecution, often with religious overtones, broke out, known as the Reign of Terror. Thousands of people were executed by the guillotine, including many of the original leaders of the French Revolution.|pages=461|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}

<!-- France -->*{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9WkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA105&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Memoirs of the Reign of George III. to the Session of Parliament ending A.D. 1793'', Volume 5|page=105|author=William Belsham|publisher = G.G. & J. Robinson|year=1801|quote=In allusion to the monstrous transactions of this portentous period, it has been eloquently and energetically observed, 'that the reign of atheism in France was avowed the reign of terror. In the full madness of their career, in the highest climax of their horrors, they shut up the temples of God, abolished His worship, and proclaimed death to be an eternal sleep:—in the very centre of Christendom, Revelation underwent a total eclipse, while atheism, performing on a darkened theatre its strange and fearful tragedy, confounded the first elements of society, blended every age, rank, and sex, indiscriminate proscription and massacre, and convulsed all Europe to its centre, that the imperishable memorial of these events might teach the last generations of mankind to consider religion as the pillar of society, the parent of social order, and the safe-guard of nations.'<br>"It is wonderful that, amid the horrors of this dismal period, while 'the death dance of democratic revolution' was still in rapid movement, among the tears of affliction, and the cries of despair, 'the masque, the song, the theatric scene, the buffoon laughter, went on as regularly as in the gay hour of festive peace.'|pages=pp. 105-6|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}

<!-- France -->*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9WkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA105&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Memoirs of the Reign of George III. to the Session of Parliament ending A.D. 1793'', Volume 5|page=105|author=William Belsham|publisher = G.G. & J. Robinson|year=1801|quote=In allusion to the monstrous transactions of this portentous period, it has been eloquently and energetically observed, 'that the reign of atheism in France was avowed the reign of terror. In the full madness of their career, in the highest climax of their horrors, they shut up the temples of God, abolished His worship, and proclaimed death to be an eternal sleep:—in the very centre of Christendom, Revelation underwent a total eclipse, while atheism, performing on a darkened theatre its strange and fearful tragedy, confounded the first elements of society, blended every age, rank, and sex, indiscriminate proscription and massacre, and convulsed all Europe to its centre, that the imperishable memorial of these events might teach the last generations of mankind to consider religion as the pillar of society, the parent of social order, and the safe-guard of nations.'<br>"It is wonderful that, amid the horrors of this dismal period, while 'the death dance of democratic revolution' was still in rapid movement, among the tears of affliction, and the cries of despair, 'the masque, the song, the theatric scene, the buffoon laughter, went on as regularly as in the gay hour of festive peace.'|pages=105–6|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}

<!-- Reign of Terror -->*{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Tt5rqiCP1p8C&pg=PA57&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West''|author=William Kilpatrick|publisher = Ignatius Press|year=2012|quote=Actually, it's helpful to think in terms of two Enlightenments: the Enlightenment that cut itself off from God. The former led to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, the abolition of slavery, and the civil rights movement. The latter led to the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, the suppression of church by state, and the godless philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche and their offspring—National Socialism and communism. More recently the abandonment of God has led to the regime of cultural relativism that regards rights as arbitrary constructions.<br>"It's this second Enlightenment tradition that Cardinal Ratzinger referred to when he wrote, 'The radical detachment of the Enlightenment philosophy from its roots ultimately leads it to dispense with man.' Actually this transition happened not 'ultimately' but almost immediately. The first instance occurred when Enlightenment worship of abstract 'reason' and 'liberty' degenerated quickly into the mass murders committed during the antireligious Reign of Terror in France. 'Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name', said Madam Rolande as she faced the statue of Liberty in the Place de la Revolution movements before her death at the guillotine. She was one of the early victims of a succession of secular systems based on rootless notions of 'liberty', 'equality', and 'reason'.<br>"As many historians have pointed out, the atheist regimes of modern times are guilty of far more crimes than any committed in the name of religion. Communist governments alone were guilty of more than one hundred million murders, most of them committed against their own people.|pages=p. 57|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}</ref>

<!-- Reign of Terror -->*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Tt5rqiCP1p8C&pg=PA57&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West''|author=William Kilpatrick|publisher = Ignatius Press|year=2012|quote=Actually, it's helpful to think in terms of two Enlightenments: the Enlightenment that cut itself off from God. The former led to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, the abolition of slavery, and the civil rights movement. The latter led to the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, the suppression of church by state, and the godless philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche and their offspring—National Socialism and communism. More recently the abandonment of God has led to the regime of cultural relativism that regards rights as arbitrary constructions.<br>"It's this second Enlightenment tradition that Cardinal Ratzinger referred to when he wrote, 'The radical detachment of the Enlightenment philosophy from its roots ultimately leads it to dispense with man.' Actually this transition happened not 'ultimately' but almost immediately. The first instance occurred when Enlightenment worship of abstract 'reason' and 'liberty' degenerated quickly into the mass murders committed during the antireligious Reign of Terror in France. 'Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name', said Madam Rolande as she faced the statue of Liberty in the Place de la Revolution movements before her death at the guillotine. She was one of the early victims of a succession of secular systems based on rootless notions of 'liberty', 'equality', and 'reason'.<br>"As many historians have pointed out, the atheist regimes of modern times are guilty of far more crimes than any committed in the name of religion. Communist governments alone were guilty of more than one hundred million murders, most of them committed against their own people.|pages=57|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}</ref>

=== Militant atheism and repression, deception and violence ===

=== Militant atheism and repression, deception and violence ===

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4: 3-12 (King James Bible) <ref> 1 John 4: 3-12 King James Bible</ref>}}

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4: 3-12 (King James Bible) <ref>1 John 4: 3-12 King James Bible</ref>}}

== See also ==

== See also ==