One of the most common arguments I see US atheists use to challenge the religious community is to state that religious people are less moral than non-religious people. While there are many historical events that can be used to challenge this argument, there have been a number of recent events that are particularly striking in regards to the morality of people who do not value religion. The events are mass shootings.
First, I will note that religious views are not the only defining characteristic of a person when it comes to analyzing criminal behavior. There are many other factors to observe, but in this article I am specifically focusing on religious affiliation. Also, I am not reporting this information to point fingers at atheists (note, I identify as atheist myself), but rather to draw attention to issues I think the US atheist community should acknowledge.
On October 1, 2017, a mass shooter known as Stephen Paddock, 64, killed 58 people and and injured 851. This shooting is said to be the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the United States. While there is little official knowledge of the shooter’s religious background, his brother said he had “no religious affiliation at all.” Of course this does not mean that the shooter was atheist, or is proof that the shooter had no religious affiliation, but it shows that the shooter could possibly have been non-religious.
On November 5, 2017, a 26-year-old man walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and killed 26 people and injured 20. It was noted that the man followed various atheist Facebook pages. Again, this is not proof that the shooter was atheist, but it shows that he was interested in the non-religious community and could have been non-religious.
On May 18, 2018, a 17-year-old student walked onto Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, and killed 10 students and injured 13. His Facebook profile noted his religious views as “atheist.” This is a unique case where the shooter openly expressed he was atheist, which is a huge blow to the US atheist community.
Of course these events do not define the entire atheist community, just like how crimes committed by Christians do not define the entire Christian population. However, I think the argument that people who lack religion are more moral is definitely losing ground as we continue to see heinous crimes committed by people who either do not showcase religious views or openly proclaim to be atheist. This is going to be an ongoing analysis as the non-religious community continues to grow in the United States.
Lauren Ell is an American blogger born and raised in Southern California and is currently based in Sweden. She discusses Epilepsy, Politics and Fun. Professionally Ell is an Online Marketing Consultant and Virtual Assistant. She is also founder and president of Republican Atheists. Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.