You're right, the motivation is different. Atheists do good for the sake of doing good, not to try and earn brownie points with Jesus.

Also, with regard to your insinuation that atheists commit more crimes, what do you make of the statistical reality that there are disproportionally lower numbers of atheists in prison than religious people?

Amen brother.

Edit:
Specifically the devils/demons aspect of it as well.

Ethan brings up another point about the idea of putting the "fear of god" into people. The whole notion of doing good for fear of the wrath of god feels wrong to me. I'd rather my children raised to know what is right and wrong, and make good decisions based on their own knowledge, understanding and judgement, not based on the fear that some spiritual boogy-man is going to smite them if they don't toe the line.

Well, these people must have only "found god" AFTER going to prison. and now, god bless their immortal soul, they're SAVED! In the eyes of god a rapist and murderer is just as good and beautiful a person as Ghandi or Mother Teresa since he's accepted Jesus as his lord and savior. And because a child molester mumbled "yeah...sorry bout that" to god, he now has stronger morals than us atheists damned to eternal hellfire.

doesn't that just move the fear of judgment from God to society? I don't think this argument has gone much past a superficial level so far.

LOL. Of course. :laughing:

No. I think the comparison is morality as a result of spiritual fear versus morality as a result of genuine willingness to do good, regardless of consequence for negative actions.

'genuine willingness to do good,' where does the idea of 'genuine' come from, why is there a 'willingness' present, and how do we define the 'good'? sounds like a series of responses to social pressures to me. if you could arrive at such a state without interacting with other people and being forced to adopt the social game, you'd have to assume the existence of God.

Not in my mind no. Someone who refrains from causing harm on others merely because it is against the law and only because they fear repercussions from society is no better than someone who only refrains from causing harm because of the fear of god.

A truly good person is someone who seeks to help people not just to "earn brownie points with jesus" or to earn brownie points from society, but because they are driven by something inside them, and have some internal motivation to make a positive difference in whatever way. The motivation shouldn't come from a fear of god or a fear of society, it should come from an internal desire to do good.

It's the assumption that (most) humans have a natural capacity to care that's not a result of legal consequence.
I think, if anything, the inability to care is more of an effect of societal pressure than the inverse.

Edit:
Instead of inability, I should have said "unwillingness".