The Golden Rule for Atheists - Treat Believers as They Should Treat You

I'll admit, when it comes to the religious beliefs of others, I haven't always been as accepting as I should be. Who is perfect, really? I've probably made a comment or two (probably while drinking, and probably along the lines of, "Jesus was awesome! He was, like, the world's first hippy. He might not have been the son of God, but he had some good stuff to say and he was probably higher than a kite while saying it, am I right?") that made someone around me uncomfortable, and for that I feel sorry. Some might say, "Well, they do it to us all the time, so why should you be sorry?"

Well, because despite being an atheists, I was raised a Christian. I had that whole "Golden Rule" thing drilled into me from a young age. Sure, many Christians forget that rule by the time they reach Kindergarten, and some never truly learn it. My father, putting it into more secular terms, always said, "Two wrongs don't make a right." It's this basic phrase that guides my own personal sense of morality rather than a fear of punishment in the afterlife. I don't want to do wrong to someone just because they did something wrong to me, because in the end, nobody's going to be happy.

So, when I'm confronted with a group of fellow atheists or other non-believers who flood online forums or articles with comments such as, "Religion causes all the conflict in the world," or, "Well, no wonder the Israelis and the Palestinians can't get along - if it weren't for those crazy myths they all believe...," I am honestly baffled. Don't others see the hypocrisy in what they are doing? By denouncing all religions or trying to tell someone that their religion is nothing but a myth, they are doing exactly what is done to us when we're told we need to "find God" or that we will "go to hell if we don't repent."

It's an antagonistic approach that is encouraged not only by the anonymity of the internet, but by prominent atheists like Richard Dawkins, too. His books, writings, and speeches gloss over any positive contributions of religions to humanity in order to make broad, sweeping statements about our need to get rid of religion altogether. While will most likely continue to have less and less of an impact on our lives in the future, we as atheists can't deny that religion has contributed vastly to the fields of art and music throughout human history.

As deplorable as many religious practices may be to a free thinking humanist like myself, I also can't compromise my own principles and denounce all religions or try to "convert" people to my own beliefs. Religion isn't going away, and neither are we. Rather than fight each other, let's learn to co-exist and find value in each other's contributions to society. Let's treat the other the way we'd like them to treat us: with respect, dignity, and perhaps even friendship.