A principle problem with the religious rhetoric about family values is the fact that just about all of those "values" are about sex, sexual behavior, and sexuality. Even worse, the focus is almost entirely on what not to do: don't engage in premarital sex, don't masturbate, don't have homosexual feelings (never mind engage in homosexual behavior), don't look at sexually explicit material, don't have an abortion, etc. If it weren't for repressed sexuality, there might not be any room at all for sexuality in this worldview.
Irreligious atheists don't believe that there are any gods out there who are intensely interested in human sexual behavior or what sorts of dirty pictures people might look at on their computers. So what are good, solid family values? They have to be the values which are necessary for strong, healthy families to produce strong, healthy individuals. When it comes to good family values, atheists are more likely to be concerned about things like love, kindness, mutual respect, sacrifice, and building a better future together as a community.
Religion and theism aren't needed for family values or for strong families because the values which make families strong exist outside of religion. Religion and gods aren't necessary for love. Or respect. Or self-sacrifice. Or mutual support. I know this sounds redundant, but what is obvious to irreligious atheists sometimes isn't obvious to religious theists: since their religion and theism are central to every part of their lives, it can be difficult for them to recognize how others can do without.
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
A principle problem with the religious rhetoric about family values is the fact that just about all of those "values" are about sex, sexual behavior, and sexuality. Even worse, the focus is almost entirely on what not to do: don't engage in premarital sex, don't masturbate, don't have homosexual feelings (never mind engage in homosexual behavior), don't look at sexually explicit material, don't have an abortion, etc. If it weren't for repressed sexuality, there might not be any room at all for sexuality in this worldview.
Irreligious atheists don't believe that there are any gods out there who are intensely interested in human sexual behavior or what sorts of dirty pictures people might look at on their computers. So what are good, solid family values? They have to be the values which are necessary for strong, healthy families to produce strong, healthy individuals. When it comes to good family values, atheists are more likely to be concerned about things like love, kindness, mutual respect, sacrifice, and building a better future together as a community.
Religion and theism aren't needed for family values or for strong families because the values which make families strong exist outside of religion. Religion and gods aren't necessary for love. Or respect. Or self-sacrifice. Or mutual support. I know this sounds redundant, but what is obvious to irreligious atheists sometimes isn't obvious to religious theists: since their religion and theism are central to every part of their lives, it can be difficult for them to recognize how others can do without.
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.