YOUR life may not be for anything: my life is devoted to pleasing myself, pleasing other people, doing useful work and finding out interesting things. Any time I have left over is devoted to exposing silly self-interested nonsense from theists and others.

But let's stretch our imaginations and pretend for a moment that you're correct: our lives are brought to us by a genocidal Sky Pixie who wants us to cut bits off our genitals, avoid seafood and oppose gay marriage.

How is that supposed to make them BETTER?

...Graham Preston neglected to mention another uni-construct of atheism so splendid at present, rampant homosexuality. Homosexuals, the suckerfish attached to the underbelly of atheism, present themselves as tortured little souls (anti-thesis), with human rights butchered by cruel theists, displaying narrow minded and out-dated moral and ethical dictates, inhibiting and conflicting with new age philosophies; derivatives deeply embedded in atheism.

Dear Graham,

Implicit in your article is the idea that young children can't become atheists all by themselves. God is something that children are taught to believe in. When I was a child I heard the story of the binding of Isaac. I asked my father what he would do if he heard a voice from God teeling him to sacrifice me. He said he would see a psychiatrist. I trusted the old man, but I could no longer believe in a God who would ask a father to do such a thing. God failed the test of decency, and Abraham in being willing to sacrifice his son was an asshole. I do not believe in the God of the Bible, and I do not believe in Allah, Zeus, Thor or all the other Gods that man has invented. I love my children, and I try to be a decent human being. I do not feel additional mumbojumbo is necessary. I will be attending the Atheist Convention and expect to have a good time.

An article so thin, it is transparent.

"...because there is no point to their existence they are not obliged to do anything; and that all moral rules, from the mundane to the seemingly profound, are just constructs made up for the convenience of society and thus have no absolute significance."

There you have it. The author intends you to draw the conclusion that if you don't believe in God, you can do anything that you like.

Oh, that old furphy.

But if you adapt the same sentence, only slightly, the truth emerges.

"Moral rules, from the mundane to the seemingly profound, are the key constructs that bind society, and thus have critical significance."

There, you see?

And the really elegant aspect of that re-work, is that it can both include or exclude religion itself. It is inclusive, not exclusive.

Religion is something that some folk choose to make part of their lives, and is not a replacement for society's moral rules. Which is of course why a friendly local knee-capping of people of a different religious persuasion is still a crime against society, even if the local chapter applauds it. And why suicide bombers who proclaim their faith even as they kill others, are still largely frowned upon.

Why should kids have to be taught to believe in something, if it was any good they would find out for themselves.
Starting life off, on a fictitious character, is hardly believable.
They will learn that something has been imposed on them, without question.
Kids religion is selected for them, still in the womb.

no one is born athiest
but we forget..thus many children are fully ignorant[athiest]by toddling years...

[i use ignorant..cause i see no sense
in you trying to confirm..a thing you believe dont egsist
[thus deliberatly chose..*ignoring any further proof of]

but you are honest..[if deaf]
worse those who blasheme to truth
and nature of the good god of nurture/ligic sustaining light into life that life realise the love..of other[life]

the eternal living good
but missdirect his own..into demonic acts of puresssent vile

as is your right
[and god will still
to treat you no different]

let him of the pig lie with pigs
the wheat is revealed from the tare
[at harvest]

he who dont want any religion..
dont know he can got god with good..that does the things
the religious...are said to do..yet by their concepts/rite..reveal flaws...[lol]..like just wars..

if its not good living
loving gracefull mercyfull

IT AINT OF GOD
nor 'for' god

vile cant do vile
and claim its gods will
if its not good.;.its not of god

many athiests are closer
to him...!..as much as those lovers of the lips..that utter such insanities[such as 'just wars']
are from love

they
WE..only find god
by living his qualities*

"by their wurks
will..*WE KNOW them"

demons..eat human flesh
beasts primatives..drink blood

vilein's cast out...racists judge
fools send fools..to hell

witches cast spells
initiate lol meaning power to ritual[lol]

and as for the imagry...lol
or not having son before father[god]
put no one..!..before god thy god..not daughter nor son!

in short
if its not loving neighbour
its cetainly not leading to the good..[god]

but let the kids teach
not be taught..give them facts...and let them chose

science has feet of clay
it has a theory..but not a better way