Reply #19: I think your subject line and question are very different things.

[WhollyHeretic]

Atheism is not something to base the structure of society on. Atheism is simply the lack of a belief in god. My convictions on what is right or wrong stem from various places such as family, friends, critical thinking, and societal influences.

I think religion should be completely removed from government, what people do with there own lives is up to them but it should not be a part of government. I think religion does nothing but muddy the waters when making laws. People use it to try to insert their bigotries into law(not saying all theists do this, mostly fundies). "Homosexuality is a sin" is not a basis for a law, it is just a declaration that the person is a bigoted loon. It sounds simplistic but government should be based on the Golden Rule, not on various millennia old religious books.