Every few weeks, I see a question posted by Christians on Quora questioning if atheists have morals. For example:

“If there is no God, no hell and no heaven, then why have we developed a conscience? Why don’t atheists commit crimes and what stops them?”

“This may sound naive, but what keeps an atheist from committing adultery and doing other things that a Christian wouldn’t do because it is a sin?”

“Since morals come from God, can Atheists have any? My pastor says only people baptized by holy water and belonging to God have moral virtues, just as a ventilator sustains life.”

These questions are not limited to Christianity, but as I am the most familiar with Christianity, I figured that I should stay in my lane while I discuss this topic.

These questions seem to imply:

• Having a punishment attached to behaviors ensures that people don’t do them.
• Either non-Christians do not have morals, or Christian morals are inherently better than other morals.

Punishment as a deterrent

First, I need to point out that not all Christian traditions really believe they will be punished for their sins:

• About 26% of Christians believe in predestination, meaning that God chose who would be saved before they came to earth. If you were chosen, His grace is sufficient, regardless of your deeds or sins.
• Many (but not all) Baptist traditions believe that salvation is immutable once you are saved (“Once Saved, Always Saved” (OSAS) or “eternal security,”).

There is a lot of nuances in belief, but I have met many Christians who believe that committing sin will not impact their salvation.

Second, most humans struggle to prioritize long-term consequences over short-term desires.

• In England, pickpocketing was a capital offence, but while pickpockets were hung, other pickpockets would continue to work the large crowds that they drew.
• Some of the most famous hell-and-brimstone preachers have been caught stealing and having affairs.

Third, forgiveness is a major component of the Christian tradition. Hence, all sins can be forgiven.

Are Christian morals superior?

First, I think that Jesus taught some amazing morals (and all atheists that I’ve talked with agree with this):

• He taught treating everybody (especially the lowest social classes) with respect, dignity, and love.
• He taught that we need to be selfless and humble, ensuring that everybody’s basic needs are met (especially for the lowest classes).
• He taught that we need to fight against injustice (especially for the lowest classes).

Second, a lot of Christians today reject these teachings (usually in deed – not always in word):

• As I type this, Trump is cutting all social programs, removing the rule of law, and trying to cause as much pain as possible to anybody that might be marginalized. And most “Christians” are cheering.
• Many “Christians” are rejecting the “liberal” and “woke” teachings of Jesus. Their version of Christianity has nothing to do with the morality asserted by the questions in Quora.

Third, for many Christians, their faith also comes with what Bryan McLaren refers to as a “genocide card.” They will willingly throw away all of their moral values if they believe that God wants them to. Atheists have no such free pass.

To be clear, I believe that studying the teachings of Jesus can help instill amazing moral values, and many of the most moral people I have known are Christian, but I have also known many atheists who have amazing morals. But when an atheist shows great moral character, it is NOT because they are trying to game a religious system to earn a carrot and/or to avoid a stick. It is because they truly believe in the moral principle.