Please don't take HN threads into religious flamewar. The unsubstantiveness of this comment, combined with its argumentativeness, pretty well guaranteed that. We want the needle to say in the thoughtful/curious range here.
Religion generally claims to offer salvation. Of course, not all people believe that. However, that is probably its biggest difference from any secular organization.
You think that doing good only because you are being watched is a good value to have? IF yes, then please, by all means, continue believing in your god if that's all that keeps you from raping and killing people.
Atheists do good because it's the right thing to do. You seem to do it because you are afraid of getting punished.
> Atheists do good because it's the right thing to do.
Or is remnant from religious generation?
(parents programm kids that doing good is right thing to do because God says so. Certain generation starts omitting "God says so" part)
>You think that doing good only because you are being watched
Never said "only because" of being watched. Being watched is an added measure.
> Atheists do good because it's the right thing to do
Many atheists, from personal experience, most don't really care to do good when no one's watching. Not saying it applies to all atheists, but for many. It's simply not rational. Why do good? For "karma"? So, the atheist has replaced "God" for "karma"?
Human psyche is not rational. Reason takes work that most are not willing to invest in most of the time, regarding most things. Not even scientists, whose job is to be rational about things, live their lives fully rationally, or even "50+% rationally". Yes, it's not rational to feel good when doing good things for someone. Yet, most people do feel good when doing good things for someone. It's called empathy. And while that feeling is not rational, it is very handy. I don't see how you could have humanity as we know it without it. Whatever the reason for its existence, I'm glad that it exists. Who knows, maybe that's just the anthropic principle in action here? Maybe without it, you really wouldn't have humanity to wonder about it.
We do good because it feels good to do good, but also because evolution allowed us to develop empathy.
We feel a natural need to help other people because we hope that other people would help us if we needed it to.
"Today, you. Tomorrow me".
We hold the door to strangers, help them carry stuff, or pick them up they have a flat tire, and none of that requires the existence of a vengeful god who will send us into a lake of eternal fire if we don't comply to his wishes. We help each other because we are a social species.
We do it because most people on this planet are good people who want to be happy and who want people around them to be happy.
Religion and gods are unnecessary for any of this.
You made the assertion that "being good" requires religious faith. This is demonstrably not true. Is that better?
I would make the assertion that a religious person who is only "being good" because they are afraid of divine punishment is a good working definition of a sociopath.
I challenge anyone who disagrees to come up with a benefit that religion offers that cannot be offered by a secular organization.