One more point - by definition atheists have a lack of faith, there is no binding union or collective moral. The morals of atheists are governed by social norms in their local environment and media exposure, social pressures etc. If they grow up being told that to persecute someone for feeling a certain way is wrong (the opposite of being told how to feel about a specific feeling) that is most likely going to be their moral stance, instead of have their morals documented and defined for them. If anything, my contention is that atheists have the freedom to be morally superior as they are not governed by an existing text created well before this time. PLEASE understand that I do not think atheists are morally superior, only that they have the FREEDOM to be. For the the choice exists to accept or deny a particular moral stance, whereas by nature to deny a moral stance of a religion is to deny the religion itself. I have no hate or disrespect for religion, but people need to understand that atheists are not bound by anything like religious people are. You cannot compare christians and atheists or jews and atheists, it's like comparing muslims and people who enjoy rollercoasters, their single unifying trait has no bearing on their lives, it's a lack of faith alone.