Go to church atheists

I get that there are a lot atheists in Western civilization.  There's an antagonistic view of religion, particularly Christianity for far too many people on the Left.  That's a shame. There are a lot of things anyone can take from the fundamental precepts of Christianity (and Judaism, or other religions for that matter).  The liberal left has, wittingly or not, thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

In addition to the fundamental goodness of the Ten Commandments, the sermon on the mount and countless other principles expounded in the Bible, concepts like the Protestant Work Ethic, the sanctity of marriage (as opposed to immorality in sexual conduct), the golden rule and other doctrines that come from a religious base.  These are good concepts to live by and are the basis of a sound society.  

Atheists, the left in general, and in fact communism argues that we can achieve these virtuous ideals without God, without religion.   That notion has failed repeatedly to be proven correct.  Religion has a place in society regardless of whether you practice it or not, regardless of whether you choose to believe or not.  There is room for religion in society even for those who choose not to believe.

That is because religion has something healthy to contribute to society.  My father was a devout atheist and spent a lot of my childhood deriding religion.  My grandparents on both sides were very religious, so I was able to see both sides of the spectrum.  After we were adults, my father once said to my brother and I that he wished he had involved religion in our lives.  He was able to see not only what values it helped impart, but that it offered an alternative to a wildly liberal education system that had it's own agenda. He still did not believe or support a belief in God, but he believed there was a lot of good that the church could do to help instill personal values, personal responsibility and personal ethics.

Atheists in America howl for separation of church and state to an absurd degree of separation.  Yet they cannot seem to separate the value of the principals from the tenets of the institution (the church).  Conversely, in what seems like an effort to remain relevant, many churches too seem to have forgotten many of the principles that they were founded upon.  But that is a sermon for another day.  

Personal I would consider myself a Christian (albeit flawed).  While I do not wish to impose my beliefs upon anyone else, it would be a kinder, gentler society if those who oppose religion, were merely non-practitioners rather than openly hostile. Church (or a synagogue) is not going to poison society.  It's meant to be a pillar that society can leverage to its advantage.  To claim that Christianity is bad for society is akin to the claim that America is the source of all evil in the world.  Neither is true, neither accusation is deserved.  But liberal shorthand not only allows for it, it calls out for it.  That is more evidence that a lack of religion is anathema to good neighbors, and a healthy society.  If you want to claim that society is better without religion, you'd better practice the golden rule you claim to be able to achieve without a church being needed.  So far, no luck.