Brockie: Is New Zealand a godless country?

OPINION: Atheists are deeply immoral and depraved people. They don't know good from evil, and can't be trusted in public office.

This is not an idle opinion. A recent scientific survey shows this is what most Christians, Muslims, Chinese, Sikhs, Hindus and even atheists think of atheists.

Most of the world's people believe that God is the source of moral behaviour and they are deeply suspicious of non-believers, for they have no moral compass.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky​ summed up the situation when one of his characters said, "Without God … everything is permitted. You can do anything".

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Over the last year or two, an international team of psychologists and philosophers (including Professor Joseph Bulbulia​ of Victoria University) asked over 3000 people from 13 countries to imagine a person who tortured animals as a child and then killed homeless people.

The participants were then asked if the immoral person was more or less likely to be religious or an atheist? Some 80 per cent of Indians, 79 per cent of Singaporeans and 75 per cent of Chinese participants thought the cruel person must be an atheist.

They supposed that a truly religious person would never stoop to such behaviour. Some 65 per cent of Americans were prejudiced against the supposed atheist serial killer. Atheism is a dirty word in the US where they stand no chance of being elected to a public office.

The situation is much starker in 14 mainly Muslim countries. From the Sudan to Malaysia, atheism is punishable by death.

What about New Zealand? About 1610 New Zealanders participated in the survey. Compared with the 80 per cent of Indians prejudiced against atheists, Professor Bulbulia reported only 42 per cent of Kiwis were prejudiced against them.

Census results show that Kiwis are turning away from religion and towards non-religion in record numbers. Between the 1991 and 2013 censuses, the number of religious New Zealanders fell from 70 per cent to 45 per cent, and the number of non-religious rose from 20 per cent to 40 per cent.

Most major churches have taken a dive as old devotees die off and young are not interested. On the other hand, Pentecostal, Adventists, Evangelical, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim congregations have added to their flocks.

Nevertheless, New Zealanders are now among the most godless people on Earth. We expect next year's census to show a further rise in the number of godless Kiwis.

Atheists are not united in one band in New Zealand. In fact they are not organised at all. If you want to get in touch with an atheist you will find like-minded souls in the New Zealand humanist or rationalist societies, or the NZ Skeptics. The Atheist Republic has a consulate in Auckland.

I am a card-carrying atheist. As far as I know, none of my godless friends are depraved, set fire to cats or eat babies. They stand up for the disabled on buses, they donate to charity and several are distinguished public servants.

We atheists might not believe in God, but we are firm believers in the Tooth Fairy and Father Xmas.