The assertion that 'those who deny the existence of God destroy the nobility of humanity' was made by the English thinker Francis Bacon 400 years ago. He affirmed that atheism is intellectually shallow and morally harmful. While a little philosophy might lead a person towards atheism, deep engagement with philosophy leads minds back to religion. Atheism is not morally neutral but stands behind major life crises for humanity after removing the moral constraints that prevent sin.

The major problem with atheism is that the ethics it produces are tied to extreme utilitarianism and the need for constant oversight of individuals. When this oversight is absent, the material barriers between a person and vice disappear, leading them to commit immoral acts without any internal remorse. Thus, sinful actions flow into behavior without internal resistance or defense.

In the 16th century, atheism in the West faced social ostracism, and the prevailing view was that atheism posed a threat to social morals and the ethical fabric of society, as atheists were thought to lack morality based on religion. Interestingly, this perspective still exists in some Western societies today. The Russian writer Dostoevsky articulated this view in his famous novel "The Brothers Karamazov" through one of the characters, who said: 'Everything is permissible in the absence of God.' This implies that faith and conscience act as internal regulators of deviant and destructive behaviors. This was also confirmed by a 2014 opinion poll and study titled 'No Good Without God,' which indicated that atheists are seen as threats to values and morals, provoking disgust towards them.

The atheistic logic in the ethical domain hides behind reason, claiming that morality is determined by the mind and not by anything else, and that humans do not need religion to establish these standards. This claim transforms reason from a tool for perception and understanding into a core capable of setting standards.

However, the truth is that reason alone cannot determine good and evil; it needs these standards to be set from outside itself, from a transcendent and superior source, to ensure they are general and unbiased. The logic dictates that we need an external voice to define right and wrong. Therefore, atheism is incapable of producing ethics from a philosophical standpoint, and this opens atheism to the vices and sins of the self, with various forms of sexual deviations becoming associated with contemporary atheism.

What is intriguing is that atheism itself acknowledges the existence of general ethics and measures people's behavior against them. For example, when a citizen betrays their country or aligns with enemies, atheism cannot claim that individual reason determines the standards for national betrayal. No one would agree with such a claim, and the community, authorities, and law would respond with violence and harshness. The media would not support or glorify such actions. However, if an atheist advocates for moral dissolution, deviance, and sexual chaos, they will find defenders and supporters, despite the fact that moral dissolution is destructive to the fabric of society and its forces.

Studies have shown that religious individuals are less likely to use pornography, and those who abstain from pornography often have religious beliefs and practice religious rituals. In contrast, the use of pornography increases with weaker religious ties, indicating that religion has always been a major regulator of sexuality in human history. The absence of religion points to a destructive sexual chaos.

This led to the term "Sexual Atheism," which views sex as if "God does not exist"—meaning that desire and circumstances dictate sexual behavior for atheists, and it is not considered a sin. The promotion of contemporary atheism and the absence of religion as a determinant of ethics and behavior led 53% of Americans in a survey conducted by the "Glob" Institute over two decades ago to answer yes to engaging in sex outside of marriage, considering it acceptable. This percentage has increased with the digital age and the spread of online pornography, which has threatened the existence of family and marriage in the United States.

A book published in 2022 titled "Three Sexual Revolutions: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Atheism" ⁽¹⁾ by Professor David Carlin discusses three sexual revolutions that have impacted the West. These include Catholicism, which regulated sexual chaos in the Roman Empire; Protestantism, which influenced monastic and clerical communities by allowing marriage and reducing clerical deviations, as well as permitting divorce in cases of adultery; and Atheism, which permits adultery and moral dissolution, making American society worse than it was in the 1960s. Modern sexual deviations are limitless, and atheism has led to the loss of all Christian sexual ethics.

Atheism and Obscenity

Studies have concluded that atheists in the United States are more likely to view deviations such as adultery, homosexuality, and drug use as morally acceptable. Some advocates of atheism are also proponents of pornography, homosexuality, and child sexual exploitation. For example, Harry Hay (d. 2002), who was an atheist and one of the leading advocates for homosexuality, founded associations to defend homosexuality and child sexual exploitation.

Western experience presents two models of the correlation between atheism, obscenity, and moral dissolution. The first model is Denmark, one of the most atheistic countries in the world. In 2005, Denmark was ranked as the third most atheistic country globally, and by 2017, surveys showed that only 15% of people believed in the existence of God, while 46% did not believe in any creator.

Conversely, Denmark also ranks high in terms of pornography. It is one of the largest producers of pornography targeting children, having removed laws prohibiting the production and sale of pornography in 1969. This led to a sexual explosion, with Denmark issuing the world's first child pornography magazine five decades ago. By 2018, the percentage of illegitimate births had reached 54%.

Denmark was ranked as the third European country supporting homosexuality in 2023 and was among the first to recognize and legalize same-sex marriage. According to a survey published by the European Commission in 2023, the majority of Danes (69%) support same-sex marriage.

The other model is the Netherlands, which was ranked 13th in the world for atheism in 2005, with atheism reaching 44%. Despite being the first Protestant country, statistics indicate that only 22% of the population considers themselves believers.

The spread of atheism has led to the disintegration of the societal fabric on which the Netherlands was founded. Religion and religiosity have diminished significantly, with many churches closing their doors. According to a 2022 report, the number of Catholics— the second largest religious group in the country— attending church dropped from 80% in the 1950s to just 3%.

This atheism and "agnosticism" (uncertainty about the existence of God) have led to efforts to quench spiritual thirst through indulgence in sex. In 2022, more than 71,000 illegitimate children were born, accounting for 42% of all births that year. As the search for religion and meaning becomes an individual matter, sex and obscenity turn into a means of salvation, representing a state of nihilism for both the individual and society.

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(1) Three Sexual Revolutions: Catholic, Protestant, Atheist.

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