I always find it ironic when atheists call out say Catholic priests when they are guilty of abuse (this is not confined to Catholics). The priests are being hypocrites and are rightly criticised. Yet if you ask if such atheists subscribe to Judeo-Christian sex ethics they will, with a couple of possible exceptions, so no.
I think in more recent years there has been a gradual change from the New Atheist refutation of Christianity by shrill rhetoric and mockery. There are non-believing thinkers on the scene - Douglas Murray, Tom Holland, Jordan Peterson for example - who see western civilisation was built on the foundation of Christianity, including many of the freedoms we enjoy today. This is being ditched by the current generation at a rapid rate, following on from their parents and grandparents, and what is going to replace it?
If Christianity historically has been responsible for structure and stability, the increasing number of 'heathens' may come at a price, and not necessarily be a good thing ...
There's a few things to unpack here, so I'll have a go in no particular order.
Christianity doesn't have the exclusive in any kind of moral system. Pretty much all societies have the same basic principles, to wit, don't kill, don't rob, basically, try not to be a shite to others, and all religions reflect that. The difference between religions is which neurotic behaviour they encourage, don't eat pork, don't eat meat on Fridays, don't cut your hair..., there's nothing that makes Christianity particular or special, all religious behaviour follows the same pattern.
There's also this Judeo-Christian values canard that's been floated from the US in the last 30 years or so, and seems to now be taking hold in here too. I am really mystified by it, and I can't be the only one. It seems to appropriate the values of the Illustration, as if they were somehow derived from some kind of religious practice, missing two important points:
1. The Illustration was a movement that developed as a secular moral system, in opposition to the Catholic Church social dominance, so the proponents would have been completely gobsmacked by the christian epithet
2. Antisemitism in Europe at the time of the Illustration was rampant, and any suggestion that there was anything Judaic about their thinking would have been even more hilarious
Finally, Jordan Peterson is a joke, if he agreed with me on anything I would check carefully to see how I arrived at that conclusion.
