Voted for

• No.

Atheism, in and of itself, might work to a better degree if it were adhered to as the YES answer suggests. Unfortunately, just like any other belief system, it is too often taken to extreme by those who espouse it, and who would also gain and hold power. We've seen it that happen over and over throughout the better part of the first half of last century.

The latter part of last century and for most of this one, the pendulum has swung the other way, and one religion in particular has done similarly that the humanist or atheistic organizations (communism, fascism, nazism, etc.) did the previous century. I am told that fanatics or hardliners are the reason for it now, just as they were back then, which appears to be the common denominator. When any belief system is taken to the extremes of forcing others to comply, or eliminating all other choice, they are just as bad as any other.

So, if those who profess to put their faith in reason, justice and free thinking for all actually followed through with it, it would be an improvement. But that would mean we would all be free to think as we would, and so I imagine religion would still exist, too.