Myth:
The atheistic world view, since it does not allow for sin, does not allow for forgiveness. Revenge is called for.
Response:
I've encountered many different and unusual myths about atheists and atheism, most of which depend upon making assumptions about atheists without paying attention to who they are or what they do. This myth, however, may be the most absurd and ridiculous of them all. I'd concede that at least some myths have some tiny bit of misrepresented truth to rely upon, but this myth has absolutely nothing whatsoever to back it up.
For one thing, where would someone get the idea that forgiveness requires believing in sin? I can detect no connection between the two concepts and would instead argue that they are completely separate. Most cultures throughout human history have not believed in the Christian notion of sin, but does this mean that most human cultures have never known the concept of forgiveness? Are we really to believe that Christianity discovered forgiveness and that only Christians have understood how to forgive?
That's complete nonsense and contradicts the facts. History certainly teaches that Christians have frequently eschewed forgiveness in favor of revenge — if Christianity is responsible for the notion of forgiveness, then why do Christians not only not forgive, but in fact sometimes reject it outright? To cite just a single example, how many Christians called for forgiveness in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against New York City and Washington, D.C.? I'm sure some did, and I'll bet that a few more would have if they didn't fear the public reaction — a reaction from other Christians who would have reacted with harassment and even violence at the suggestion that they shouldn't exact a violent revenge from Muslims in the Middle East.
If anything, it might be argued that the concept of forgiveness has much more significance for atheists than for some religious theists and some Christians. After all, Christians ultimately only need to be forgiven by their god — and according to them, their god will forgive absolutely anything with just a single requirement, which is to accept Jesus Christ. Christians also believe that, in the end, their mistakes will be fixed or made up for by their god. There is nothing they can do which would thwart their god's plan for humanity and the universe, and that's what's ultimately important.
For atheists, though, there are no gods to seek forgiveness from and certainly no gods who will fix any mistakes. For atheists, the only forgiveness that can exist must come from the people around us and from ourselves. Atheists can't presume that if some god forgives them, then it doesn't matter what others around them think because we humans are all that really count in the end. Penn probably put it best:
Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.
This is a perspective which many Christians and religious theists may have some sympathy with, but it's not really compatible with their religious ideology. Atheists recognize that we need to get things right the first time around because we recognize that there is only that first time around — there is no reincarnation and there is no afterlife in which we will be punished, rewarded, or have anything else happen to us. Atheists have to care about the people around us because human beings are all we have — there are no gods, angels, or other supernatural creatures to even have interests, much less have interests we should take into consideration or place above our own.
