"We can do away with guilt and concience because in the end there is really no right and wrong, no good and evil."
No offense, but you're totally wrong. Most atheists come to the conclusion that the lack of an all-powerful moral authority means that we have a duty to be more moral, not less. If we're the pinnacle of moral authority, if we're the only "gods", if you will, then our duty to each other is magnified, because there's simply no one else to fulfill that duty.
That actually looks very good when written down, putting it into practice is another matter entirely. From what I've seen of human nature or rather "human base instincts" I get a totally different picture. When we throw off that cape of civilized behaviour, we are worse than the animals in nature, and nature is brutal. I could list a few examples but all one really needs to do is look at a news broadcast on any given day. Or better yet, your own attitude when sombody asks you for money to contribute to some type of aid relief, or a beggar asking for a copper or two.
I'm sure you have read "The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, it is used in many Lit. classes in High Scool. Need I say more?
"Western civilization is based on the premise of christian principles, and has been for the last 2000 years. Take away that premise and what have you got left?"
Exactly what you started with - the morals that a society needs to serve itself. You've just eliminated the fairy tales you've used to manipulate people into following them, and convinced them to follow them on their own merits. Nobody wants to live in a crumbling society; thus, people will be moral because they understand the benefits of doing so.
But you seem to be overlooking the fact that the supposed morals that the athiests have come up with were originally given by the christian outlook on life. This has been so for the last 2000 years. Anything you can think of that uplifts humanity and gives it rights and responsibilities was brought about by that same christian faith which is now supposed to be "fairy tales". It looks like you're biting off the hand that fed you.
You act like civilization must be Christian, or fail - yet, Western civilization is not the only civilization. It's neither the oldest, nor the most successful. You might stop by Japan if you wanted to see how a society could be non-Christian and yet preserve the way of life that you're familiar with.
The 1st thing I would like to comment on is the fact that I stated my opinion. Your comment seems to imply that I'm being arrogant by having written this. There is no way that you can infer such an attitude on my part from what I've written.
Each civilization must stand and fall according to its' merits. History shows that nothing made by man is eternal, not even western civilization. As for being the most succesful, I think 2000 years of history is quite an achievement, don't you?
The Roman Republic/Empire only lasted about 950 years(510 BC to 476 AD). The Chinese Empire lasted 1500 years from what I've read (256 BC until the fall of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in 1368 AD). There may be others that have lasted longer but I'm willing to bet that they are very very few. Humanistically speaking western civilization (based on christian principles) was the 1st to abolish slavery in the history of humanity.
While there were periods that are shameful to all according to how we view "civilization" today, We cannot say that christian influence in society was not a positive modifier.
Your very outlook and capacity for free speech is based on these principles. Look at the old Soviet Society and see how a "moral and athiestic" society behaves itself. They were all for man being his own "god".
We are the sum of all that is, and has been. We will be the sum of our choices.
™ Version 4.2