The idea that non-believers in God lack morality has been disputed by new research, experts said. A common supposition—that of the purposeless disbeliever, lacking anything to ascribe ultimate meaning to the universe—does not bear scrutiny, a university study said.
Most endorse objective moral values and human dignity at similar rates to the general populations in their countries, the report presented at the Vatican said. One of the authors, University of Kent sociologist Dr Lois Lee, said: “These findings show once and for all that the public image of the atheist is a simplification at best, and a gross caricature at worst.”