T.C.,
I am not atheist but I respect their ability to look at ALL possible options. Even the hard to accept ones.
The significance of Jesus coming when he did at the time he did takes some understanding of the religious atmosphere of the day. If there was a pendulum that swings from religious to secular, Jesus sits at the fulcrum.
Before Jesus, there was a heavy reliance on all kinds of worship practices from emporor worship, ancestor worship, polytheism, and many types of pagan practices. The practices were integrated into the lives of the people to the point it wasn't even noticed. It just WAS. So if there were spiritual authorities taking advantage of townsfolk unduely, there existed no option except to accept whoever GOD supposedly placed into authority. Rising up against an authority traditionally meant direct death or a slow death by being put out of the community into the wild.
We all know the story of how Jesus came about and what he did. Religion, though, fails to relate how Jesus' most notable statements took place outside of any religious organization. He spoke on a mount, in a boat, on hillsides. He was everywhere else spewing religious talk, instead of in the synagogs. Jesus spoke the worst about religious leadership, such as Pharisees. The only thing really Hebrew about Jesus was his mother's DNA.
To stay in an atheist's perspective, we know that this is one small group of people in a big world, and one man in that small group. Nothing magical happened to mankind's brains or bodies when Jesus died. The pendulum swing toward a more secular society began and much of the world's religious properties consolidated itself into the Catholic Church, which itself maintained many years of political power and still does have a measure of that today.
Many Christians forget that Jesus death gave us a unique ability to push off human authorities claiming to represent God. This would mean Church authorities as well. It is an OPTION that now exists that didn't before Jesus. You simply put faith in your belief of Jesus death. Once you are determined to make Jesus your authority, ALL other authorities can be questioned for their validity and motives as men on equal footing with yourself.
Atheists see the advantage of pushing off religious authoritative fanaticism and they benefit from not having to deal with the mind games. Unfortunately it doesnt comfort them from the authorities on environmental issues, economic issues, war issues, or other world wide issues who may be doing the same things as their religious counterparts.
Those putting faith in Jesus, since he is in heaven, have an authority that cannot be tainted by greed or other worldly advantages. At the simplest levels, he is a comfort but only if you believe that God's son died for you. Atheists also have the advantage of being free from religious tyranny, but not much else.
Nothing magical happened over people when Jesus died. Simply an opportunity was presented that people can OPT-IN if they want it. If they dont, no harm no foul.
