ppl can use god to do bad things, that doesnt change the truth that god is real, dude its the same both ways athisetism "can" do the same thing, ppl can take the idea that there is no higher accountabilty and do all sorta evil things, to an athiest self is god in the sense that you only have to be accountable to your self and you can determine what is right and wrong
ravens- you should really educate yourself before making absurd statements. Time and again studies have shown that the most secular countries are also the countries with the lowest crime rates, happiest people, highest standards of living, highest education, etc. Conversely, the most religious countries, like the USA, have the highest murder rates, suicides, teen pregnancies, depression and the largest prison populations. Look at the Middle East- highly religious (people have no choice) and the region is in continual turmoil and chaos, stuck in a time warp while the rest of the world moves forward. They are so fixated on being zealots and the better next life, they do little to add anything meaningful to this life; in fact, they've effectively created hell on earth.
So, if religion makes people more "moral" as you claim, why do the studies prove otherwise? By your argument, the most secular nations should be experiencing anarchy while religious nations should be living in Utopic Paradise. It just isn't so. Religion has nothing to do with morality.
I've never heard of atheists decapitating religious people simply because they believe in god;
I've never heard of atheists strapping a bomb to themselves and setting it off in a marketplace, killing innocent people, because atheism told them it was the right thing to do;
I've never heard of atheists conducting Inquisitions to force people to convert to atheism;
I've never heard of atheists declaring their view as the only correct one, then forcing entire nations to bend to their view by force and persecution (Sharia Law).
I've never heard of aheists forming armies and invading another country in order to force them to convert to atheism.
Finally, if you need god, a Bible, or some religion to dictate to you that murder, pedophilia or theft is wrong, then you need to adjust your moral compass. Atheists don't need god to tell them to treat other people with kindness, justice and love- they do it because they realize it's the right thing to do.