Are atheists usually more compassionate individuals than theists?

When an atheist performs an act of charity or kindness...it is entirely altruistic, not to avoid punishment or earn reward.

It is pretty much impossible for theists to do anything without their afterlife score-card entering into it.

As an atheist, I believe that I am more compassionate than theists. I don't have any prejudices against certain groups of people that religion typically promotes, and I live by one rule: Do whatever you want to as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.

Just as compassionate, for the most part. More compassionate than the theists who believe morals come from religion.

Compassion differs from person to person and in my experience isn't related to any religious belief. The only difinitive thing I can say is some people are more compassionate than others.

No. Atheists only share one common element--a statement of non-belief in god.

In all other respects they have the same good and bad traits and habits as the rest of humanity, with the same vast number of random attitudes and assumptions on a wide variety of subjects.

I've heard of no source regarding this, so I don't know.

Judging a whole group isn't fair, though. It should be about the individual.

Depends on your definition of being compassionate.

It is one thing to give lip service to relieving the suffering of others, it is another to actually do something like give your own money to do so.

I know that there has been a study that has shown that democrats tend to be far less generous with their own moneys than are republicans. Let's take the vice president for example.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5791846&pa...

This shows that he gave, on average over a decade, about $369 dollar a year towards charities. During that decade his annual income ranged from a high of more than $320,000 in 2005 to a low of $210,797 in 1999.

Al Gore in his 1997 tax returns gave $353 dollars to charity.

One could make the assumption that more atheists are democrats than republicans, judging from the way they attack Christians and republicans. I think I could reasonably assume that they would be just as diligent in their giving as the leaders of their parties are, before they decide to run for president.

They might talk a good game, and be generous with money taken under threat of force by the government, but compassion with their own money? Not so much it seems.

Christians on the other hand tend to give more, and do so under a sense of religious obligation to care for those in need.

Matthew 25:34-40 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me."

Atheists do not feel themselves bound by the same compulsion to follow religious commands.

I think there's people on both sides. I'm not aware of any data that proves that one group overwhelms the other

It depends....like when logic is being applied than yes, but if stupidity is the center of attention than no.

i can show compassion but mostly only to animals