Bollocks. Some of the biggest wankers I know are believers in a higher power. On the other hand, some of the kindest and most wonderful people I know are also believers in a higher power. My point here is that as a group of people, they are like any other group with a common factor, you get both good and bad people amongst them. I appreciate that if followed correctly, religious teachings should make one more pious and 'good', but that is quite often not the case.

I think this item, more than any other, makes the list-makers bias and agenda very clear.

Implicitly, if one reverences a Higher Power, one has good character, and if one does not, one has poor character. Under some circumstances I'd refute this with logic and reason, observing that there are any number of persons of demonstrably fine character who neither reverence nor even recognize a higher power.

But I'm not in the mood, so I'll just say that the implied concept is a fat crock of shit.

Godly morals and values and to live by them. It shows you have character.

. . .if the power is reason, logic, and evidence, sure.

Christianity is great. It helps people build character. What a load of crap. The only reason the people are doing good things is that they want to get to heaven, and the fear of hell compels them to act that way. And in fact, many Christians only act good on Sunday in front of their church, are are in reality not much better than the average non-believer. Let me ask you a different question. If a dictator of a country orders all of its subjects to follow a strict moral code and anyone who does not follow it will be killed. And assume that the people do not rebel. Are those people with better character than a democratic country's? Well, reverence to a higher power can mean a dictator as well, now can't it?

some of those that have claimed their reverence to the world the loudest have been weaker in character than that of the common sinner. It is your own personal relationship with the Higher Power that helps build your character good or bad.

I think that many people who have reverence to a higher power have good character, and maybe it helps mold them i'm not sure. But i certainly dont think people that lack faith in god or a higher being whatever you want to call it lack good character. The way a person conducts his/her life is what shows good character, not their believe in a higher power.

It's called spiritual humility and when it comes to builiding character - it sure doesn't hurt.