Atheist ethics

There’s a very misguided view that atheists don’t have ethics since they don’t have a god to answer to. The better question is though, is it really true ethics if you’re just doing it out of fear?

I don’t do good deeds to appease a racist, genocidal, masochist god.

(from a Facebook discussion board)

I think that I have fairly decent ethics, maybe not the highest, but I know my right from wrong and am good with where I stand.

So again, please don’t consider me immoral just because I don’t believe what you believe. It’s a really weak argument.