The argument that atheists must unknowingly harbour some belief in God otherwise they would murder, rape, and steal with abandon is ridiculous on its face but has been around for as long as I can remember. It has been most recently popularised by Jordan Peterson, for whom I feel this line of reasoning is uncharacteristically infantile.

Is it not obvious that in simply wanting to live our best life we recognise that in the long term all of those things would be counter to that goal? I don’t imagine he would argue that those who say they believe in a glorious afterlife don’t truly believe it because otherwise they would have given up on this lesser life a long time ago. Christians have a great “Get Out of Jail Free Card” on this one because God basically disavows suicide while Islam has no such tenant resulting in a culture quite obsessed with death and lacking appreciation for their time on Earth.