They don't fear death - expecting no after-life just makes each day more precious. And, while the universe might move them to the point of tears with its grandeur, they keep in mind that it is science that explains that grandeur, not a mythic god, say atheist panelists who opened the floor for questions in Huntsville, Ala., with Ask an Atheist, held at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

"I came to the point where I realized that I don't need religion," said Kelly McCauley, a board member of the North Alabama Freethought Association and one of the most well-known atheists in Alabama since his September 2015 non-theist invocation opened the Huntsville City Council's meeting - a first in Alabama for a public meeting. "I realized that religion was not helping me live my life."

The presentation was moderated by Chuck Miller, the Alabama regional director for American Atheists - service for which he won the national award for Regional Director of the Year during the American Atheist annual conference held over Easter weekend in Memphis. The event was attended by about 30 people, about half of whom appeared to be unaffiliated with local non-theist organizations.

Ask an Atheist panelists are, from left: Dan Thompson, Louise Hardin, Kelly McCauley and Nancy Morris. (Kay Campbell/KCampbell@AL.com)

Meet the panelists

Dan Thompson - an Army veteran who says that there are, in fact, plenty of atheists in foxholes. A member of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, he said he learned enough science by the age of 12 to realize there is no evidence to support the existence of God, and said, "If God didn't exist, then church was kind of pointless."

Louise Hardin - an Air Force veteran raised by a Catholic family and educated in Catholic schools. In her 40s, she began paying more attention to nagging questions she had about what was true and what wasn't. One of the founding members of Humanists of North Alabama, Hardin is now a humanist celebrant, meaning that she officiates for weddings and memorials for people who are not believers.

Kelly McCauley - an aerospace engineer, husband and father, who was raised in Iowa in a church-going Lutheran family. He embraced that culture until he got to college and began reading on his own - both atheists like Bertrand Russell, but also Christians like Jerry Falwell. He kept his non-belief personal for about 25 years, but has lately been more open to help dispel some of the misperceptions about atheists --- that they're Communists or amoral or selfish, for instance.

Nancy Morris - raised in a "surprisingly liberal" Southern Baptist home, she found herself noticing that a lot of what goes on in churches didn't fit within the definition of Christianity, and by the time she was an adult, she realized she no longer believed in God. Morris is the president of the North Alabama Freethought Association.

Can you raise good kids without faith-based morality? Yes, say panelists at Ask an Atheist in Huntsville, Ala., on April 21, 2015. Xander Dean Gleason, who attended with his parents, points to the DNA tattoo -- his favorite, he said -- on his the arm of his father, John Gleason. The tattoo on Gleason's other arm is a model of an atom, with the initials, 'G.E.,' standing for 'Godless Engineer.'

Hear the questions

If there's no higher power, then how do you know right from wrong?

Hardin: You learn that from your family and see the consequences of your actions. You study psychology and sociology and make decisions from them.

McCauley: Compassion, the ability to recognize pain in others, should move you to want to do what you can to help others to better their lives and to help them feel better. If you don't feel that, I think you might want to talk to a doctor.

Thompson: If you require the threat of punishment to be good, what kind of person are you?

Hardin: Some version of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is part of every religion, including secular belief systems, like Confucianism. "Be kind to others - everything is based on that."

A lot of post-tornado disaster help came from Christians working because they believe Jesus told them to help their neighbor. Without faith, who could fill in those gaps?

Christie Swords (active with NAFA and the

McCauley: People are motivated by wanting to help others. There is no shortage of secular aid organizations - like the Red Cross. "As time goes by and numbers of Christians continue to decrease, I'm not worried charitable organizations."

What happens after you die? Do you have any hope?

Thompson: "I would say most believers have more of a fear of Hell than hope of Heaven."

Morris: "The fact is, we don't know. We know what happens to bodies - the body goes back to the universe, to nature, and that's it. That's kind of beautiful in its own way. I'm not worried about a do-over in the next life; I'm worried about living this life in a worthy way."

McCauley: "The lack of an after-life doesn't make this life pointless; it makes every day more special. Not having the hope of Heaven does not make me a hopeless person."

Why are atheists so angry?

Hardin: "There is a presumption in the question that it's 'us' versus 'them.' I prefer having a discussion to a debate. I enjoy talking to people and finding out, 'Where are you on your path? How did you get there?' It's a waste of time to try to convince someone they're wrong."

Thompson: "Several studies have shown that atheists are the most despised minority in the U.S."

McCauley: "You can find churches and preachers almost anywhere on the AM dial saying that people like me are from the devil and can't be trusted. That does make me angry."

Morris: "What a lot of non-atheists perceive as anger is just frustration. What we do get most angry about is what any person of principle should be angry about - injustices."

Thompson: "The fact that you're a believer deserves my respect, but what you believe in might not deserve my respect."

Doesn't contemplating the universe give you a sense of awe?

Thompson: "I can feel awe without feeling a mystical stirring."

Chuck Miller: "You can see it in the videos -- Neil Armstrong got tears in his eyes because of the wonders of the universe, but he is an unbeliever."

McCauley: "When you look at pictures of the universe, awe is the right emotion, but when I feel that, I don't think that spirits are pushing and pulling me."

Morris: "And it was science that brought us those pictures."

How do you raise children to be good without religious boundaries?