There's one great advantage with non-believers. When they do good, it won't be with the hopes of going to heaven. Nor for fear of fire and brimstone in hell. No, reward or punishment after they die does not come into the picture.

If they're good-natured, non-believers will do good for the only good reason there is --- because it's right,  full stop. Credit is due to them for that. Believers' motives, on the other hand, can easily have to do with religious reward or punishment. More generally, fear and greed being such powerful drives in the world, you'll never know whether love and compassion have much to do with anyone acting kindly to their fellow human being. Who says that atheists are less capable of charity and altruistic behaviour than people of piety? 

In 1232 Pope Gregory IX established the Inquisition for the suppression of heresy in northern Italy and southern France. He became notorious for the use of torture in forced conversion. Such zeal has contributed to earning God a bad name. By contrast, in 2017 Pope Francis was quoted by CNN Religion Editor Daniel Burke as saying:

“Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed all of us, not just Catholics. Even the atheists! We must meet one another doing good." 

Someone said, "But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!" To which the Pope replied, "But do good ---we will meet one another there.” (CNN, 2017)

It comes as no surprise that in the Gospel of Mathew 7 Jesus in person says, "Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father."

Two friend may fall out, it happens all the time. But should they eventually make up, their friendship resumes where they'd left off. The same can be true of a soul who "fell out with God". The godless is no enemy of faith. Think of Saul who persecuted the early disciples of Christ ---did the Lord not call on him for a crucial mission? This is how an atheist may not be as far from grace as it seems. As an astranged friend who suddenly realises his wrong in causing a feud with a mate begs him to be forgiven, it takes but a moment for a soul to be reunited with God. Previous enmity is forgotten. Hence let not people of faith judge the faithless, especially if the latter is willing to work together on a common project. Rendering service alone can change your destiny.

"Radio Chrétienne Francophones (RCF)" is a radio station in French. In their morning broadcast well-known personalities are invited to speak about their faith. Many of these guests are non-believers ---some are outright atheists. The host starts the show with a simple question, "Tell us about your spirituality". While you get ready to hear an avalanche of complaints and critiques of religion, the opposite happens. It's hard to reconcile how much an atheist has to say about his beliefs. Faith is larger than religion, thank God for that. When the discussion gets going on RCF, the host often struggles to hold their guest's enthusiasm. And more often than not, it's quite close to what we call religious in the strict sense of the term. For many, God appears in ordinary events of life ---in human solidarity, in love of nature, in animal welfare, or in the mysteries of the universe, all of which are manifestations of the Divine.

When we try to confine spiritual awareness to traditional religion ---or to New-Age currents for that matter--- there is always a chance that we leave behind a large number of  tlost sheeps who would rather rejoin the herd.