I believe that the Humanist system of ethics, which is based upon reason and compassion, is far superior to the ideas of ethics as set forth in the Bible.
Christians assert that the God of the Bible is the epitome of love and justice. Humanists label as cruel and unjust many of the acts of the Biblical God. A few examples are the following: he damned the whole human race because of the sins of two people; he drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the flood; he killed Egyptian babies at the same time of the Passover.
He ordered the Jews to annihilate the men, women, and children of seven nations and to steal their land; he sent a pestilence that killed seventy thousand people because King David took a census; he sanctioned slavery, polygamy, and religious persecution; he required the death penalty for such "crimes" as working on the Sabbath, reviling one's parents, blasphemy, homosexuality, and not being a virgin on one's wedding night.
He repeatedly used wars, famine, and pestilence to punish the Jews; he sent two bears that killed forty-two children because they were making fun of Elisha's bald head; he sent a lying spirit to deceive Ahab's prophets; he ordered a woman's hand to be chopped off; he required the torture and murder of his own son; and he promises to consign to eternal torture those persons who do not accept Christianity.
Humanist are convinced that when such acts are equated with love and justice, the result can be a complete subversion and obliteration of all civilized and enlightened standards of ethical behavior.
With the biblical God as a role model, it is no wonder that, throughout history, millions of Christians have seen nothing unethical in actions such as the Inquisition, the Crusades, the burning of witches, the wars between Catholics and Protestants, the persecution of men of science, the mutilation of criminals, the buying and selling of slaves, the programs carried out against members of minority religions, and numerous other horrendous actions which were a regular part of Christendom for hundreds of years.
Compassion has enabled humankind to develop ethical standards that are far more intelligent and humane than those which are contained in the Bible.