The happiness of false hope

Christians can be charitable and kind towards others by believing that their actions have greater spiritual meaning.  Mormons can be excessively good natured towards people, as in the South Park episode that compares how cynical normal people are.  Buddhism and Hinduism both emphasize good actions over bad actions.  Someone like Stephen Colbert who can recognize hypocrisy and contradiction still has faith in a God, teaches Sunday school, and maintains an upbeat attitude.  If all of these people realized that that there is no God, no afterlife, no spirit, no spirituality, and all religion is a set of myths and lies, then how would they act? 

I'm sure a lot would cynical, negative, and ill natured towards others.  Why be nice to others if there's no universal scorekeeper?  No reward for your good deeds?  In fact, you'll probably get taken advantage of.  Ayn Rand describes this well, advocating Egoism rather than allowing yourself to be manipulated and taken advantage of due to the appeasing, subservient attitude that most religions bring.

So without religion could people still be as happy, as generous, as charitable as they are now?  Or would a larger number be more selfish and self centered than they are now?  Is it better to have a negative but truthful society, or a happy society built on lies?

To the Atheists who hate religion: Great, you don't believe in a higher power. I can see why since there isn't really any hard evidence. But trying to make people who do believe is idiotic and hypocritical. I'm sure you don't like how some religions try to convert people, yet you are doing just that. Why is it so hard for you to tolerate religion? You don't need proof of something to believe in it. Do you believe in atoms? Faith is believing something without proof of its existence.

I am a Lutheran and I believe in God. Ignoring all the spiritual stuff, I just think it makes sense that there has to be something that's always been around to set off the Big Bang and lay down the laws (of physics). Evolution and religion can coexist, I believe God created evolution, set off the universe and maybe guided it in a few places. I think we are here on this Earth to do what we want, with no help from God. I never pray, and I rarely go to church. I don't think God is just going to help us out because we ask, we have to make it happen. There are tons of instances where if God was going to step in and do something, he should've, like the Salem witch trials, the crusades, the holocaust, all that stuff. Personally, I don't believe in Hell or the devil and think everyone gets in to heaven. Religion can be a very good or a very bad thing.

I don't hate any religion, or atheism. What I do hate is intolerance. Even though the question isn't "does a higher power exist?", your utter contempt for religion is very thinly veiled