Today, it is widely accepted that morality is relative in the Western world.
People who say this usually mean that morality is a matter of personal or cultural emotions that do not have an objective basis in reality. Many modern people tend to think of the physical world as being made up of factual problems (whether water is h or not is not relative2o), but it is a matter of subjective opinion of morality.
If we embrace the story of a modern secular world, this is a natural belief. Moral judgments are actually subjective when there is no higher authority on moral issues than individual or group opinions. Furthermore, when naturalistic stories are true and everything that exists is a problem and energy governed by natural laws, good and evil are fantastical concepts with no basis for reality.
After all, there is no property of good and evil. There are no good or evil atoms or molecules. Therefore, there is no good or evil. Yes, this view allows you to have ideas about good and evil, but it is no different to ideas about unicorns and leprechauns. In reality, none of these exists.
Many non-believers will say things like, “I don't need to be religious to know what is right from what is wrong,” “Many atheists are good people,” or “Christians do so many evil things.” We can agree with all of these statements, but they overlook the point that naturalism undermines all grounds of objective moral values and obligations.
The keyword here is Objectivemeaning that exists or true, regardless of what a person or group believes about it. Even if everyone in ancient culture believed that human sacrifice was a good and necessary practice, they would still be objectively wrong. That is, when there is an objective standard of morality. And the only plausible candidate for such an objective standard is God, whose nature determines what is good.
“Religious fundamentalists are right. Without God, there is no morality.”
Many who support naturalistic worldviews have never considered their logical meaning, particularly in relation to morality. However, many major naturalistic thinkers recognize and acknowledge that morality and naturalism are incompatible. This does not mean that they became outlaws in their personal lives, but they certainly had to confront the cognitive dissonance of having deep moral intuition (as is the case with all humans).
Famous biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins declared in his book, The River of Eden. Dawkins recognizes that good and evil have no place in the naturalistic universe.
Existentialist philosopher and atheist Jean Paul Sartre admitted, “The absence of God is very miserable. …As a result, a man is lonely, because no one clings to him.”
Atheist philosopher Joel Marks recalled that he once believed in objective morality but was ultimately driven to abandon his position. He experienced a “shocking epiphany” in which “religious fundamentalists are right.” Without God, there is no morality. He said, “Atheism means morality, and I am an atheist, so I have to accept immorality.”
Atheist philosopher Julian Bagigini said, “In an atheist universe, at any point, morality can be rejected without external sanctions, and there is no clear and persuasive reason to believe in that reality. That's exactly what happens sometimes.”
In a discussion with Christians at Stanford University, the late Cornell Biology Professor William Provine said, “There is no God, no purpose, no goal-oriented power. …The ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, no human free will.”
I will alleviate this somewhat, as it is difficult for most secular moderns to grasp. The meaning of naturalism is truly frightening, so we can hardly blame them. This represents the complete dissolution of all objective meanings, values, purposes and morality.
Thankfully, naturalism is not true, but rather has an objective foundation of good and evil. It is a very good nature of God. Because all humans are made in the image of God, we have deep moral intuitions that help us identify from what is wrong. This remains true even for those who reject their belief in God. As a result, many non-believers live essentially moral lives.
Due to an edenic fall, our moral intuition is corrupted by sin and requires the moral guidance God has provided in his words. God's commands in the Bible represent our moral duties and duties, providing a solid foundation for living a life that reflects God's perfectly good nature.
This article was adopted from that post It originally appeared In WorldView Bulletin Substack.
