What Is Good?

Remarkable news was just delivered!

No, it's not the news that Ron Vandergriend's Journey Class on Exodus is fantastic (even though it really is).

It's the news that South Bend's Transpo System has officially accepted advertising from atheists intended for prominent placement on the sides of South Bend's Transpo buses.  The signs say, "YOU CAN BE GOOD WITHOUT GOD."

Huh?  What?

Without God how do you decide what is "good?"  Doesn't religion define the essence of goodness? Without God there is no "good."  Without God there is only survival of the fittest, where the strong eat the weak and only the strongest survive.

Where do atheists get the moral authority to declare some behaviors are "good?"

Psalm 14:1  -  The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

Comments

[Sherry Ingle]

Looks like you ought to write a letter to the head of Transpo as well as Mr. President...this weekend's message was outstanding, by the way.

[Jim Button]

Remember the adversary is an imitator... and we grind him... Even tho we do not have power of an angel we will inherit everything he covets simply by living in faith... Our God is incredible.

[Charles Barbour]

You know, I follow your blog even though I don't attend your church. About 6 years ago my wife and I actually attended for about a month and we never had a soul speak to us. But I digress.

How can you not see the obvious flaws in your logic here Mark? If you don't believe that you can be good without God, then you must believe in the reverse: That you can't be good without God. That's obviously untrue. Certainly not a Christian God anyway. Most of this world believes in another God and, in general, they seem to have a fairly well grounded moral compass. There are a great many atheists that are very moral people. Children that have no concept of God know right from wrong.

Even dismissing all that, the idea that having God gives you a better moral compass is clearly flawed. Are Christians less prone to sin? Christians that have a real walk with God so often are the least Christ-like people I know. Take the protesters at ND this week. I don't doubt that many of those people are true born again Christians. And yet many of them were engaging in the most un-Christlike behavior you will ever see. I don't doubt that many of them actually hate Obama which Jesus equated to murder.

I don't doubt that being Christian should give a good foundation for morality but in practice, it doesn't always do so. Atheists certainly are capable of living WWJD every bit as much as Christians whether or not they know it.

[Susan Lies]

Really we need to thank the atheists for their thoughtful consideration in providing those of us who are striving to be "good WITH God" a forum and platform to share how much 'gooder' our lives are 'with God'.

I wonder if the media will cover these latest attempts of demoralization of the family like they covered the anti-abortionists visits. How do you explain to our children that you can be 'good without God'? Parents need to be well prepared for this one...

Sounds like the makings of a great teaching opportunity for all "Christ-followers".

[brianburris]

God is love. Love is good. Therefor God is good. God created "good" in that he pronounced all things good when he made them at the time of creation. Each religion takes something from Christendom and makes it it's own. Why can't athiests take "good"? It still comes from God. He is in us and through us and we can not escape that very truth. Excellent post Mark.

[dwaynesumner]

This is for Charles Barbour. I too am not a member of Mark's church and have never visited. I just wanted to respond to your comments, if I may. You stated, "Most of this world believes in another God and, in general, they seem to have a fairly well grounded moral compass." Are you kidding me? I live in the south and in my city, in general, crime is rampant. Murder, assualt, rape, robbery, Our society is more violent than it is good. The numbers keep going up and up, year after year. Divorce is skyrocketing. Abortions are ever-increasing. It's out of control. If society has a moral compass... ah, someone needs to open it up and give us a proper heading. I know a few atheist that are very moral, good people, and yes, children do know right from wrong. But knowing and doing are two different things. Finally I would question your comment that said " Christians that have a real walk with God so often are the least Christ-like people I know." You can't have a "real walk with God" and be "the least Christ-like". Thats the problem. Christ-likeness is the by-product of walking with God. If a person is not Christ-like, rest assured, they are not walking with God. To me, walking with God, means living with Him and for Him. It means obeying Him; Hearing God, obeying God, honoring God, that is "walking with God." And that kind of walking with God produces Christ-likeness. Going to church all the time, giving an offering, saying you're a Christian does not produce Christ-likeness. As we say down here in the south, walking in a barn doesn't make you a cow or walking in a doughnut shop doesn't make you a cop. There's a huge difference between being a church member and being Christ-like. My name is Dwayne Sumner. I am a sinner, saved by grace.

[Kari W.]

Duane Sumner, you are awesome! Thank you for your thoughtful comments to Mr. Barbour. I will now always remember "walking in a barn doesn't make you a cow."

God bless you!
From a fellow sinner