I saw a post by an atheist recently that said you could be “Good without God.” This is a common myth perpetrated by atheists and others who want to build their own society without any absolute morals. It is impossible to be good without God. However, it provokes good questions that poke a hole right through the moral relativism of this day. By what standard do we measure right and wrong, good and bad? What is the basis of law and society? What is the foundation of truth? These are questions that are impossible for moral relativists to answer.
The Bible is the standard of truth and morals that Western society was built upon. It is the standard that holds up to scrutiny and criticism. It is the standard that works best with society (look at what Western culture has produced), and the one that lays out the plan of salvation. The Bible defines what is right and what is wrong. The Bible is God’s Word, and God’s Word is truth. God defines “good” in every possible sense. One cannot be good unless he follows God’s commands, and he cannot be truly good unless he keeps all of God’s commands perfectly (Mark 10:18). This is impossible for us to do, so we need to look to One who can fulfill all of God’s commands perfectly, and have Him put His righteous works on us. This One is Jesus Christ.
Our law in the United States is based on the fundamental principles outlined in the Ten Commandments; just look at the Ten Commandments that are engraved and painted everywhere in the Supreme Court (no, those are not the Ten Amendments). Without this standard, society breaks down. If nothing can be absolutely right or wrong, why should we obey laws? Why should we keep vows? Why is it wrong to murder? Why is it right to give to charitably to other people?
Some would say that if the people involved agree, then it’s okay. But who is to say that those people who agree are right, or that their actions are right? This supposed standard is pretty flimsy. According to this standard, adultery is okay, since the two people agree. Cheating is permissible, since it is just you who are involved, looking out for your own personal good. Corporate corruption is fine as long as it doesn’t get discovered and affect the lives of others.
Some say that as long as it does not negatively affect someone else’s personal life, it is fine. But who is to say that even violating someone else’s personal space is wrong? That idea is just the philosophical conclusion of some other guy whom you don’t have to pay attention to since there is no absolute truth, and everyone’s opinion is equally valid. Another standard that some people set up is whatever makes you feel happy is good. This is also wrong. Just think of sado-masochists, who get pleasure from hurting other people. All sorts of disorder break loose in a society without a fixed standard.
Islam also has this inconsistency in a way. Their god, Allah, is an ever-changing, erratic god who can do and does do everything in a disorderly, chaotic fashion. The outflow of this is that one day something might be right, and then the next day it might not be. So blowing yourself up in a suicide bombing might fine with Allah one day, but the next it might send you to Hell. Cheating and corruption by police is okay, since you can make it up by obeying the pillars of Islam. It makes for unstable societies where democracy doesn’t work.
Without an absolute standard, it is impossible to know truth, to do good, to punish evil. Since our society is losing this sense of moral constancy, dreadful things are taking place which are an abomination to God and lead to the death of a culture. We are calling good evil, and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Homosexuality is called normal; babies in the womb are called non-human; murder is permissible; capital punishment is called a crime against humanity; abortion is declared legal and right. We are losing all standards in our society, and if we stay on this course, it will lead to our downfall.
By what standard do you measure your actions?
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