Golmer's Blog

Christians (like @JoeCienkowski, for example) love to claim that “without a belief in almighty God, there is no morality.”  They claim that the bible is the wellspring of morality and that anyone who doesn’t follow the teachings of the bible is immoral. They claim that because Atheists and other non-Yahweh believers don’t follow the bible and its teachings, that they can’t possibly be moral, and that any “morality” they come up with is subjective, and that therefore Atheists can and do get away with doing anything they want.

The entire assertion (that the bible and following God’s plan is the only way to be moral, because only God can produce objective morality) is just so much bullshit, frankly. Why? Although there are probably more points that could be made, the following is a good start:

-In order for the assertion to be true, every society formed on some other belief system other than Christianity would have to be (or have been) immoral. This would include any secular society or any other society not based on Judeo-Christian values. For that to be true, Japan, for example, would have had to have been amoral. All Native American tribes would have to have been amoral. All african, Indian, Asian, european, greek, Ottoman, Middle Eastern, and otherwise aboriginal societies throughout all of human history that never heard of Jesus or the god of Abraham would have had to have been amoral. That assertion simply isn’t true. It isn’t based in fact or in history in any way, shape, or form.

-Christianity is but ONE religion among thousands. It has been around for a couple thousand years - only a couple of thousand years. That means that only its adherents subscribe to its moral codes. In other words, its moral codes are only one set among thousands. That necessitates that its moral codes aren’t universal - in fact they are highly subjective. For example, there are 10 Commandments that Christians claim make up the bulk of their moral code - this decalogue is posted everywhere where moral claims must stand out - churches, courts, etc. Yet the bulk OF those 10 commandments aren’t universal or objective; they deal specifically with what Christians shall or shall not do with respect to God specifically. As for the rest - proscriptions for murder, theft, adultery, etc. - those are pretty fundamental and universal codes that can be found in every society back to the dawn of recorded human history. This too fails the sniff test for objective morality.

No. The assertion that the Christian God and Christian book are the wellsprings of morality just don’t wash. Morality, by its very nature isn’t static as one would be forced to believe if the bible is the source. For example - slavery. At the time the bible was written, slavery was perfectly okay. There are wholesale sections of the bible dedicated to how one should treat their slaves. For that matter there are wholesale sections of the bible dedicated to how one should treat their OTHER PROPERTY, such as women, for example.

Morality changes over time. It adapts to the society in which it is implemented, adapts to the socio-economical and political situation, the security situation, and changes during feast, famine, and emergency situations. And morality based on reality is the best kind, because it doesn’t rely on appeals to ultimate sources of authority and punishment to keep people in control - it requires them to think for themselves and control their own actions not because they will be punished but because it is the right thing to do for one’s self, one’s community, and one’s progeny.

Don’t ever let a Christian get away with telling you that they hold the patent on morality. It was there before they came along, and it will be there long after Yahweh goes the way of Zeus, Pan, and Thor.