Atheism and Morality

Atheism and Morality

The following statements were made by some leading atheists. Notice what they
reveal about the results of denying the existence of God:
“The religious fundamentalists are correct: without God, there is no
morality. But they are incorrect, I still believe, about there being a God.
Hence, I believe, there is no morality.”

Joel Marks, Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy, U of New Haven
“We have not been able to show that reason requires the moral point of
view . . . pure practical reason, even with a good knowledge of the facts,
will not take you to morality . . . Without God there can be no one
overarching purpose, no one basic scheme of human existence, in virtue
of which we could find a meaning for our grubby lives. It is this overall
sense of meaning that man so ardently strives for, but it is not to be
found in a purely secular worldview.”

Kai Nielson, Canadian philosopher
“Nihilism rejects the distinction between acts that are morally
permitted, morally forbidden, and morally required. Nihilism tells us
not that we can’t know which moral judgements are right, but that they
are all wrong. More exactly, it claims they are all based on false,
groundless presuppositions. Nihilism says that the whole idea of
‘morally permissible’ is untenable nonsense.”

Alex Rosenberg, professor of
philosophy, Duke U
(self-described nihilist, who says all
honest atheists should be also)
“Human babies are not born self-aware . . . they are not persons . . . the
life of a newborn is of less value than the life of a chimpanzee.”

Peter Singer,
Professor of Bio-Ethics, Princeton U
“The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should
expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good,
nothing but pitiless indifference.”

Richard Dawkins,
author of The God Delusion
______
Spiritual Subsidence

There is an interesting phenomenon taking place in the area near Houston,
Texas. It is called “land subsidence,” and it has been the subject of study by the
U.S. Geological Survey for decades. Simply stated, it is the sinking of ground
levels caused mainly by withdrawal of groundwater. Parts of Harris County have
sunk 10 to 12 feet. Because this process is slow and gradual it is usually
unnoticed by most people. By the time it is detected it has done great harm.

I would like to suggest that something similar to this can happen spiritually. It is
possible to drift slowly, gradually away from how we know we should think and
act. Satan is very subtle. He knows how to lure us into making small, seemingly
innocent, compromises that can result in big changes over time. We could call
this spiritual subsidence ! Sadly, just as with land subsidence, it often goes
undetected until it has brought the victim much lower than they realize.
Who can fail to see that our culture has drifted from the moral standards it once
held? At one time the motion picture industry adopted the Hays Code, which
contained guidelines for acceptable content. Here are just a few examples:
No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of
those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be
thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
The sanctity of the institution of marriage and the home shall be upheld.
Obscenity in word, gesture, song, or joke . . . is forbidden.
Complete nudity is never permitted. Dancing or costumes intended to
permit undue exposure or indecent movements in the dance are
forbidden.
In 1968 the Hays Code was abandoned because enforcement was considered
impossible. Many (most ?) people today view it as antiquated and naïve.
We could easily compile a long list of things that our grandparents’ generation
viewed as sinful that are widely accepted today in “polite society.”
There are two important lessons in all of this:
God’s standard of right and wrong has not, and never will change
We must guard against the danger of spiritual subsidence.
- Leonard White

______
“He Loves Me !”

Those who deal with a speech disorder of any sort know how frustrating and
bothersome it can be. One of the oddities of these conditions is how they
sometimes come and go as circumstances change.
The story is told of a fifteen-year-old boy in an orphanage who had a terrible
problem with stuttering. It was agony for him to try to talk to strangers. One day
a visiting preacher, unaware of the boy’s problem, asked him to lead the group in
prayer. The lad did so perfectly, praying with deep reverence and without the
trace of a stutter!
All of those present who knew the boy were amazed and puzzled. Someone
finally asked him how he was able to pray with such flawless speech. He
explained, “I never stutter when I talk to God. He loves me!”
(Selected)

View Full Content Source:
https://www.cedarparkchurchofchrist.org/resources/articles/2025/03/02/atheism-and-morality