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Archive: October 25, 2009 - October 31, 2009
Is there good without God?
Some of the most ethical people I know are atheists and agnostics. One can certainly be moral without believing in God, but this is because men can surely breath without being aware of the existence of oxygen. God is the cause of moral goodness, but nobody has to recognize the cause in order to get the benefit.
By John Mark Reynolds | October 30, 2009; 3:03 PM ET | Comments (78)
'Being' good and 'doing' good
There is a difference between "being" good and "doing" good. Atheists do some wonderfully noble things; but they do so in spite of themselves and because of the common grace of God.
By Charles "Chuck" Colson | October 30, 2009; 11:14 AM ET | Comments (39)
God fuels the goodness of us all -- even unbelievers
The Bible says that God is good. Based on these unqualified assertions, we'd have to conclude that there is no good apart from God. So, it reasonably follows, people cannot be good without Him.
By Jim Daly | October 30, 2009; 9:32 AM ET | Comments (8)
Morality: a central component of humanity
Divine guidance reminds us to listen to our heart, and to think about how we would want to be treated and to then treat others that way, to use our intellect for good, rather than for selfish ends. It also gives direction where reason and emotion may conflict, or where reason may provide competing answers to the question "Which is the best path?" or "Which is the good path?"
By Pamela K. Taylor | October 30, 2009; 1:11 AM ET | Comments (2)
Goodness is no substitute for holiness
Implicit in our faith is also this: People who think they are good without God are under at least one, perhaps two, illusions. And people who don't claim to be good, but who claim that some are good who don't believe in God, add one more illusion.
By Willis E. Elliott | October 30, 2009; 12:38 AM ET | Comments (7)
Morality: no gods required
It is the myth that religious belief is somehow necessary for morality that is providing the life support for religion in many Western societies, long after we should have been reaching for the embalming fluid.
By Paula Kirby | October 29, 2009; 4:35 PM ET | Comments (8)
God's goodness, and absence
But faith cannot compel good behavior. In fact, believers have made a science out of sidestepping the supposed "will of God" to do what they want, and then have said that their behavior was justified and condoned by God.
By Susan K. Smith | October 29, 2009; 4:31 PM ET | Comments (5)
The Best Host
We are privileged to live at a time of great abundance, no matter what economic forecasts tell us. That abundance is much more psychological than material. Be abundant in your generosity.
By Erica Brown | October 29, 2009; 2:15 PM ET | Comments (0)
The True Spirit of Halloween, for Real Witches
For real Witches, Halloween has a deeper, spiritual meaning. This is the season when we honor the ancestors, mourn those who have died this year, and celebrate life.
By Starhawk | October 29, 2009; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (57)
Goodness itself is divine
Whenever individuals are inspired to promote peace, practice compassion, and do good, I would call that inspiration divine, irrespective of whether they acknowledge that as the source or not. For those in whose lives goodness and ethics are integral, there is no need for them to be forced into following a human created belief system or deity. That inner light is already guiding their lives in such moments.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 29, 2009; 6:16 AM ET | Comments (3)
Goodness and the Goddess
How do I know what is good? Empathy tells me. That which furthers life, health, beauty, biodiversity, freedom, compassion, love, fairness and justice is good. If I act with integrity in the service of what I love, if I take responsibility for my actions and the well-being of others, I will do good.
By Starhawk | October 28, 2009; 8:35 PM ET | Comments (33)
Karma, Newton, good and evil
Essentially there can be no unity on what is "good" and what is "evil" as long as the definition is predicated completely on a literal, "because the Bible (or Koran or Torah or Vedas) says so."
By Aseem Shukla | October 28, 2009; 12:41 PM ET | Comments (3)
Don't believe in good without God? That's prejudice
Of course we can be good without God. Millions of Americans are. If you think we can't be good without God, that's not just your opinion. That's not just some brainstorm that crossed your mind. It is prejudice. And it might even be discrimination.
By Greg M. Epstein | October 28, 2009; 1:40 AM ET | Comments (7)
Goodness happens
Abstract questions about whether God is necessary for there to be morality, for there to be a sense of right and wrong, simply will not stand in the face of events such as the genocide in Rwanda. Rather, the answers we seek about how goodness happens are found in the simple practices of decency, of goodness, that some people perform and by their performance teach others.
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | October 27, 2009; 8:35 PM ET | Comments (1)
God and the moral muddle
Many of the moral sentiments expressed in the Bible strike us, at face value, as primitive and shocking. In reading these sources so that they don't violate our evolved sense of morality, believers themselves demonstrate that this evolved sense has a purely human, not supernatural, basis.
By Rebecca Goldstein | October 27, 2009; 4:48 PM ET | Comments (5)
Be good if you feel like it?
Religion gives a reason to be good. There is a moral grounding. Ethics are not solely a human choice, or a byproduct of evolution, but woven into the fabric of the universe. Morality is part of our essential being. In our best moments we transcend ourselves; we are good even at the price of our self-interest.
By David Wolpe | October 27, 2009; 3:28 PM ET | Comments (5)
God, an addiction
I think it's meaningless to ask whether people can be good without God. As an atheist, I believe we are all without any gods. The question is really about whether people can be good without a belief in God. And by just about any measure, the answer has to be yes.
By Herb Silverman | October 27, 2009; 3:15 PM ET | Comments (15)
No truly good acts?
I disagree with Kant who said there is no true altruism. I think that we are actually made to be good.
By Mark Tauber | October 27, 2009; 2:48 PM ET | Comments (6)
People want faith not polity
The Vatican's opening to Anglicans is sadly like a footnote in an obscure academic text buried in the stacks of a university library. Most people of faith and certainly those outside of the faith simply do not care about such church policy and polity chess moves.
By Mark Tauber | October 27, 2009; 2:03 PM ET | Comments (0)
Time to move beyond Faith vs. Reason
We need urgently to talk about these things: ethics, progress, education, science, democracy, tolerance, and justice--and to understand the reasons why religion can (but does not always) hamper their flourishing. This new conversation won't be sexy, but let's face it: neither is two white men in a pub sparring over God.
By Lisa Miller | October 27, 2009; 12:35 PM ET | Comments (9)
God sets the standard for goodness
God's standard of goodness is vertical and unapproachable in our own strength. He is "high and lifted up" as Isaiah saw Him. By His standard, all of us fall far short. "There is no one who is righteous, no not one." (Paul the Apostle). And similarly, our righteousness before God is like filthy rags.
By Cal Thomas | October 27, 2009; 12:30 PM ET | Comments (24)
Hate crimes legislation is a well-intentioned mistake
Punishing individuals for what they believe and not what they have done is a scary precedent which avoids the real cultural challenges we face and potentially devalues the significance of crimes not rising to the level of a hate crime.
By Brad Hirschfield | October 27, 2009; 7:50 AM ET | Comments (5)
Just as easy (and hard) to be good (and bad) without God
Basic religious and legal strictures are merely a codification of what humans already know, through their own intellect and experience, is necessary to maintain a decent society for all.
By Susan Jacoby | October 26, 2009; 7:19 AM ET | Comments (643)
