Who is Good?

Atheists can be morally good people.  In fact, there are some atheists who behave far better than some Christians do.  However, atheists cannot offer a workable rationale for why they or anyone else should behave “morally.” They can only assert subjectively that they “believe” that such-and-such behavior to be “moral” but cannot provide any objective basis for it, “You should behave this way because I think you should.”

A person who does not know God, can choose to follow personal or social standards of morality.  However, it is merely a morality based on personal feelings, opinion, or taste.  Being completely subjective, there is no basis for proposing that everyone or anyone “should” follow someone else’s chosen morality – other than “We have the power to force you.”  With no objective standards, a Bashir Al Assad – indeed, any “evil” person - can have their own subjective morality and there is no basis for an atheist to criticize his conduct.  In fact, it is inappropriate to even use the word “evil” as it begs the question, “Whose definition of ‘evil?’”

Furthermore, there is irony in an atheist asserting that they can be “moral without God.”  Absent an objective standard – i.e. one communicated by a Creator God – there is only a subjective definition of “moral.”  What one person considers moral, someone else may not and no one can evaluate the matter objectively and declare either of them correct or in error.