"Why Believe in God?"

"Just be good for goodness' sake."

That's the ad campaign launched in Washington, D.C., by the American Humanity Association.  It strikes me that this ad betrays the persistent misunderstanding atheists have about the grounding question in ethics.  The grounding question is one I've brought up a lot on the blog.  It is the explanatory power a worldview has to justify and make sense of morality, good and evil.  It's the question often raised by theists to atheists in debates and most often the question is either misunderstood or the terms are changed.  And that's what's going on in this ad once again. 

The atheists usually answer the grounding question by asserting that they do behave morally.  Atheists can be good.  But the question isn't about being good; it's about explaining good, and evil.  It's about an explanation for how these categories of universal, immaterial properties fit in a natural, physical universe if God doesn't exist. 

The fact that atheists can be good isn't challenged by theists.  And it actually makes sense in a Biblical worldview since all human are moral creatures and capable of great good and great evil.  The problem is that atheists can't explain the existence of these categories.

We can be good for goodness sake.  Even theists believe there is an intrinsic value in being good, and goodness just motivated by fear of God.  Virtue is a love of the good.  God loves the good, I believe, and we should love what God loves. 

The ad confuses the grounding question once again.  It's easy to assert goodness.  It's harder to explain it without God.

Comments

[TitforTat]

He's doesn't love everyone, and He's sure not obligated to forgive anyone. I think your attempt to reconcile what you believe is based on less information about God than is available to you.(Brad B)

This is the reason why I believe what I believe, because if I had to base any ideas about a Creator on biblical material then on any given day I wouldnt know whether it loved me, hated me, forgived me or didnt forgive me. Way to convoluted if you ask me. I will leave you to do the math, good luck in your spiritual quest, hope it works for ya.

[Brad B]

Hi Titfor Tat, many a man has constructed a god of his own making, one that'll be tolerable to him. This is not actually mans attempt to find God, it is his scurrying to hide from Him as they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Dont take it personal, you are not unique as every single person is currently or had been doing the same thing. I've seen Amy, William, David and others reason with you making arguments toward knowing about the only true God. I dont want you to miss this, some dont get the opportunity to even hear the gospel. You are either going to be blessed or damned depending on what you do with the gospel. I read your Nov.25 blog and there's something I think you miss about fear. It isn't always about scary-ness, it could be about respect. Believe this, God is holy, you are guilty, He has the power to cast you into hell, not just kill the body. Prov. 1:7 "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" To know God in truth is to fear Him.

Rom. 11:22 "Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off."

The prophet Isaiah seemed pretty godly as a prophet of Israel, until he was taken to the presence of the Holy One. See it described here:

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his glory.

Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

In your latest post, you are considering Jesus' trustworthyness, wondering if at any given time you are forgiven or not. This is what people think that believe that their salvation is based on some human effort or "decision" that they make. What if it's Jesus' promise to never let you go, to disclipline, teach, nurture, and deliver you a saint to heaven? Does that thought give any comfort? It should if the marks of a believer are on you. The apostle Paul says in 2 Cor. 13:5 "Test yourselves {to see} if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?"

I have to give William Wilcox a bit of credit for his confronting you on giving so much weight to the truth as you see it. Every man is a deceiver especially to himself first, you are a fool for ignoring Williams reasoned challenges about what is trustworthy to know. Even what you believe you'd die for today may be tossed out tomorrow, but the word of God abides forever.

[TitforTat]

Brad B.

Thanks for your concern, but after living in a cold enviroment for so long, I think the heat will be a welcome change. ;)

[Brad B]

Hi Titfor Tat, I know you wouldn't say that if you believed that hell is what the Bible has imaged it to be. I'll pray that your commitment to the worldview that gives you reason to trust whatever it is that'd give you reasons to discount the revealed word of God, will crumble under an epiphany that God is, and that He's revealed Himself in the Bible.

Brad B

[Deedub]

SocietyV's: I think you misinterpreted my post or maybe I wasn't clear enough. If it is on me, I apologize. To clarify my position: I believe in God as being good and just in everything that He does, so yes, anything that He does is for the greater good whether or not I or anyone else can understand it. Because that is what I believe, I also do not believe that God can do evil or unjust acts. You and others may disagree on that, but as a mere human, I will say that we can only have a very, very limited grasp of the ultimate good and/or justice that will result from anything that God may do. As humans we tend to default to a limited view of good and justice in accordance with the short time that we have in this lifetime, but God sees things in a way that is truly impossible for us mere humans to comprehend: eternal. I honestly cannot comprehend the idea of an eternal heaven, but I sure am glad to have that in my future! So, something that we may view as bad from our limited perspective might actually be *very* good from an eternal standpoint. As I stated previously, if I could know and understand the reason for everything that God has done, continues to do and will do in the future, then there would be no need to worship Him. Thanks!