Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Without God, life has no objective meaning and moral values have no objective basis.
Key Points:
- Naturalism is not able to provide objective meaning for human life or objective morals to guide human life. If humans arose accidentally through evolution apart from God, then our values are matters of preference or expedience and ultimate meaning doesn’t exist. Only existential meaning exists.
- Discounting God does not free us to reach our potential as many believe, but rather demonstrates how absurd our existence is in a godless universe. Philosophically-consistent Atheists agree that this is the only viable conclusion if God does not exist. The famous Atheist Betrand Russell said this at length in a passage called “The Scaffold of Despair.”
- None of our lives have ultimate significance without God. There is only relative, temporary significance. The universe itself will eventually die along with all of humanity and all human accomplishments.
- If it is true that there is no God, no eternity, and no ultimate significance, then it doesn’t really matter how we live. It only matters as much as an individual cares that it matters. If we can steal and get away with it, why not do so? If we can have countless sexual partners without any consequences for ourselves, why not do so? Why not be a hedonist?
- It is impossible to live consistently without hope and without objective moral guidance. At best, a staunch naturalist who chooses to live “morally” is merely adopting what is socially acceptable. When it comes to the meaning of life, they must necessarily buy into absurdism – the recognition that humans seek inherent meaning when inherent meaning does not and cannot exist.
- The biblical worldview not only provides hope, but a sense of ultimate significance for humanity on the whole and for individual human lives.
Quote This:
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
Talk About It
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Read Bertrand Russell’s “Scaffold of Despair.” Remembering that Russell was a staunch Atheist: do you agree with his words?
- Read Ecclesiastes 1:9-11. The point of Ecclesiastes is that without God, life is meaningless. How do these ancient words support this view?
- Do you agree that ultimately-significant, objective moral values do not exist without God? Explain.
- Do you agree that a consistent Atheist must necessarily buy into absurdism? Explain.
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
