At a former Cosmic Questions Conference, which is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 200 people debated about a Designer for nearly five hours. The USA Today (April 20, 1999) highlighted the statement of Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Steven Weinberg as he scoffed at the idea of a miraculous creation by a Supreme Being: “Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things.” Evidently, Mr. Weinberg does not fully grasp the implications of his statement.
Atheists continue to speak of that which is good and evil. However, if there is no God and all that exists owes its origin to self-creation (the big-bang) and evolution on earth, then there is no absolute moral standard by which to judge who and what is good or evil! If we are merely matter in motion, then there is no moral difference between a man killing a cockroach or killing a child. There would be no good act nor evil act. Rather, it would be acts that we like or dislike. Thus, if a man desired (liked) to kill a child, then we could not say he is an evil person doing an evil thing. Yet, this is precisely what Weinberg said!
Why do atheists (from Nobel Prize winners to those across the fence) continue to speak of good and evil, and objective moral right and wrong? It is because God put that “ought to” in us and there is no getting away from it. Romans 2:14-15 teaches, “For when the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.”
So, the next time your atheist friend speaks of an objective moral right or wrong act, why not help him see that he just proved the existence of God?!
Gary Henson