The Shedding of the Divine

The recent decision to abort babies up until the time of birth in New York caused much sadness on one side while others cheered the legislative decision.  Why the split?  How could so many be so divided? Who is right and who is wrong?

In order to understand how individuals are so passionately polarized, we need to begin with God and truth. The question of God's existence and truth are at the center of this debate and others like it. When speaking of God, it is the Judaeo/Christian God that is being considered.  

If God exists, then one has a grounding for what is true. If God exists, one has a grounding for what is good.  Without God, there is no grounding between right and wrong or good and evil.  Without God, or on an atheistic view, good and evil are mere words.  Good and evil has no meaning on an atheistic view. So how do individuals on an atheistic view decide which path to trod down?

If God doesn't exist, then good and evil do not exist either.  We are merely sophisticated clumps of DNA that accidentally appeared in the distant past. The path left for atheism is relativism.  Relativism is defined as: the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.[1] In a nutshell, the individual or group that is in charge decides what is right and what is wrong.  Do you see a problem with relativism?

If God does not exist, then neither does truth, good/evil and even ultimate meaning and purpose.  In Dostoevsky's book, "The Brothers Karamazov", the character Karamazov states" If God does not exist, then everything is permitted."[2]  In other words, without God, there is no way to ground any decisions on the basis of right/wrong or good/evil.  Even the atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, recognized this in his story titled, "The Parable of the Madman."  When speaking of what it's like discerning right and wrong in the absence of God, Nietzsche said, "What were we doing when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us?"[3]

Nietzsche perfectly describes the condition of man without God. Without God, it is a cold, dark, and ultimately meaningless life. On a relativistic worldview, those in power make the ultimate decisions for the rest of the masses. In the past, this worldview has been horrific.  Going forward on an atheistic and relativistic worldview will produce much more horrors ahead. The shedding of the Divine will continue to create a darker and divided world.  It makes perfect sense to see the great divide in our culture when you recognize the shedding of the Divine.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

[1] Relativism as defined by Google. 
[2] There is debate as to how to translate Dostoevsky's quote. In fairness I wanted to list two alternative quotes form an atheistic website. Quote 1: Without God and the future life? It means everything is permitted now, one can do anything? Quote 2: If there's no God and no life beyond the grave, doesn't that mean men will be allowed to do whatever they want? As you can see, the basic meaning remains the same.
[3] The Parable of the Madman by Nietzsche. This is a fantastic story from an atheist's perspective on the implications of life without God.