You’ve heard this too, no doubt

Some of you may feel this way yourselves, others have certainly heard friends or family express it, but a lot of people believe they don’t need a church or a religion to be a moral person…..which at least ought to lead to a good conversation. Mike Adams thought so, and conducted it in this column. It came after an encounter with his friend Scott.

Immediately, I asked myself the crucial question: “How does one know he lives a moral life if he does not ever attend church?” I also thought about some other people I had known who thought their lives were moral either without church or without God altogether.

One was an atheist I dated in college when I was also an atheist. When asked about God she would frankly tell people “I don’t believe in all that s**t. But if there is a God, I will be saved because of my willingness to help others in need.” To her credit, she did help others in need. In fact, she gave her friend $400 when she became pregnant unexpectedly and “needed” an abortion.

Interestingly, my atheist girlfriend claimed to have been a victim of moral wrongdoing when her friend refused to pay her back after the abortion. It would be years later – after I converted to Christianity – that I realized why her friend never paid her back. She was doing everything she could to forget about the abortion. And she resented my girlfriend for funding the biggest mistake of her life.

That’s a good example of moral relativism.

I am writing this column for Scott because I have just learned of his most recent attempt to help a fellow human being in need. Just a few years after he spent $30,000 on his daughter’s wedding, I am told he has written a check to her for about $3000. It seems his daughter has decided that she has become more “liberated” and “independent” and, thus, is in “need” of a divorce from her husband. And, of course, she “needed” a loan to pay the lawyer’s retainer.

Is it Godly and right to fund the wedding of two people in love? Is it also right to fund a divorce based solely on the personal needs of one party? I would argue that without reading the Word of God and attending church these questions cannot be seriously resolved.

What is the moral compass of people who do not follow the teachings of a church?

Life is full of uncertainty but without God two things really are certain: We will make a mess of our lives, and we will help others do the same.