Subjective Morality and Secular Humanism

Throughout February, we’ve been looking at some of the popular philosophical worldviews of today and seeing how they might be, or definitely are, influencing the decisions we make in our lives and relationships. Today, we are tackling a big question: Are you a good person? Am I? I mean, that should be our goal, right; to be good, decent, and production contributors to society in our local communities and the world at large? If we can all agree that that, goodness, should be the goal that each of us strives towards, then we should be off to a good start. So, are you a good person? Now, don’t be so quick to answer. At the end of today’s blog, we’re going to give you a quick and easy test so that you can know the answer without a shadow of a doubt, but before we do that, we need to take a deeper look at the question.

Are you a good person? Well, what does good even mean? Let’s take it a step further, who gets to decide what is good? Let’s look at the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to help us understand the parameters of the question. Phases 1-2 were the origin stories of the individual heroes and their teaming up to form the avengers, earth’s mightiest heroes. Each step of the story was laying breadcrumbs for the final showdown with the big bad guy of phase 3, Thanos, who planned to use the infinity stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe. By the time the avengers stood face to face with the mad titan, it was pretty clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. The good guys want to save everyone, the bad guy wants to kill half of everyone. In infinity war, however, we get a glimpse into why Thanos wants to do this. On his home world, he had to watch his people suffer and die due to overpopulation and lack of resources. In his view, this is an inevitability for all living people and, in order to stop that from happening, he will do what must be done so that he can ensure the flourishing of life by thinning the herd, so to speak. While that is an extremely pragmatic approach, were his intentions, and thereby his actions, actually evil? From his perspective, Thanos was actually the tragic hero; the only one willing to do what must be done for the betterment of all. He was even willing to sacrifice the only person he truly loved in order to fulfill this destiny, not sparing himself the pain that he would inflict on others but enduring it fully, as well. He didn’t even try to take out all of the avengers with his *snap* but allowed it to be completely random who would go on living and who would be turned to dust, carrying out his plan in the fairest way possible.

Yes. But, he killed a ton of people! So, is Thanos a good guy or a bad guy? Hero or villain? Who gets to decide? According to the avengers and everyone that got dusted, he was definitely the bad guy. According to Thanos, himself, and his loyal followers, he was definitely the good guy! Well, each of us will answer that question according to our own philosophical presuppositions. The pragmatist would say Thanos was right. The humanist might say that he was wrong, but that all depends on how dedicated they are to their philosophy. A true secular humanist believes that all morals and ethics are derived from human experience throughout the millennia, as we have evolved into social beings who need to behave in a civilized fashion in order to thrive. It’s an interesting form of pragmatism, because it does give value to human life, but it’s not complete pragmatism because of the subjective nature of that system of evaluation. If, I believe that everyone will die in 10 years from lack of resources or I can end the lives of half of everyone but the rest will be able to go on living for another thousand years, while the humanist side doesn’t want to make the choice, it’s irrational and illogical to not hold the needs of the many as greater than the needs of the few. This rationale is even depicted in the films as Capt. America holds to the belief that under no circumstances would the Avengers trade a life for a life. In this way, secular humanism, while appearing to be an established philosophy, is actually, like many others, a spectrum of valuation from the individual to the collective, in the present and off into the future.

Thankfully, we don’t live in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we are not facing infinity war sized questions in our day to day lives. We do, however, face questions about how we treat people and how we evaluate our daily choices. Am I the good guy or the bad guy in any given situation? Am I the good guy from my perspective only, or are my choices objectively right and good? As Jerrod pointed out before, secular humanism, while claiming to be a scientifically based philosophy of ethics and self-governance, is actually more of a spectrum towards pragmatism and can vary greatly from one adherent to the next. The real issue still comes back to what is good and who gets to define it.

When we are saying that something is good, we are making a claim about either the quality or correctness of something. In class, we could tell a student that they had a “good” answer and that could either mean that their answer was thorough and well thought out, that it was the right answer or that it was both. In any case, it is a standard of measurement that we are using to compare whatever subject we are evaluating to. When we reject moral absolutes and adhere to a relativistic philosophy but still use terms like good, bad, right or wrong, we are importing a standard that we don’t actually believe in or hold to. But, which worldview are the secular humanists borrowing from, then? What is the standard? What is good and who gets to define it?

Luke 18:18-19

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Jesus was making a profound statement here. Contrary to what some clumsy modern interpretations have suggested, Jesus is not denying the Trinity here or saying that He is not God. In the very Jewish way, He was drawing attention to a truth by questioning it. Rather than denying His divinity, He was actually affirming it. Anyways, that’s just a side note. What Jesus was highlighting here was that God is the only one who is good. What does that mean? Does that mean that you and I can never do a good deed? Not at all. In Matthew 7, Jesus says that even wicked men know how to give good gifts to their children. Instead, rather than using “good” to describe the actions of God, Jesus is saying that good is His nature. God, Himself, is the standard we are comparing everything to when we say that something is either “good” or “bad.” We can do good things; He is the embodiment of good. He can’t do wrong because He is good. Some Christians have sadly taken this truth and applied it the same way that we might passive aggresively sidestep our own responsibility in an altercation, throwing our hands in the air and saying, “I guess you’re right and I’m wrong. You’re the good guy, I'm the bad guy.” This broken understanding, which is actually rooted in our own sinful pride, robs us of the deeper truth. Yes, He is right and we are wrong, He is good and we are wretched sinners. BUT, the trials and difficulties that we experience which make us question God’s goodness are also opportunities for us to see the truth of His goodness in and around us. If God does something, it is objectively true that it is good even if we can’t see it. On the flip side, when we are in relationship with Him, He invites us at different times to get to see things from His eternal perspective – the things that He knew would happen as a result of the hardships in the past – which then, in turn, strengthens our faith for the next time that difficulties come. So, are you a good person? Well, the answer should be pretty clear by now, but if you still need convincing, let’s take the test!

Have you ever lied? Sure, who hasn’t? How many lies have you told in your life? Probably a lot? But, I'm sure all of those lies have been completely justified, like hiding Jews from the nazi’s during the holocaust! No? Ok. What about stealing? Have you ever stolen? Anything, from a penny to grand theft auto – not the game! - have you ever stolen anything? Hmmm. Ok, here’s a softball – have you ever murdered anyone? Most of you, probably..., said no! Good. But, Jesus told us that if we hate another person, we’re guilty of murder in our hearts. Have you ever hated anyone, wished they were dead or told someone to go to H-E-Double hockey sticks? Yikes. What about adultery? Have you ever cheated on your spouse? “I’m not married, so at least I can get past that one.” Not so fast! Jesus also said that if a man looks on a woman lustfully, he has committed adultery in his heart. So... how’s your browser history looking? If you’ve been watching porn online or even looking too long at the cashier at the mall, you’re guilty of adultery. Have you always honored your father and mother, being obedient when they were watching and not talking badly about them when they weren’t around? Well, we are only halfway through a 10 part test and I know that I am most definitely NOT a good person! You’ve probably encountered this test at some point in your life – it's called the Ten Commandments and they’re found in Exodus chapter 20. Every single one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which is why we need Jesus. God is our judge, but He is also our savior – offering the free gift of salvation to all those who will believe in Jesus.

Secular Humanism is simply another works-based method of salvation that can’t actually save. We will stand before God one day and the only way that we can escape the wrath of the day of judgement – I know, those are harsh words, but it’s a harsh reality – is by being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. His goodness is imparted to us, while He takes on Himself the penalty for our sins – death. On that day, the philosophies of man can’t and won’t save you. Today is the day to reject the lies and place your full trust in Jesus.