Rob Colquhoun

Is it possible to maintain ethical principles without God?

Alisdair MacIntyre’s excellent book, after virtue describes the quagmire of contemporary moral philosophy. It posits the question why moral philosophy has become much harder after the enlightenment. I find it hard to concretise a position justifying any need for ethics without God or the afterlife. In order to be good we need God. Metaphysical justice brings ethics back to earth by ensuring that ethical principles have consequences beyond this world and their immediate surroundings. Utilitarian and consequentialist ethics are based on a here and now mentality and analysis, denying seeing a bigger picture of right and wrong as intrinsically part of human nature, from the creator. The instinct of right and wrong is embedded within us, hardwired by the creator who installed our conscience the moment he designed mankind. Right and wrong are not up for negotiation. They have been decided by God since time began and they cannot be substituted for one another.

There are those who call good evil and evil good. (Isaiah 5:20, Romans 12:2; 9, Micah 3:1-2). Ethical principles without any reference points are left to the shifting sands of relativism, (Evangelium Vitae n.20), with every moral action up for reinterpretation. This is surely the basis for the collapse of society. The reference points for morality are tradition, conscience and God. These help position and orientate our values towards the best part of our nature, seeking good and avoiding evil. (1 Th 5:21-2, Rom 12:9, 1 Cor 15:33). Purely human ethical systems become lost from their meaning and purpose, swept out to sea by their idealistic vanities about man and his origin and destiny (see Marx and Comte). The drama of atheistic humanism is that it can provide no justification, and must therefore turn inwards on itself rather than look to the creator and sustainer of our universe. A religion of man leads to self exultation.

Where would be the basis and motivation for good actions if they had no further consequences beyond our immediate surroundings? Nihilism presumes the meaninglessness of life and relegates morality to the irrelevant. This surrender to evil is fundamentally flawed. All moral actions contain choices and decisions. God places before us life and death, a blessing and a curse (Deut 30:19), and with this in mind, to choose life and the good helps us to open our eyes to life beyond this world, in union with the saints to the magnificence of God’s creation, salvation and redemption. God’s promises inaugurate hope in the human heart and reassurance in the predominance of good. Rather the problem of good than of evil and suffering.

The importance of the supernatural life

How dull life would be without the supernatural life! Many people would think that supernatural would mean something – mysterious, other-worldly or pertaining to an alien subspecies. But the word also means to be above nature, from divine influence. Christians believe that revelation is given supernaturally and a divine inspiration is from a supernatural source.

Too many people think purely on the materialist plane, only in terms of personal acquisition, money, jobs and housing. With a supernatural life, through prayer, sacraments, a living relationship with the living God and through spiritual fresh air it is as if a whole new dimension has been added to your life. The interior life gives depth, meaning and purpose to the whole of life. Without it we would be purposeless, shallow creatures. The materialist cannot strive beyond the boundaries of this world, cannot stretch beyond what is empirically verifiable or above the limitations of his assumptions. And from that position, eternal life, divine inspiration, miracles and the beauty of the mystery of creation and incarnation are all beyond him! To rely on God’s grace for sustenance is to place one’s life on the path of faith.