Can We Be Good Without the Belief in God?

Can We Be Good Without the Belief in God?

Of Course One Can Be Good Without a Belief in God.  There are millions of good people all over the earth who do not believe in God.  There are also people who are unethical, corrupt, uncharitable, and mean who do believe in God. No group (religious or non-religious) is immune to being human with all of our attributes and flaws.

Goodness is a mindset.  It is a nurtured and learned habit of the mind that is innate and transmitted through culture.  Religion does not have a monopoly on goodness. And Atheists do not have a monopoly on evil, despite what religions would like to frighten people to believe.

We, as millions do, choose goodness NOT because we want, desire, or expect reward in an after life or are afraid of everlasting damnation if we don't, but  because we believe it is a way of sustaining life that makes everyone's journey on our planet worthwhile.  Real goodness comes out of compassion, respect, and our innate desire to be accepted and purposeful to one another.

We are frequently asked when we divulge that we are atheists, "How can you be good without God'" or "If you don't believe in God and that the Bible is his inspired word, what do you believe in?"  We appreciate these questions because we are honored that you care enough to ask, and hope you are truly interested in what we believe.  Thank you.

We are members of the American Humanist Association and have derived our values first from our wonderful parents and second from life experience and a broadened and educated world view of how life evolves and how culture shapes our lives to survive in our given circumstances.  Humanism best captures our aspirations and the way we conduct our lives; and as such, we have borrowed, adopted, adapted and enhanced aspirations and principles from numerous Humanist sources.  Basically we embrace the following principles fof Humanist Living.

Individual

1.  Potential - Encourage and work toward the development of EVERY human being, including ourselves,  to his/her fullest potential regardless of  age, gender, gender identity, language, race, ability, disability, religion, or creed.

2.  Character and Conduct - Encourage and support the development  of positive character traits, talents, and potentialities in human nature and promote individual and civil conduct based on a sense of responsibility and respect to ourselves and to all other persons and creatures.

3.  Democracy and Education - Uphold the broadest application of democratic principles in all human relationships, and learn from history and past experience the need for an educated-reasoned populace so that democracy and freedom thrive.

4.  Dignity, Freedom, Pursuit - Affirm the dignity of every person and the right of the individual to maximum possible freedom and the pursuit of their happiness compatible with the rights of others.

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Societal

5.  Interdependence, Nurtured Relationships - Acknowledge and demonstrate human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity through generosity, reciprocity, gratitude, kindness, compassion, and meaningful relationships.

6.  Human Freedoms and Rights - Support  fundamental human freedoms and rights, as expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenants.

7.  Learn, Earn, Improve, Contribute - Work for the continued improvement of society so that no one may be deprived of the basic necessities of life, and for institutions and conditions to provide every living person with opportunities to learn, earn, and contribute back to their local and global communities, aiding and assisting those unable to help themselves.

8. Conflict Resolution and Reason - Advocate peaceful resolution of conflicts between individuals, groups, and nations and work to resolve individual and social problems by means of human reason, intelligent effort, critical thinking joined with compassion and a spirit of empathy for all living beings.

Global - Our Universe

9.  Awe and Respect for our Planet - We are inspired to discover and are awed by the natural magnificence and beauty of our planet and the universe of which we are but a humble and infinitesimal speck in the continuum of the cosmos; at the same time we understand that our individual and collective actions may have monumental positive and negative effects of our life on earth.

10.  Survival and Sustenance of our Planet - We affirm that human beings are completely a part of nature, and that our survival is dependent upon our custodianship of finite resources and a healthy planet so that all forms of life survive, sustain, and evolve, and understand that survival may involve limiting our individual and societal consumption of dwindling resources and changing our lifestyles accordingly.

11. Curiosity, Intelligent Skepticism, Reasoned Logic - We are curious and intelligently skeptical of ideas ancient and new, discoveries, and statements held in absence of verifiable - objective evidence, critical thinking, and reasoned logic, and reject unsupported beliefs of imagination, fantasy, myth, supernatural, prejudice, and persuasion of those who would profit from our ignorance and misguided beliefs.

​12.  Creativity, Science, Innovation - We advocate human creativity in all endeavors and the use of the scientific methodology, both as a guide to distinguish fact from fiction and to help develop beneficial and creative uses of science, technology, and innovation.

4/2/2014 Latest version.  HI-Life Principles © are copyrighted.