Prolog: What is Morality?

I want to know something from you, please be totally honest, answering the following question.

What is morality?

You probably think of something like "laws that are good for humans", but how are we able to define what's good for humans? 

If we consider that morals are defined by society, then how does society define what is morally good?

This might sound crazy, but in atheistic countries it is defined by the majority.

As we see, today's world is mostly atheistic, but the moral of today's society is still highly inspired by Christian moral values.

This is the case because the prior generations have learned those values and taught them to their children, 

but these values slowly start changing, because the opinion of the majority changes.

At least that's how it is in Germany, the state in which I live.

As I explained, atheistic morality is bound to change simultaneously to the change of the people within the society. 

Therefore, I think that we cannot say that atheistic morality is objective but merely subjective, in which I have doubts.

Are we really allowed to put a person into prison simply because the majority has the opinion that what he did is wrong?

I do not think this way, that's why I hold to theistic morality.

Theistic morality does not change, because God commanded things and his commandments are unchangeable,

at least, no faithful theist would come to the idea of changing God's law.

Now what I consider to be so bad about atheistic morality is the value of that morality, why should I follow the new moral standards and not the old ones?

Moral laws that change over time are no clear determination of what is good or what is bad, therefore it's pretty much stupid to judge someone based on moral laws that change.

What do you think? Do you believe in God and if yes what are the reasons?

Pedophilia is something bad. Forgiving others is something good.

With what certainty can one make such statements? What evidence is there to support these statements?

The statements I made earlier were moral statements. But what significance do such statements have?

Imagine you are in a room with an atheist and a Christian, and these two are having a discussion about exactly this question: "What is morality, actually?"

Person A is the atheist, while person C is the Christian.

Person C: As an atheist, how can you actually determine morality? Are there several views on this in atheism?

Person A: Yes, there are several different views on morality in atheism. For example, there are atheists who think that morality is nothing more than a personal preference and is therefore purely subjective. In such a perspective, the majority determines the moral laws, because the majority decides who is elected and therefore what the laws are.

Person C: But is it a good thing to punish people simply because of the opinion of the majority?

Person A: As I said before, in this worldview morality is subjective, so you can see it as wrong that people are punished based on the opinion of the majority, while someone else sees this as perfectly morally good.

Person C: But don't you have to justify your opinion on the subject in some way? So that you try to explain your point of view and why you think the way you do?

Person A: I actually agree with you, you do have to justify your moral views to a certain extent.

Person C: But if you say that morality is purely subjective, how can you justify it? After all, I could hardly justify why I like Nutella bread without butter better than with butter. In my opinion, you shouldn't judge anyone on the basis of subjectivity, or do people judge each other just because they have different tastes?

Person A: Yes, of course you're right, you shouldn't judge anyone based on subjectivity, but as I mentioned at the beginning, that's just one opinion. There is also the view that morality is something objective that evolves over time, it is a mechanism within the brain that evolves to increase the chance of survival of us humans. Let's take lying as an example, if everyone lied it could happen that you eat something poisonous even though you have been told that it is healthy. So the brain has concluded that this is bad for your own survival.

Person C: But if morality develops over time, how could the ancient Greeks already have democracy while today's generation has taken a long time to develop democracy? Where does it make sense that morality goes from good to bad and then back to good?

Person A: I don't know the answer to that right now, but could you tell me what morality looks like for you?

Person C: In Christianity or in theistic beliefs in general, morality comes from God. God is the source of moral laws, he is the absolute. He is perfect and accordingly his laws, which come from his nature, are just as perfect. But if God were to oppose his own morality, then this morality would have no value. For of what value is a law that the lawgiver does not abide by? If he himself does not abide by it, then the law is not good for him. And so in Christianity, God came to earth as Jesus Christ to fulfill these laws. And what's more, the almighty God descended to our earth and suffered on the cross in order to take the guilt of us humans upon himself, as he is fully aware that we humans are not able to fulfill his morals perfectly. However, this does not mean that we can sin as we please, because when we do so, we ourselves think that our actions are not wrong and therefore think that we do not need a savior. And I ask you, how can you truly accept salvation if you are not even aware that you need salvation?

For example, imagine you are hanging on a cliff, barely holding on with your hands, then someone comes and pulls you up, but you decide to just go back and hang on to the cliff again? Do you really want to be saved or do you want to stay like this until you fall into the abyss?

It is the same with Jesus Christ, he offers you salvation but it is up to you to realize that you are hanging on a cliff and about to die, and should you accept salvation you will of course try to avoid that cliff into sin. However, there is Satan he is your bully, if you are careless and not careful he will push you back down the cliff, then it is up to you to refocus on Jesus to climb back up.

God gives you the choice to choose him or not, and so you also send yourself to hell by refusing God's gift.

Person A: Wow. I am literally speechless. In our next conversation, you really need to tell me more about Christianity, maybe about whether you can prove God at all.

End of the conversation.

This conversation is just to get you the readers thinking and is fictitious, but I would be very happy if you explain your answer to the question "What is morality" in the comments of this chapter.