The problem

Atheism has always had a problem. And, I’m not talking about their disbelief in God but their belief in man. 

The problem is this: If you believe man is not created by God, where does man derive intrinsic value?

Insufficient solutions

Atheists have offered answers. One is that human value comes from our consciousness or rationality. This view holds that humans have value because they are self-aware, rational beings, capable of moral choice.

But then what do you do about infants, the severely mentally disabled, or dementia patients? And on what basis do we elevate reason over any other unique human characteristic?

Another argument for value is that human value is not something intrinsic but is created through culture, relationships, and social consensus. This is what Friedrich Nietzsche was getting at with his Madman metaphor. The problem is obvious though: if value is constructed, it can be deconstructed or removed completely.

The argument from evolution is similar. It posits that morality and the valuing of humans evolved because cooperation helped societies survive. This argument, though, is descriptive, not prescriptive. If evolution were true, it might explain why people feel a sense of morality, but it doesn’t establish why such impulses are objectively morally binding. 

Then there are the Existentialists. Jean-Paul Sartre essentially admitted the problem but argued that humans create meaning (and hence morality) through choice and action. But Sartre still spoke in moral categories inherited from a worldview he rejected. He declared oppression was bad, freedom was good, and cruelty was wrong—but on what basis?

How it plays out

In abandoning God, atheists have abandoned man. Without the Biblical anchoring principle that man is created in the image of God, man becomes as valuable or valueless as society decides in the moment. 

When we arrive in that place, there is no objective basis for prohibiting abortion, infanticide, slavery, or eugenics. There is no objective basis for laws that protect the mentally or physically disabled, those with dementia or the terminally ill. 

History suggests the danger is not merely theoretical. Should it surprise us that atheistic Communism killed 20 million people in the Soviet Union, 65 million in China, or two million people in Cambodia? 

People have value because they are created in the image of God, regardless of their productivity, their physical or mental capabilities, or whether they are wanted by their mother or father.

So, before people decide God is dead, perhaps they should consider where that leaves man. GS