Terrorists, Theists Claim God Is on Their Side
Tom Houg’s Oct. 10 letter accuses atheists of having no “objective moral truth.” Therefore, according to Houg, we are not able to condemn any acts of terrorism, since moral standards do not exist.
In fact, quite the reverse is the case. Atheists recognize that existence itself is an absolute, and from existence itself we derive our moral standards. By contrast, since all believers envision God according to what they want him to be, belief in God is the ultimate moral variable. It is the theist, not the atheist, who cannot claim absolute moral standards in condemning terrorism. In case Houg didn’t notice, the bombings were not committed by atheists but by God-believers who thought they were obeying his absolute moral standards.
As an atheist, I claim that terrorism is wrong because it destroys human life. That is my standard of value. Houg, like the terrorists, claims God as his standard of morality. Which of us is more fundamentally moral?
Jon Nelson
Co-President, Atheists United
Panorama City
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