Can a person be good without god?

Can a person be good/righteous/altruistic/caring/kind without god? I answer with an emphatic"Yes!"

Theists, especially Christians espouse that people need god in order to be good/righteous/altruistic/caring/kind because humanity exists in a fallen state and only god can lift humanity out of its low place. They take goodness out of the natural world and place it in the spiritual world, thereby making goodness something that only god can measure. They believe that the human heart, full of wickedness and deceit, corrupts any innate goodness a person may have. Only through Jesus can a person overcome this wretched state of being.

This idea of the darkness of the human heart ties into the philosophy of original sin, first made popular by the 5th Century Christian theologian, Augustine. I will cover original sin in another post.

Even when Christians secede that one can be good without god, they retreat to this defense: "But good people, who are unsaved go to Hell everyday. It's not enough to be good, you need Jesus!" If a person needs Jesus to be kind, loving, and good, then their goodness should be questioned.

Christians also hide behind this defense: What is a person's motivation for doing good? If they are doing good for any other reason than glorifying god, their good deed is empty, vain. They also say it this way, Only what you do for Christ will last, everything else you do will fade away. As if the actions of a Christian will last eternally, what arrogance! Once again, Christians purport to know the motivation behind someones actions.

For those who don't know, altruism exists within the animal and humanity evolved to practice being good to each other. Of course, the sphere of who people exhibit goodness to expanded over the millennium. Originally it probably started with family, then tribal, then national, now internationally. Naturally, many other variables exist when it comes to how a person determine when to use their goodness.

However the question focuses on if goodness is possible without a need for a god to facilitate this process. Again I say,"Yes!"

Here are 10 ways a person can be good without god:

1. Volunteering for a cause that one is passionate about
2. Mentoring
3. Living with integrity
4. Speaking out against injustice
5. Not being wasteful with money, objects, actions, or time
6. Doing the best at whatever opportunities present themselves
7. Being true to the values that one holds
8. Practicing kindness every day
9. Looking at situations from another perspective in order to foster open dialogue
10. Live and love with passion and purpose

I live to be a benefit to others and I work each day to make the part of the world I live in a better place. If I can help one person through my life or my writing to be a better individual, then my living is not in vain.