Consider the source

Donald Clegg’s column, “Atheists can hold a high standard of morality without faith,” was well-written, but his premise begs a serious question: Where does the standard of morality come from?

He says one can “show fidelity without the least interest in faith or belief …” Fidelity to what? You can’t call for collective fidelity to an arbitrary ideal.

The mention of “ordinary standards of decency” shows that he believes there exists a benchmark for human behavior that we all should agree upon, but fails to identify where it came from. If standards exist, they must be set.

If there is no higher authority than humankind, why should anyone’s standards trump another’s? Why should the standard of a gang member, who believes it a high achievement to kill a cop, be less valid than the one who believes murder is a heinous sin?

The reason most people agree that things like murder, stealing, lying and selfishness violate a standard is because God is the Standard, and He showed us the Standard by sending Christ. Mr. Clegg’s essay only serves to strengthen this truth.

Chris Merkling

Pastor, Orchard Christian Fellowship

Spokane