The benefits of theistic moral frameworks

This was originally a comment I left at the Exiled Preacher blog. I thought it might be good to make a blog post of my own based on it. I think the basics of the argument that since (at least certain kinds of) theism lead to more moral lives that it somehow counts as evidence that the supernatural parts (for which there is otherwise no evidence) are true as well.

I see many theists arguing that Christianity provides a moral framework that leads to better lives and atheism offers nothing. That’s an arguable point, until you examine the actual arguments which seem to drag in issues of the existence of God and Jesus.

Atheism isn’t the lack of a belief in the Christian moral framework (assuming they could ever agree on the particulars of one), it’s the lack of a belief in the existence of supreme beings. And before you try to say it is, it isn’t the lack of a belief in the use of moral frameworks to improve people’s lives either.

It’s like arguing that unicorns say people shouldn’t drink and drive. Aunicornism, the lack of a belief in unicorns, doesn’t offer anything. Thus unicorns are real.

Same thing goes for Leprechaunists saying that Leprechaunism is better than aleprechaunism because the Grand High Leprechaun says that spousal abuse is wrong and aleprechaunism doesn’t say anything on the issue. Thus if you agree that spousal abuse is wrong then you admit that Leprechaunism is true.

That argument is preposterous.

Those may very well be philosophical arguments so long as you leave out anything talking about the existence of supernatural parts that there is no evidence for. But those philosophical parts are evaluated completely separately from the arguments that there are supernatural forces at work behind the scenes. Atheism argues against the supernatural forces part, not the philosophical part.

Atheists are free to agree with the tenets of Christianity, Unicornism or Leprechaunism. Agreement with those tenets, however, says nothing about the supernatural enforces of said tenets.

If theists are trying to “trick” atheists into agreeing with you that Christianity offers a moral framework (be it good or ill) whereas atheism does not, then you have succeeded. I, as an atheist, admit that much. But I won’t say that Christianity represents a superior moral framework than Secular Humanism or Objectivism or Judaism or Buddhism or even Unicornism or Leprechaunism.

And again, none of that has anything to do with the existence of Moses, Buddha, unicorns or leprechauns.

I have no problem donating to Christian charities (which I do) or attending Christian private schools (which I did). Charity and education are real and measurable benefits to humanity. I disagree with the parts about supernatural beings that live in the sky and impossibly contradictory origin stories that run counter to every piece of credible scientific evidence ever discovered.

The benefits of Christian moral frameworks may be measurable, but God and Jesus still aren’t.