This accusation is often quietly levelled at those who walk away from organised religion: only those who practise a visible form of faith are morally upright. The implication is subtle but clear: without God, any form of morality and goodness collapses. 

When I was involved in fundamentalist religion, I frequently heard the claim that while non-believers may appear to do good, they are not truly good because their actions are not done “for the glory of God.” Within that worldview, goodness is measured by motivation. Yet if actions only count as Good when done for God's approval, then it makes the good we do transactional. It also suggests that a subtle selfishness exists when good things are being done only to secure divine approval, especially when this is oriented towards securing a positive outcome after death. 

When I left my faith and spent twenty years as an atheist, I wrestled for a time with the question: How can I be good without believing in God? I had so tightly linked morality to divine existence that it felt unclear how to do this, and it kept me holding onto belief in God. Yet when push came to shove, in the end, I simply got on with living my life. Most of the time, I treated people well, and then sometimes I did not. My life, like everyone else’s, was a mixture of mostly kindness and sometimes unkindness. Nothing dramatically changed simply because my belief system changed. 

Some might argue that my moral failings during that time prove the necessity of faith, yet if that were true, we would expect to see that those who profess to be religious consistently demonstrate greater goodness than those who do not. History does not bear that out. 

Wars have been fought in the name of religion. Oppression has been justified by appeal to sacred texts. Tremendous harm has been caused by those convinced they are acting on God’s behalf. If we were to observe human behaviour across the generations, and without knowing anyone’s beliefs, it would not be so obvious who is religious and who is not. 

In my own life, I know people who profess no active faith and yet quietly dedicate themselves to serving others. I also know people of faith who refuse to support those in need. The human landscape remains complex. 

There is also a philosophical layer to this matter. Some argue that without belief in God, goodness has no absolute grounding. It remains true that moral absolutes without metaphysics are indeed difficult to justify, yet even when absolute Goodness is said to reside in God's nature, we continue to encounter the problem of finite beings trying to comprehend what is claimed to be infinite. 

All knowledge of divine goodness is mediated through scripture, tradition, prophets, or personal experience. We are forever in a state of interpreting religion. It is why in the time of Jesus, some saw him as the Son of God while others saw him as demon-possessed. Human interpretation never disappears. So with this in mind, let's orient the matter more towards the experiential. 

Most people, religious or not, are not calculating their daily actions on a grand cosmic scale. They are simply getting on with their day. They love their families, they make mistakes, they help neighbours, etc. Some will insist that the world is deteriorating because more people are abandoning their faith. Others will argue the opposite. It is hard to offer any reasonable response when people have made up their mind, which is why the wisest thing to do may not be to argue but to simply get on with your life. We call this embodiment. 

It is possible to live a life grounded in Love, Joy, Peace, and Freedom without being able to philosophically justify those values in absolute terms. We know that because most people are doing just that. Ultimately, the question becomes, How many of your daily decisions are truly determined by whether you believe in God?

In my experience, relatively few choices are being consciously made on that basis alone. Most things I do are simply shaped by a desire to live well with others. Some might say that is unjustifiable and even selfish. I cannot convince them either way, but I can still offer them something to eat and drink if ever they profess to be hungry and thirsty, and with those small acts of goodness, never need to justify my reasons for doing so. 

If you are interested in opening up space in your life to explore these ideas further, The Path Journal was written to help.