Can You Be Good Without God?
In 2002, Five by Two produced a film that was, to say the least, thought provoking. Time Changer is the story of Dr. Russell Carlisle, professor in a Bible Seminary in 1890. It begins as Dr. Carlisle is presenting a manuscript for approval to other staff at the school. But approval is not unanimous. One professor, Dr. Norris Anderson, will not endorse a document that teaches Christian morality without the person of Christ is still effective.
The struggle between these two men intensifies until finally Carlisle accepts the invitation to visit his adversary at his home. There he is introduced to a time travel machine, invented by Dr. Anderson. Carlisle is transported through more than a 100 years of time to see the result of teaching morality without God in the very community where he lived. The few days’ experience motivated Carlisle to rewrite his manuscript.
When asked what is wrong with society, Alexander Solzhenitsyn answered, “It has forgotten God.” In other words, emphasis on kindness and love and morality is not enough. It only takes one generation to forget why they are acting that way at all. Daniel Boorstin stated, “Trying to plan for the future (conduct) without a sense of the past (foundation of conduct) is like trying to plant cut flowers.” George MacDonald put it another way. “No teacher (including story writers) should strive to make men think as he thinks, but to lead them to the living Truth, to the Master himself, of whom alone they can learn anything.”
Consider a model school in the south where character is in the forefront daily. In fact the key character qualities such as honesty and diligence are tiled in mosaic at the entrance. Of course, this is a public school so God cannot be mentioned. Will these students be better citizens for having these qualities drilled into them without giving them a basis for this conduct? One fifth grade teacher in another school required disrespectful students to write the following sentence: “I will treat the authority figure with respect in an effort to practice socially correct behavior which is a necessary attribute for me to acquire to obtain ultimate financial and personal success.” Read that again. First, what determines right behavior? Society does. So disrespect may be OK in the future but not now. Second, what is this teacher telling the students is the reason to be respectful? It is not because honor for authority is mandated by God. Rather it is because it will serve their own purposes. This is not character but hypocrisy.
Teaching character without God is similar to the story of seven tailors who wove the invisible clothes for the king. Only the wise saw the clothes so no one would admit they didn’t. On the day of the presentation, everyone spoke of the magnificent wardrobe until a small boy yelled, “The king is naked.”
What is wrong with our present generation? Their parents were taught to do right but given no reason why. Now their children shout, “That character is naked.” Through every means possible children need to be taught character. But it is mandatory that they also be taught that what is right and wrong is determined by God in the Bible, and that ultimately, the motive for doing right is pleasing God.
Jim Swanson has tried to remedy this situation by writing character stories that clearly present the reason for the values taught. Many biographies are also available on his website, including the stories of Hudson Taylor and Isaac Newton.