Secularism is defined as the indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion. Our society is relegating religion to the confines inside the walls of our homes and churches. Secularists claim science and reason is the basis for explaining truth. We humans are simply a product of ‘chemical accidents’ and this world is all there is, there is nothing for us after we die. As our society, our culture, becomes more secular we are bringing up a new generation of secular progeny.

If you were not created for any special purpose, if there is no afterlife, life is pretty depressing and meaningless; nothing you do during your life will make any difference when your life ends. Why should a person be virtuous rather than being brutal? Why be a loving individual instead of being totally selfish? Both are attitudes people can demonstrate, but who says one is better than the others when in the end it doesn’t matter? As Nietzsche predicted, “…as the world tries to abandon belief in God yet maintain values of compassion and benevolence…morality itself will become a problem. It will be harder and harder to justify or motivate morality, people will become more selfish, there will be no way but coercion to control them.” Sounding familiar?

If we are all a product of evolutionary ‘survival of the fittest’ how does it imply we should respect other people’s freedom, rights, dignity? We find no grounding for human rights, equality, freedom, and justice without our Christian heritage, there is no other foundation upon which to base these ideals. It was Christianity that established the concept that people have equal dignity and equal worth; all people are created in the image of God and should be valued as such. This implies there are ‘natural’ human rights that come from God, not granted by the government, and they belong to all people regardless of abilities, social status, or genetics. How can there be any “crimes against humanity” without religion?

Secularists desire to progress people toward perfect humanity. But what should that humanity look like? What is the standard against which progress is measured? What standard is used to determine what human qualities / behaviors are good and which are bad? Are they to be determined by whoever is in control of the government at the time? Evolution and science fail to provide a foundation. We need our Christian heritage.