CAN WE REJECT GOD AND STILL HAVE A COHERENT SET OF OBJECTIVE MORAL VALUES?

An atheist responded he could have objective moral values without God:

·       The "higher-controlling moral laws" don't need to be of supernatural origin, however. They can originate with ourselves. It's we, the moral community as a whole, who make up the moral rules we abide by. If we go about it rationally, we can make sure that our morals are more than merely opinion.

However, for rationality to kick in, it first requires a moral value to serve like:

·       Human life is good and worth preserving, or

·       Only the fittest should survive.

Only after we set forth our value can rationality tell us how to best pursue it. However, rationality cannot set forth a value; it can only serve the value when it is once established.

Yes, a community or a person can establish a value. However, it cannot rise above the level of the arbitrary and the changing. Instead, the creation of objective values is equivalent to creating gravity – something that only the Creator can do.