Can we be good without God?

Human nature can be thought of as a combination of animal instinct and moral consciousness. Animal instinct being an inherited yet unlearned inclination towards a particular behavior; and moral consciousness the ability to judge those behaviors and decide whether they are good or bad. Some would argue that knowledge of good and bad is an instinct. That would mean that moral consciousness is not an external choice but an internal truth engraved in our DNA. No one can argue with the fact that survival, which encompasses eating, sleeping and sometimes the termination of threats, is an instinct. The idea of moral consciousness as an instinct is a concept harder to grasp.

I am one of those that would argue that moral consciousness is an instinct. We are born not taught the ability to decide whether things are good or bad. Of course, everything is subjective to circumstance and intention which is what makes it a hard concept to comprehend. Certain actions just aren't logical and we by nature are logical beings. So, by that logic if someone commits a crime their must be a logical explanation. For example, a person in their right mind steals a piece of bread to feed their starving family. Taking what is not yours is bad but surviving is good. That is the logic, survival is the essence of life. It makes sense to survive however it does not make sense to have food in your fridge and still rob your neighbor of his with the intention of his demise. The same applies to the taking of a life.

This is why I would agree with Ellis' "arousal theory." This theory constitutes that their must be some biological answer to why some people behave more violently than others. Frankly, its the only theory that doesn't make us look bad. The "hell fire theory," says that if there wasn't a threat to us then we would go and hurt others cold bloodily. It makes us sound self-centered and fearful. The "obedience-to-authority theory" makes people of good nature seem utterly submissive and weak. In conclusion, if the question is, can we be good without God then my answer is yes. God just is and we just are. Unfortunately, there are things such as chemical imbalances and mental diseases that obstruct the ability to act according to the majority of the species human instincts. The people who suffer from suboptimal arousal just can't help being that way. That would be true whether God was there or not.