Apologetics · Subscriber investigation
The Moral Argument in a Secular Age
Everyone in the room already believes cruelty is wrong. The argument starts there, not with a definition.
By J. T. Hollan|Aug 11, 2026|10 min
Updated Sep 2, 2026 at 8:53 PM EDT
Begin by conceding the thing that is always conceded too late: people who believe in no God at all are frequently better neighbours than people who believe in one. Any moral argument that starts by denying this is dishonest and will be treated as such.
The question was never whether an unbeliever can know that torturing a child is wrong. He can, and he does. The question is what makes it wrong, and what makes the wrongness binding on someone who does not care.
Three candidate grounds
The interesting question is not whether atheists can be good. It is what grounds the obligation.
Already have an account? Sign in
Subscriber investigation
Two ways to read this article
Documents cost money to obtain, authenticate, and defend. Subscriptions pay for the filings, the court records, and the time it takes to read them twice. Apologetics essays stay free for everyone, always.
Create an account
Free
- Three metered articles a month
- Every apologetics essay, always free
- Save stories to your account
Subscribe
$8 / month
- Unlimited access to every investigation
- The full Evidence Desk, unredacted
- You fund the filings and the court records
This article continues at The Crozier Report. Subscribe to keep reading.