{"id":55497,"date":"2006-11-05T20:03:00","date_gmt":"2006-11-06T02:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=55497"},"modified":"2022-11-05T20:06:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T01:06:52","slug":"christian-morality-versus-atheist-morality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christian-morality-versus-atheist-morality\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Morality Versus Atheist Morality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Donald R. Fox<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting formal discussions between an atheist and a Christian was the Oliphant-Smith Debate, conducted in Shawnee, Oklahoma, August 15-16, 1929. W. L. Oliphant was a preacher from the Oak Cliff Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas. Charles Smith was the President of the American Association of the Advancement of Atheism, in New York City. Since I purchased the debate book in 1972, I have read and browsed through its pages with great interest.<\/p>\nOn the afternoon, of August 16, 1929, Mr. Smith affirmed the proposition: &#8220;Atheism is Beneficial to the Race, and is Most Conducive to Morality of any Theory Known to Man.&#8221; I am amazed that Mr. Smith signed an agreement to defend this proposition. Following is an extraction that is modified to assist in reading clarity, from the end of Mr. Oliphant&#8217;s first negative speech on the proposition.<br \/>\nI want you people to remember that, though Mr. Smith is supposed to be affirming that atheism is conducive to good morals, he has not said one word in defense of the morality of atheism. He has done nothing but attack Christianity. This method of debating is in harmony with the whole program of atheism; it is entirely destructive. In the few minutes I have left, I shall introduce a few of the principles of morality taught in the New Testament.\n<h3>The religion of Jesus Christ teaches:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoiding hatred (Matthew 5:21-22)<\/li>\n<li>No lustful thinking (Matthew 5:28)<\/li>\n<li>No unfair judgments (Matthew 7:1-2)<\/li>\n<li>Love of enemies (Matthew 5:44)<\/li>\n<li>Reconciliation (Matthew 5:24)<\/li>\n<li>Non-resistance (Matthew 5:38-39)<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding Anxiety (Matthew 6:25, 29)<\/li>\n<li>Self-examination (Matthew 7:3-5)<\/li>\n<li>Respect for the government. (Romans 13:1-7)<\/li>\n<li>Equality of man (James 2:1-4)<\/li>\n<li>A universal brotherhood (Matthew 23:9)<\/li>\n<li>Forgiveness (Mark 11:25)<\/li>\n<li>Thrift and industry (Ephesians 4:28)<\/li>\n<li>Progress (Hebrews 6:1)<\/li>\n<li>The value of truth (2 Corinthians 13:8)<\/li>\n<li>Truth as the basis for freedom (John 8:32)<\/li>\n<li>Humility (Luke 14:11)<\/li>\n<li>Benevolence (Acts 20:35)<\/li>\n<li>Honesty (Romans 12:17)<\/li>\n<li>A single standard of morals (Ephesians 4:4)<\/li>\n<li>Unselfishness (Romans 12:10).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With this list of positive moral teaching, Oliphant challenged Smith to find fault with the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). Oliphant stated in the conclusion of his first negative speech, &#8220;I am willing to risk the whole proposition on this challenge: I challenge Mr. Smith to name any principle of morality that I cannot read in the Bible. Let him mention any virtue he may think of, and I will read it in this Book &#8211; the Christian&#8217;s standard of life.&#8221; In his following speech, Smith said, &#8220;Perhaps I cannot; you can prove most anything by the Bible.&#8221; A feeble answer to Oliphant&#8217;s challenge.<\/p>\n<p>[All quotations can be found on pages 80-83,\u00a0<em>Oliphant-Smith Debate<\/em>, 1929 By F. L. Rowe, Gospel Advocate Company, Owner, Nashville, Tennessee.]<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Donald R. Fox One of the most interesting formal discussions between an atheist and a Christian was the Oliphant-Smith Debate, conducted in Shawnee, Oklahoma, August 15-16, 1929. W. L. Oliphant was a preacher from the Oak Cliff Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas. Charles Smith was the President of the American Association of the Advancement&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[184,38],"class_list":["post-55497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-atheism","tag-morality"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62772,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-immorality-of-atheism\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":0},"title":"The Immorality of Atheism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 1:28-32 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Atheism is a religion of destruction \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Its adherents try to destroy the belief system of any contrary belief system \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It demands proof from others while believing that giving no proof of its own is somehow \u201cproof\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As an example, \u201cProve there is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55075,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/atheisms-faith-and-fruits\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":1},"title":"Atheism&#8217;s Faith and Fruits","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by James D. Bales, reprinted in The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 8, June 1952. Unbelievers constantly bring against Christians the charge that the Bible is unworthy of a place in a scientific age since it calls for faith but men must walk by sight. By the term faith, they seek\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45327,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-faith-of-an-atheist\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":2},"title":"The Faith of an Atheist","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by William J. Stewart Some time ago, I had the opportunity to talk with a self-proclaimed Atheist. I found it to be a rather interesting conversation. He discussed several things which he found to be adequate evidence to discount the existence of God, none of which stood to any measure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45325,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-matter-is-amoral-then-atheists-dont-have-an-explanation-for-where-morals-come-from\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":3},"title":"If matter is amoral then atheists don&#8217;t have an explanation for where morals come from","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have followed your website for many years. I have been a member of the Lord's church for nearly fifty years. I have learned many things in life but my greatest knowledge is of God's most Holy Word. Anyway, I have found your article on \"The Failure of Moral\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25548,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-atheists-motives\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":4},"title":"The Atheist&#8217;s Motives","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Proverbs 4:20-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Consider the offer \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Atheism offers \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No absolute morality. Everything is subjective. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No meaning to your life. Life is just a span of time, where you suffer for a while before you are squished into oblivion. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No hope about your future. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Christianity offers \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A clear, absolute morality\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56116,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-essence-of-atheism\/","url_meta":{"origin":55497,"position":5},"title":"The Essence of Atheism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Start with nothing. From nothing, for no reason or purpose, lifeless, mindless material just came into existence. Lifeless, mindless material, existing for no reason and with no purpose, somehow, some way, through a process that has never been observed anywhere, spontaneously generated something that was living. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}