Is there a possibility of good in this world without God? My answer is, Of course there is good without God. Evil has been described as the absence of God or good. There are pockets of evil wherever one goes as well as pockets of good wherever one goes. I have become acquainted with many people in my life who have expressed little or no interest in God and His church but yet had a saintly demeanor. They were helpful when others needed help, they seemed genuinely concerned when another was hurt or ill. Those attributes alone describe for me ‘a good’ in them. I have heard of persons described as not a member or not attending church. That statement was sometimes enough to mean that they were not a religious (good) person. In reality, their religion may have absolutely nothing to do with their being ‘good’.
I believe that it is true that activity in a church or other organizations that provides opportunity and maybe even assignments to do charitable service will make it more likely that a person will perform those activities. However, a person that sees a good deed that needs to be done and does it on his own is more charitable than one who has been assigned. At the same time those who are assigned and follow through with the performance of good deeds, will eventually do them without assignment.
There are worldly trends or seasons when populations are more or less spiritual than at other times. Times when there is more charitable activity and other times when there are fewer charitable activities.
Institutions of higher education were at one time sponsored primarily by religious organizations, and now most are sponsored by the state. Many are seen as politically and religiously liberal in nature. Organized with no or few spiritual goals or interests. A recent survey found that 30% of students enrolled in colleges have no belief in nor interest in studying the Bible. Liberal and even some anti-god professors express their liberal diatribe against god and his ignorant followers. Diatribe defined as: ‘an angry and usually long speech or piece of writing that strongly criticizes someone or something.’ In this case anything pertaining to spiritual matters. The world has trended both ways and is currently trending in opposition to god and godly organizations.
There was an interesting article that was eventually made into a movie entitled “God’s Not dead.” Its premise was that, if God made everything, then God made evil, and if God made evil, he must be evil. A student countered with the question, Is there such a thing as cold and darkness? To which the professor answered, yes. The student proceeded to counter that there is no such thing as darkness nor cold, for Cold is merely the absence of heat and darkness is merely the absence of light. Light and heat are the only elements in that discussion that are measurable by scientific instruments.
But to say there is no good in a world where god takes a back seat is hardly correct. No good would be a complete absence of light and there has only been one time in recorded history and only one circumstance where God has totally withdrawn all of His light. That was during a time shortly after Christ’s crucifixion and just before He appeared to the Nephite people on the American continent. There was such total darkness that it was actually felt.
Paul describes man as either natural, the ‘natural man’ or one who puts off the natural man to become a spiritual man. There will always be both spiritual men and natural men living side by side. Nations at war have been both god fearing nations and those who were not. Those called to be soldiers fighting side-by-side for the same cause, have been both god-fearing soldiers and those who were not.
Some will always fear that those without god in their lives will become a majority and will control a godless world. That will never happen as long as their are god fearing and prayerful people in the world. Heavenly Father will allow only so much evil to reign and then He will step in. When the Nephites became so evil and hate filled He allowed them to be totally destroyed. General Mormon and his son Moroni tried everything in their power to turn the people around but they would not listen. Too! This country, in its youth, had a small and ill prepared army that was overwhelmed with elite and well trained British soldiers but ‘right’ was on our side and in many instances God intervened in our behalf. During the second world war the Japanese could easily have controlled the Pacific front had God not intervened in our behalf. We were not ready in any way for an attack by the Japanese.
Yes, I believe there is good in the world even when God’s hand has not been recognized but all things work best and there is always greater joy found where God is recognized.
Every person born to this world was first created by God as a spirit person. They were created by God and given the light of Christ, Not the Holy Ghost, but the light of Christ, that makes every person good until for some reason they choose to turn away from that light. They can of themselves chose to distinguish that light. Those who have made that choice will unlikely be found with any good emanating from their souls.
The answer to the title of this thought is that all people born are born with the light of Christ and are presumably good. When they mature and refuse to respond to that light, at that point and only then may they be absent of good. There is good without God but only if we discount the light of Christ.