My debate in Christian Forums in full swing

[Mystic]

What do you mean by that it changes? Do you mean moral standards changes in society?

If the same me were born 500 years ago, I would probably think that beating a runaway slave to death is the right of any slave owner. I would have thought that was objectively moral.

Maybe or maybe you would not. Maybe deep down inside you would feel it's wrong or you would feel in emotional turmoil over the issue or maybe you would be against it.

Morality today is different from morality 100 years ago and very much different from morality 1000 years ago. What appears like objective morality to me today is actually an illusion.

Exactly what do you mean by morality? Everyone knows humanity have different views of what is moral and what is not, but what is actually moral and good or what is unmoral or evil, has that really changed?

This is what I'm asking. How do you believe in goodness now, if you believe it has no objectivity at all?

If you believe it's totally a delusion, why do you say you believe in goodness at all?

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It wasn't all that long ago that it was considered normal to send small children up chimneys, or to work in amogst lethally dangerous machinery in factories, and to beat them soundly for the slightest infraction. Now, thankfully, such things are unconscionable, at least for the relatively developed nations. So yes, moral standards can change, within a society as it matures and between coexisting societies.

If you believe in objective morals, you can say moral standards regarding an issue has progressed or regressed. While if you don't believe in objective morality, you cannot say there is progress or regress, only that it has changed.