(September 28, 2018 at 5:34 pm)Bahana Wrote: Do you think this is a good statement to make? It seems to me like they are trying to prove themselves to religious people. Is it a response to religious people who think atheists are less moral? I would rather not dignify that. If you wanna address that argument then bring it to them but to use that as your motivation is low rent.
I think more than before, English speakers are using "I'm good" to mean "I'm fine" or "I'm satisfied." So if you ask if they need some more coffee, they'll say "I'm good thanks" to mean "no thanks, I'm fine without it." Or if you just say "how are you today?" they'll say "I'm good" to mean they're in good condition.
My latent grammar Nazi dislikes this, but there's nothing I can do about it.
If this is what people mean when they say "I'm good without God" I understand it. I don't need God to be satisfied or have a complete life.
On the other hand, if they mean "good" in the old fashioned way -- to say they are morally good people -- that seems like a big claim to me. Someone who is really a good person doesn't go around telling people he's good, any more than a handsome guy goes around telling people that he's better looking than others.
Maybe better to refrain from making a personal claim -- that I specifically am morally good. So it doesn't seem to be boasting. Better to argue, as it's certainly possible to do, that people can be morally good without religion -- even if I personally can only manage to do my best, and may not always do very well at it.