And if natural evil is a thorn in the Christian’s side, so moral evil is a thorn in the atheist’s side! For if there is no God and we are, as Darwin and Nietzsche suggest, cells with no purpose beyond procreation and existence, then why complain as you did? What possible meaning does life have? Why not cull in concentration camp or gulag? Why not kill those who contribute little but use up resources? Why not let the worm eat the eye? If we stop upholding the sanctity of life, a clearly theistic notion, then what possible reason do we have to be angry? It is simply what it is.
Who says we need an abstract omnipotent mythical being which no one has ever seen apart from hearsay? Who says this being has to make our moral judgements or compasses for us. People were able to be moral before the proliferation of Christianity in the West to varying degrees. Plus it's hard to say 'Christianity is a better moral' thing since it's counter-intuitive because: a) theoretical options are pointless, b) consider the use of region for non-benign purposes, c) it degenerates into a 'fact' or 'anecdote' slogging match of the public or remembered memory of consciousnesses rather than any serious debate.
I don't know why he conflates a non-belief in God with a lack of morality. Nietzsche ideas of Nihilish: that nothing really matters doesn't necessarily have to be a problem.
So what if morals are not objective? To be au contraire if God doesn't exist does that make him worthless? Well he's not worthless to the people who believe in him - who make Him the centre piece of their life and moral compass, even if erroneous or not, cf. Priest believing in 'evidence' from a fictional book with multiple authors, re-writes and circumstantial historical evidence.
The 'No God = People are moral monsters' argument is dumb.
But Stephen, why rail against God if you don’t believe in him? I cannot imagine getting cross with a creature I believed mythical, say a unicorn or pixie! No, the emotion you display is only rationally, surely, if delivered to a living agent you do suspect might just be there.
He can't rail against something he doesn't believe in? What nonsense.
Perhaps then it is not that you disbelieve in God, so much as feel anger towards him and what you think he has revealed? If so I urge you to look again and see not only our grot but also our glory. For there must clearly be something of value in a Catholic Church that has lasted two thousand years, which comprises 1.4 billion members and which has outlived every regime that ever sought to destroy it.
Oh shut it. Preachers going to preach on his online pulpit. For the benefit of the audience of The Catholic Herald and nothing more.