Goodness Gracious

Here is a post that I contributed to a discussion over at achristianandanatheist.com. I thought I would share it here as well...

I have been thinking about the "God is good" thing and have formulated some thoughts, nothing earth-shattering, just observations.

First, it seems to me that goodness is not transcendent, meaning, it is not something that exists outside our reality and is self-sufficient or self-defined. Human context defines goodness. Moral goodness is culturally defined, as is aesthetic goodness (beauty), etc. To a large extent our cultures have told us what is good or bad (it's good to help the elderly, bad to kick your dog), beautiful or ugly (it is beautiful to be slender, ugly to be obese), and so on. Now there are certainly people who deviate from these culturally derived ideals, but most people do not. For most of us we have come to accept a culturally derived system of goodness.

Second, since cultures vary widely, the concept of goodness will also vary. What is good for me may be bad for you (I like Pink Floyd, you do not). Broadening the cultural context a bit, what may be good in my home state of Pennsylvania (sour kraut, scrapple, and polish sausage) may be distasteful to someone from the south. To a larger extent what may be good in the USA (savings accounts and retirement plans) may be seen as immoral in other countries (people from Central Africa Republic would view such behavior as greedy).

Third, since our culture is very different from the culture of the biblical world, we would expect our concepts of goodness to vary to a certain degree, and they do (dietary laws, how women should dress, etc.)

Fourth, there is a kind of "continuity of goodness" that actually does transcend cultural differences. This continuity is probably impossible to see at the micro level (what kind of music I prefer, or how I dress) but easier to see at the macro level (generally speaking, it is good to care for your family, children, the poor, etc.)

Fifth, and this is pure speculation, what if this broader concept of goodness is a mark of the divine? If we encountered a being who was generous, helpful, loving, sacrificial, beautiful, etc. is it possible that such a being would appeal to this continuity of goodness and be viewed as good by many people across many cultures?

What if redemption wasn't as much about fixing our sin as enlightening our perception of goodness?