Proof of God from Morality

Let's use the name "cosmic viewpoint" to describe the realization that nothing we humans can do is either good or bad because we're all just as much part of nature as the lion or the deer; just a spec of stardust in the vastness of the universe, so small we can't even imagine. From this cosmic viewpoint, nothing that happens to us or anything else on earth, really matters. We die, we no longer exist, and how we died no longer matters. It's as if we never lived, just like it was before we were born.

But we don't always judge everything from this cosmic viewpoint; we often view our universe in relation to ourselves. The deer sees the lion's attack as "bad" from this viewpoint because deer suffer at the hand (well...paw) of lions. The lion sees the same act as "good" since deer provide a vital source of food lions. Humans see the killing of other humans as wrong - it's a source of danger for us, our family members, and others for whom we care. Humans who feel a since of connection with other forms of life view killing of animals for food as wrong - those who feel less a sense of connection do not. Some people are outraged over cruelty to dogs or cows, others don't mind working in animal shelters or slaughter houses.

Like many other types animals, humans have evolved as social animals. As other social animals, we have evolved a sense of empathy. Our ability to empathize with other humans (and even animals in certain cases) gives us a sense of right and wrong. What is bad for us is "wrong". But because we feel for others also (that is, we empathize), what's bad for those we empathize with is "wrong" as well. Genetic studies and statistical analysis demonstrate that empathy is a genetic and environmental phenomenon rather than a God-given moral law (see Sociobiology of Sociopathy and The Empathetic Brain).