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The "Anything Goes" Club
by Cindy Morgan



"Is there really a good reason not to commit murder?"
I sat across the cafeteria table from Steve as he posed the question to the rest of the group.
Steve and a few of his friends had formed this "informal club" as a way to explore the meaning of life—and debate controversial issues. These seniors were known around school for their high grade-point averages, intelligence and skepticism toward religion.
Even though I was a freshman and a Christian, I couldn't help but be attracted to these "really smart seniors." I admired their desire to understand what life was all about. So I decided to stop by their table one afternoon. I listened quietly as their lively conversation flew around the table.
"Each of us needs to decide what we feel is right or wrong."
"Society makes the rules, so society decides if murder is wrong."
"No, it's an individual decision. Something you have to decide for yourself."
I couldn't keep quiet any longer.
I cleared my throat and managed to say, "It's wrong because God says it's wrong."
Silence. Then Steve sighed and said simply, "If you don't believe in God, you don't have to go by God's rules."
I looked around as heads nodded in agreement.
Then I stared downward, unable to think of a thing to say. I felt bad because I didn't know how to answer Steve. I also felt sad because the whole conversation seemed so empty and hopeless. And I was shaken by the conclusion they'd come up with:
If there is no God, nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Over the years, I've thought a lot about that discussion in the cafeteria at Powell Valley High. Mostly, I've thought about how essential God's truth is in my life. Without it, I have no direction, no guidance for the decisions I make. I'd have no way of knowing right from wrong. Oh, I'd have my opinions, but no way of knowing if my opinions are right or not.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life"/ (John 14:6). Yes, belief in God's truth gives my life meaning. It gives my life direction.
It also gives me the confidence to know right from wrong. And those are conclusions I can live with.