Is God necessary to be good and to live a meaningful life?

The hard question is this: Is God necessary to be good and to live a meaningful life? Stated differently: Without God, is it possible to be good and live a meaningful life?

Point of Clarification:

• This question does not ask about a belief in God as the necessary criterion for being good and living a meaningful life.
• Rather, the criterion is the objective reality of God's existence regardless of an individual's beliefs.
• To hammer this point just a bit more: If the conclusion is that the existence of God is a necessary criterion, then it may be possible for a person who does not believe in such a God's existence to be good and to live a meaningful life.

This question presumes that God sets an objective standard (i.e., yardstick) for goodness and purpose. Because such a yardstick exists, it is possible for one to measure one's own goodness and determine if one is fulfilling a purpose greater than selfishness (thus, meaning).

Some might say that God is unnecessary because each group (aka, tribe) or individual can provide their own definition/determination of their own goodness or meaningfulness of life. If so, then this definition is self-referential and meaningless. It's like saying a circle is a circle because it's a circle. It's no different than a parent saying, "Because I said so," in response to a child asking to understand objective reality.

This scenario is disconnected from reality. In such a world, anyone can self-declare their life as good and meaningful without it being so. Just because enough delusional people agree with you doesn't mean that your life is good or meaningful. See past and perhaps future POTUS and the furer of Nazi Germany (shoutout to Godwin's law).

See

• Do we need God to be good?
• Can we be good without God?
• Is there a meaning to live without God?