You: How can I use this "goodness ruler"? If I do not know what goodness is in the first place, how can I identify it in God? For example: let's say that I get this perfect picture of God in my mind and want to compare myself to it. Well, I know that God is good and that I (being imperfect) am less than good. I also know that my mental picture of God is taller than me, has a good sense of humor, and considers itself to be superior to all sentient beings. From this can I conclude that eating to grow taller, learning some good jokes and improving my ego will bring me closer to goodness?

Aaron: Don't be ridiculous. Nobody would ever mistake height, humor or conceit for goodness.

You: That's true, but the reason it's true is that we all have a concept of good and these things do not fit into it. If we can look at our concept of God and pick out those qualities it has which represent good, then we do not need that concept of God to define goodness in the first place.

Aaron: On the contrary, it is God who inspires you with the knowledge of and desire to do good works.

You: I don't know where you get that from. If you could prove that God inspired people, then you could prove that he exists, but I don't think that's a very strong line of argument.

Aaron: On the contrary.