Final answer:
The absence of God in existentialist thought leads to a world without predefined values, requiring individuals to create their own meaning, thus the correct answer is D. It leaves humanity without a source of values to depend upon.
Step-by-step explanation:
For existentialists, the absence of God implies a world without inherent values or meaning, which humans must confront and navigate. Friedrich Nietzsche's assertion that "God is dead" signifies the rejection of divine authority as the source of moral values, leading individuals to take sole responsibility for creating their own meaning and values. Without prefixed ethical mandates, humans reside in Nietzsche's metaphorical "abyss," where meaning is not universal but personally interpreted. Jean-Paul Sartre further articulated the notion of radical freedom, where individuals must consistently make choices, with even the refusal to choose being a choice in itself, underscoring the inescapable nature of human freedom and existential responsibility.In this context, the answer to the student's question is D. It leaves humanity without a source of values to depend upon. Without God, the source of objective values is in question, and humans find themselves alone in ascribing meaning to their existence, leading to what existentialists term the "absurd." This burden of freedom and the attendant responsibility for moral decision-making is a central theme in existential thought, dispelling the notions of a carefree existence (option C) or the elimination of moral decision-making (option B), and does not affirm the existence of values in an intelligible heaven (option A).