Theories: N. Kretzmann, “Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Ethics” from Eleanor Stump and Michael Murray, Philosophy Religion: The Big Questions (Blackwell, 1999)

Theory 1: N. Kretzmann, “Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Ethics” from Eleanor Stump and Michael Murray, Philosophy Religion: The Big Questions (Blackwell, 1999)

1. Divine Command Theory

Morality comes from God's commands.

• Something is morally right because God commands it.

• Something is morally wrong because God forbids it.

• Example: God says “Do not murder” → murder is wrong.

Problem: This can make morality seem arbitrary. If God commanded something we normally consider wrong, would it suddenly become right?

Theory 2: N. Kretzmann, “Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Ethics” from Eleanor Stump and Michael Murray, Philosophy Religion: The Big Questions (Blackwell, 1999)

2. Independent Moral Standards

Morality exists independently of God's commands.

• God commands something because it is already morally good.

• God doesn't create morality; instead, God recognizes or follows moral truths that already exist.

Problem: If morality exists independently of God, then God may not be the ultimate foundation of morality.

Theory 3: N. Kretzmann, “Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Ethics” from Eleanor Stump and Michael Murray, Philosophy Religion: The Big Questions (Blackwell, 1999)

3. Divine Nature Theory

Morality is grounded in God's nature rather than God's arbitrary commands.

Instead of:

“Something is good because God commands it.”

the idea is:

“Something is good because it reflects God's inherently good nature.”

For example, God commands us to be loving because love is part of God's nature.

This attempts to avoid the Euthyphro dilemma because morality isn't based on random commands.

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Theory 4: N. Kretzmann, “Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Ethics” from Eleanor Stump and Michael Murray, Philosophy Religion: The Big Questions (Blackwell, 1999)

4. The Euthyphro Dilemma

Technically, this isn't a theory—it is a philosophical challenge.

It asks:

A. Is something good because God commands it?

OR

B. Does God command it because it is good?

Position	Basic idea	Main problem
Divine Command	God commands → morally good	Morality may seem arbitrary
Independent Morality	Already good → God commands	God isn't the source of morality
Divine Nature	God's nature grounds morality	Must explain how God's nature determines moral truth