4.2- relationship between religion and morality

What is dependence

morality is dependent on religion (one cannot exist without the other)

What is independence

Morality exists independently from religion (both exist separately)

What is autonomous ethics

morality is decided by the individual moral agent using reason, conscience or intuition. Moral decisions are not dictated by outside authorities such as the church/ scriptures

What is heteronomous ethics

outside force dictates how a moral agents should conduct themselves- submitting fully to the decisions of another group (eg. a catholic who follows the teachings of the Vatican or a Muslin who follows Shari’ah law- no use of your own reason)

What is theonomous ethics

believer uses their reason and revelation through scripture/ teaching of the church to arrive at moral decisions

What does Tillich say about theonomous ethics

sees it as the perfect unity of one’s own outlook on life with God’s law for human life

What is the religious view on morality (according to John Nelson)

morality is a gift from a supernatural deity. To be moral we must obey the supposed demands of the deity who frequently is understood to have written/ inspired a holy book, where the demands are made known. Not following these demands leads to everlasting torment

What is the non-religious view on morality (according to John Nelson)

morality is based on human needs- being designed to benefit humans rather than serve an imaginary god

How may religious moral teaching be derived from secular morals

more recently as secular society has gotten more progressive, the religious moral teachings have had to adapt (eg. surrounding treatment of women and homosexuality and other faiths- more inclusion and plurality)

What does Aquinas say about moral dependence

The goodness found in human beings and in the contingent world is a reflection of the supreme or perfect goodness of God.

How does Aquinas’ views on moral dependence link to Plato

based on Plato’s eternal forms, or archetypes, which claimed that the contingent realities of which the human mind is aware are merely pale copies of a greater, unseen reality, which is eternal.

What is divine command theory

Follow the moral truths found in the bible. Whatever God commands is good

What does divine command theory suggest about moral truths

All moral truths are God Given and moral rightness originates with God. Moral truths are eternal, absolute, universal and unchanging because God himself is unchanging

What is in favour of divine command theory (incentive)

Divine command ethics also provides a superb incentive to be moral.

What is in favour of divine command theory (A.C. Grayling)

punishment is the chief incentive.

What is in favour of divine command theory (Russian novelist Dostoevsky)

if God does not exist then everything is permitted. If there is no God to support the demands of the moral law, then there is no threat of punishment or promise of reward, and so morality is meaningless.

What is in favour of divine command theory (absolute)

Universal, unchanging

What is against divine command theory (fear)

if humans are acting morally because they simply fear punishment then they are acting prudently out of self-preservation rather than morally.

What is in favour of divine command theory (Philip Quinn)

God moves the goalposts at times but this allows God to adjust oral truths and set moral standards applicable to the contexts (eg. when he goes against thou shalt not kill when the Israelites enter the promised land, telling them to kill in Deuteronomy)

What is against divine command theory (argument type)

If ‘morally good’ means ‘what God has commanded’ then the belief that what God commands being morally good actually means “What God commands is what God commands” which is a circular argument. What is against divine command theory (Kant)

How does the Euthyphro dilemma begin

a question posed by Socrates to Euthyphro. It is laid out in Plato’s dialogue

What does the Euthyphro dilemma ask

is morality independent of God or is morality whatever God wills it to be

What does the Euthyphro dilemma suggest (What is morally right is right because God wills it)

If God is responsible for all morality, then theoretically God could command evil things to be good. There is no rationality to morality as God invents it

What does the Euthyphro dilemma suggest (God wills what is morally right because it is right)

If morality is independent of God then goodness exists externally to God, meaning he is not omnipotent (God is not the creator of all things as there is a standard outside of his control)

What are some biblical examples of Euthyphro’s dilemma (Abraham’s sacrifice of his son)

The way most normally abhorrent acts that are justified as God wills it is covered up by the idea that the event is a test of faith- but logically this shouldn’t make it right if overall the event ends with harm

What are some biblical examples of Euthyphro’s dilemma (Story of Job)

We still have a moral compass so humanity should be able to judge what God wills. God being considered the most reliable source of morally guidance is problematic as it is basing views off of an invisible deity, through the bible (which wasn’t written by God) so there is no real way of knowing what God wills to be moral

What is Socrates’ answer in the Euthyphro dilemma

Doing the right thing is different from doing what the gods approve of. Morality is something independent of the divine and not reliant on God

What are the arguments against the Euthyphro dilemma (polytheism)

If we ignore the immorality of the Greek gods, could we not believe in a God who is perfectly good

What are the arguments against the Euthyphro dilemma (Robert Adams)

“modified divine command theory”- God would not ask humanity to do things that would harm us in the long term. Any of God’s commands to us are moral, but they may appear immoral due to the epistemic distance. While God can do the logically possible (omnipotence), there are certain things he doesn’t wish to do (anything that goes against his benevolent nature)

What are the arguments against the Euthyphro dilemma (Dr William Lane Craig)

God wills something as he is good. He is good by nature. God’s commandment to us reflects his nature which is good. God in himself is the good who is the source of our moral duties

What is the argument of Søren Kierkegaard

duties (demands of faith put in place by God) cannot be justified in terms of social norms. The distinction between good and evils is ultimately dependent on God

What is the example provided by Søren Kierkegaard

Abrahams would-be sacrifice of Isaac would have been unacceptable in terms of social norms, but his “Teleological suspension of the ethical” (His duty to obey God’s command) is higher than his social duty to not kill and his personal commitment to his son.

What is the criticism of Søren Kierkegaard

If faith is the highest virtue then this shows a capricious, jealous and malevolent God. Why would God cause us to aim for a level of faith beyond human understanding (ie. a “teleological suspension of the ethical”). Morality should be universal

What is Kant’s autonomous ethics argument

Morality requires autonomy, meaning we are responsible for our actions and they must arise out of our own decisions (just because we ought to behave morally doesn't mean we can achieve summon bonum)

What does Kant’s morality suggest

Morality should be completely disinterested- duties must be done even if they don’t benefit the agent as reason demands it. But it is for the greater good (summon bonum). God exists to ensure that the universe is fair and the highest good is achievable so God explains why morality exists

What does Kant say about human beings and God

Human beings are rational beings who can discover moral rules through reason. He argues that if God exists, he and humanity abide by the same rational principles.

What does Habgood say about Job and Abraham

Their situations are resolved as they were ultimately satisfied wight hearing from God directly

What is R. A. Sharpe’s moral case against religious belief

Challenges what he claims to be a misconception that if more people believed in God there would be less immorality

What is Sharpe’s issue with religious morals

Some moral views formed by religions are confused, inconsistent and cause human suffering- yet we are still reluctant to condemn these as immoral

What are the expectations of theonomy

Small group of Conservative US christians, believing that all elements of society should be brought under the control of OT law . Morality is dependent on the rules ordained by God

What does theonomy think of God

God alone has a position of determining what is right or wrong and our obligation to keep God’s commands cannot be judged by any extra-scriptural standard (either traditions, modern ideas or our own moral feelings- according to G Bahsen)

What are the arguments of the Westboro Baptist Church

Argue to preach ‘Gospel truth’ but it is clearly running counter to both religious and secular moral teaching

What are the main beliefs of the Westboro Baptist Church

Believes in God’s wrath and hatred for homosexuals, supporting these views with a select amount of bible quotes. God only chooses a few communities to be saved and most people go to hell

Who are the Quiverfull

Branch of evangelical christians which advocates large families and highly conservative domestic arrangement. They reject all forms of contraception and birth control (including natural family planning) as they believe God is the rightful gatekeeper of the woman’s womb

What is Quiverfull biblical patriarchy

advocates male leadership- believing that the women was created as a helper for the husband and the bearer of children

Who was Nietzsche

Described himself as an ‘immoralist’, since he was so opposed to established moral values

What is Master morality

a noble man is conscious of determining what is right and wrong. He realises what is harmful and what is valuable and creates values according to this awareness. By being self autonomous and realist, Neitzsche saw the moral individual as the master rather than the slave

What is ‘Slave morality’

a series of beliefs which originates among the weak of society. Slave morality does not exert strength, but questions the values of the masters and seeks to enslave them too.

What were Nietzsche’s beliefs on the idea of the majority finding the common good

Rejected it as he believed that “what is common is of little value”. Christians and their successors have supported values like humility, mercy, and forgiveness. All of these things seek to topple the rule of the strong. Ending this will return to the heroism of the classic world

What does Dawkins argue in the 2006 documentary The Root of All Evil

Humanity would be better off without religion or belief in God. Religious positions in morality (especially when taught to children) represent a form of indoctrination, teaching dubious and uncritical moral codes

How does Dawkins believe that religion indoctrinates children

Children who doubt or reject these beliefs are scared with visions of hellfire and eternal damnation

What does Dawkins believe is a fundamental issue with religious believers’ reaction to the moral codes

They follow the moral codes imposed in them, not for their own sake or because they are the best possible choice, but for fear of punishment (‘sucking up’ to God)

What morality does Dawkins advocate

Morality based on reason, valuing autonomy. He would like to see a secular, relativist and consequentialist for of ethics

Why does Dawkins believe we have come up with morals

Moral choices are motivated by evolution. Selfless acts and working with others happens to have helped organisms survive (allows us to be successful, survive and reproduce). Therefore we can understand morality without God

What examples does Dawkins use to demonstrate that religious morality is immoral

‘Hell house’- haunted house-type attractions where American fundamentalist Christians depict sins and the consequences of being immoral. This traumatises children, making them fearful of divine punishment and brainwashing them into thinking that homosexuality and abortion, for example, are evil. Dawkins sees this as a form of child abuse

Why is Dawkins’ critical of Islam

Problem with women’s rights (especially within radical Islam). Believes that religions such as Islam condone immoral actions such as stoning adulterers while advocating backward-looking moral codes which are intolerant and unjust

What are the issues with the way Dawkins speaks about religion and terrorism

He has been widely criticised for generalising from the actions of a few to a whole religion. While he argues that he is not an islamophobe, Dawkins has made numerous comments about Muslims suffering because of their religion, which he sees as cruel.

What does Dawkins say about religion and terrorism

Religion can be a huge motivator for terrorism as religious extremism has overtaken national separation to become the main driver of terrorist attacks

What impact does Dawkins believe religion has on terrorism

Religious people have edited their moral codes to score points in heaven

What are the critiques of Dawkins (good)

Ignores the role of religion as a force for good. Many religious people have made tremendous contributions to humanity in times of need and religious activism has been a driving force for peace

What are the critiques of Dawkins (evolving)

Assumes that religious morality is not evolving but it is over time (slowly)

What are the critiques of Dawkins (generalising)

Selective in his examples- focusing on extremism, causing generalisation

What are the critiques of Dawkins (reasoning for obedience)

Ignores the fact that many believers are obedient to God out of love, loyalty and respect and a desire to be more virtuous

what are the critiques of Dawkins (Melvin Tinker)

each religion, denomination and faction needs to be judged on its own terms

what is the quote that Dawkins uses to describe religious morality

calls religious morality and teachings “a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak”

what is the quote that Dawkins uses to describe the policing in religious morality

“Morality in the absence of policing is more truly moral”

how could it be argued that Jesus attacks organised religion?

Good Samaritan- the two people that ignored the man were both religious men, one specifically was a priest. Jesus condemns the Jewish customs about ritual cleanliness as they ignored the dying man. Jesus shows the weakness of religious morality when it failed to take into account the needs of the vulnerable

What is Bertrand Russell’s opinion on believers in God

People believe in God as you feel that God can compensate for suggesting in this life by provinging and afterlife. Russell rejects this by arguing that if there is injustice in this part of the universe, there is probably injustice throughout the universe (uses the metaphor of a mouldy crate of oranges)

What does Russell believe about Christian beliefs

Christian church has slowed social progress by insisting on a very narrow set of moral rules which have nothing to do with human happiness or fulfilment

WHat does James Rachel say about God

When believers worship God they give up their moral autonomy and this is immoral God cannot logically exist since if any being is God, he must be an object of worship, but this isn’t possible as worship requires the abandonment of one’s role as an autonomous moral agent. Therefore there cannot be any being who is God