Chapter 5 - Morality and Religion (Lecture Video)

Key Terms and Concepts

• Theism: Belief in at least one deity.

  • Monotheism: Belief in one God.
  • Polytheism: Belief in multiple gods.
  • Deism: Belief that a God created the universe but does not intervene in it.

• Atheism: Belief that no gods exist.

• Agnosticism: Belief that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable; open to evidence for either theism or atheism.

Divine Command Theory (DCT)

• Actions are deemed right or wrong based on God's commands.
  • Something is right because God says it is right; wrong because God says it is wrong.
• DCT can be found across various religions, not limited to Christianity.

Examples

• Biblical example:
  • Adam and Eve are instructed to eat plants only. This becomes the moral standard until God later allows Noah to eat meat as well.
  • This shows that right and wrong can evolve based on God's directives.

Advantages of Divine Command Theory

1. Moral Knowledge:
   • Enables followers to determine right from wrong by consulting religious texts.
2. Confidence in Morality:
   • If an omniscient God says something is right, followers can trust this guidance without uncertainty.
3. Motivation for Moral Behavior:
   • Many religions teach consequences (e.g. heaven and hell) that can motivate followers to adhere to moral teachings.
4. Objectivity:
   • It offers a moral framework believed to be universal and applicable to all humans at all times.

Challenges to Divine Command Theory

• Euthyphro Dilemma:
  • Does God command what is right because it is right, or is it right because God commands it?
  • This presents two challenging viewpoints:
    • A: Rightness is independent of God.
    • B: Rightness is solely defined by God’s command (DCT).

Implications of Euthyphro Dilemma

• Option A rejects DCT because it implies moral standards exist independent of God.
• Option B could lead to moral absurdities, such as God commanding morally questionable actions (e.g., killing non-believers).
  • Some supporters of DCT might argue that God would not command evil, which further complicates their stance and requires justification beyond just divine decree.

Navigating the Dilemma

1. Fully accept DCT: This could justify unethical actions if claimed by God.
2. Reject DCT: Acknowledge other moral truths outside divine command.
3. Claim God would never command immoral actions: This puts DCT in question, implying moral truths exist independently of divine will.

Conclusion on DCT and Euthyphro Dilemma

• Many religious adherents, especially in Judeo-Christian beliefs, may prefer to reject DCT due to the complications presented by the Euthyphro Dilemma.
• The belief in objective moral truths, which exist separately from divine decree, allows for moral reasoning among atheists and agnostics, suggesting that people do not need to adhere to Divine Command Theory for moral behavior.