The relationship between a theistic God (considering there is one) and morality cannot be explained in simply a few sentences. One may immediately come to the conclusion that God decides what is moral and immoral. This is known as Divine Command Theory which says that morality is dependent on God’s commands. However, this gives rise to the other side that says an action is moral because God approves of it. This is known as the Autonomy thesis which says that morality is not dependent on God’s commands.
Many philosophers have tried to distinguish the source of our conscience but have all concluded with different theories. Some for instance believe the conscience to be the voice of God; others believe it to be a human faculty, a special moral sense or even the voice of reason. Some see morally ‘good’ behaviour as the practical answer to a moral dilemma. They would argue that the ‘right’ or ‘best’ course of action is seen through the use of what we call, ‘common sense.’ They would also regard the use of the conscience as the process by which this decision making, between ‘right’ and ‘evil,’ takes place. Some however may question, how do you name a conscience if it is not a physical matter and one cannot distinguish where it originates from?
Examine the important concepts of two critiques of the link between religion and morality. For some religious followers there is a link between religion and morality due to the guidelines set by religion for morality, for example the Ten Commandments. However it is important to discuss whether or not there is a clear link between the two, as otherwise perceptions on what is moral may differ, causing conflict within society. The Euthyphro Dilemma is a classic discussion of this argument which was started by Plato. He based his argument on the statement “Does God will something because it is good or is something good because it is willed by God?” There are two ‘horns’ to this argument which stem from the statement; these both critiques of the link between religion and morality.
This presents an issue with the moral and rational reasoning behind the deeds. It’s understood that the act is warranted by the divine and therefore the ethical is no longer in effect. The next term to define is the one that most of us would be familiar with and can relate to. If you’re a religious individual or have some faith in the ultimate, you might consider yourself labeled under this category. As previously stated, in order to be a KoF, you must be willing to nullify the ethical standards you are most accustomed to in order to comply to the declaration of God or any other divine or spiritual medium.
are strongly in-line with Natural Law. Many Christians adopt deontological positions and think we should act according to God's design or purpose for our lives. They may be less influenced by Aquinas in this, and Protestants tend to be less sure about moral absolutes. However, there is still a strong sense of following rules within most Christian denominations. Aquinas said: “Consequently, law must needs concern itself mainly with the order that is in beatitude.” From this we can see that the Bible played a big part in the development of Natural Law; this proves that Christians make moral decisions through a multiple of different ways.
The ethical issues that are at the discretion of the statistician can thus be addressed from a Christian worldview. For instance, one of the ethical issues is the ownership of data and the disclosure of private information regarding the client and the data collected. This ethical issue can be approached using the golden rule of “do unto others as you would have done to you” or loving ones neighbor as yourself (Moreland and Craig, 2003). Another ethical issue that arises with the practice of statistics is the concept of chance and probability. This can be addressed with the Christian worldview that scientific truth is not something that is predetermined and instead adapts itself to interpretation and human requirements (Geertsema,
More specifically, do texts of this sort imply that ethical egoism is incompatible with the moral theory of the gospel? Ethical egoism claims that one ought to only do what is in his/her long-term best interest. It seems plausible to say that the restored gospel is contrary to ethical egoism since losing oneself in the service of others allows one to serve God as well. While the Gospel teaches that blessings come through obedience to the moral values prescribed, the average true believing member doesn’t go out looking for service opportunities that will bring the bigger blessings. The focus is instead placed on how the lives of others can be enriched through one’s service.
Many people believe that morality is dependent is religion and morality is based on the religious scholars and holy books. There is no point in morality of God hadn’t set the moral values in the first place. However, some also say that humans only behave morally because they’re scared of God and any punishment to follow. There are several approaches that are taken when attempting to work out the relationship between religion and morality. ‘Is what is pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved?’ In Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma, Plato is asking ‘is x good because God loves it or does God love x because x is good?’ An example of this is murder; is murder wrong because God says it is or is murder wrong because it is wrong morally?
Many people would not agree that Christianity and theology cannot be integrated, but in actuality it can. This book helps the reader understand the basics of what psychology and theology is and how it can be integrated beautifully if you take the right steps and don’t remain open minded to your view of the world. Worldview, as defined by Entwistle, is “a set of presuppositions which we hold about the basic make-up of the world” (Entwistle, 2010 p.56). Our worldview assumptions whether it is true or not, plays a major role in how we relate psychology and Christianity. Every individual will have their own truth because the lens through which they see the world is biased.
Even in contemporary society, we tend to associate morality with some kind of divine will, but through the Euthyphro, Socrates seems to suggesting we think along another line altogether. Is something moral because God commands it? Does morality depend on religious belief? A common view among religious, and even some secular, philosophers is that just as conventional laws require lawmakers, morals also require some ultimate source. The Divine Command Theory is the view that moral actions are those that conform to God's will.