- Published: September 27, 2022
- Updated: September 27, 2022
- University / College: University of Oxford
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 31
Summary of the Last Lecture: Religion and Morality The first questions on morality and what is wrong and right were first posed by Socrates. There are two view points (theories) on religious morality looked at by many religious philosophers from all religions.
Divine Command Theory
Conduct is morally right if God commands it and wrong if forbidden by God (Class Lecture). According to this theory, ethical standards are objective because it they not about personal feelings or social customs.
Problems of this Theory
a) It leads to an arbitrary God: The term arbitrary refers to situations where there is use of dictatorial authority. Hence, if God commands people to become truthful, people are truthful because that is what he commands, not because it is good or bad.
b) Leads to a morality separate from God: The theory shows that God’s commands result from wisdom because he knows what is best. However, if people say that God commands truthfulness because it is right, then this shows that there is a standard of right and wrong. This shows that it is independent of God’s view.
These are the problems that contribute to theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas, rejecting the divine command theory (Class Lecture).
Theory of natural law
This theory proposes that God designed the world in which everything has a purpose and should be used for intended purpose (Class Lecture).
Key points in this theory
a) The world is a rational order with values and a purpose. Everything has a purpose because there is an answer to the questions: what is it? What is it made of? How did it come to exist? What is it for? For example, an object such as a knife has a purpose because the blade comes from a metal and a craftsman makes it for cutting.
b) Nature describes how things are and ought to be: Laws of nature describe how things are in an environment. For example, it is a requirement for people to care for others and those who do not bear the term “ unnatural” (Class Lecture).
c) God made human beings rational: Moral judgments get dictated from the human reason. Humans have the power to understand what is wrong and right because God made all people rational.
Work Cited
Class Lecture, Religion and Morality. 2015. Final Lesson. .
