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> For example, why is rape wrong? Easily answered with God: because he said so. That's something I never understood about God as an argument for objective mora

> For example, why is rape wrong? Easily answered with God: because he said so. That's something I never understood about God as an argument for objective morality. What makes God's values objective? If God says x is immoral, isn't that just his personal opinion? The fact that he is all-powerful and can punish you for not agreeing with him simply makes him a cosmic dictator - you'll be following his rules not because they are objective moral truths, but because you want to avoid punishment. I don't see how it would be impossible to disagree with the creator's morality, in the same manner as you can disagree with your parents' despite them "creating" you, or with the laws of your country despite them having the power to punish you for not following them.

ThrowawayR2 8y ago
> all-powerful You're forgetting that the Abrahamic conception of God also includes infinite knowledge, infinite wisdom, and infinite benevolence in addition to omnipotence. If one ignores the logical problems that entails, then it's not hard to see how the will of such a being is, by definition, morally correct.
AnimalMuppet 8y ago
God's ideas of right and wrong flow out of his character. If humans are created in God's image, then humans' (unfallen) character is similar to God's. Then God's views of right and wrong are what fit unfallen, uncorrupted humans. Then you have the Fall. After that, humans are bent, distorted. The situation now is like having a bent ruler. You place it beside an unbent ruler, and the bent ruler often says "I'm straight; it's the other ruler that's bent". That is, humans use their fallen morality to judge God's morality, rather than using God's morality to judge their own. God's values aren't objective. For them to be objective, there has to be something besides God to judge them by - something more authoritative than God. But God's values are valid for humans made in his image.

ThrowawayR2 8y ago

> all-powerful You're forgetting that the Abrahamic conception of God also includes infinite knowledge, infinite wisdom, and infinite benevolence in addition to omnipotence. If one ignores the logical problems that entails, then it's not hard to see how the will of such a being is, by definition, morally correct.

AnimalMuppet 8y ago

God's ideas of right and wrong flow out of his character. If humans are created in God's image, then humans' (unfallen) character is similar to God's. Then God's views of right and wrong are what fit unfallen, uncorrupted humans. Then you have the Fall. After that, humans are bent, distorted. The situation now is like having a bent ruler. You place it beside an unbent ruler, and the bent ruler often says "I'm straight; it's the other ruler that's bent". That is, humans use their fallen morality to judge God's morality, rather than using God's morality to judge their own. God's values aren't objective. For them to be objective, there has to be something besides God to judge them by - something more authoritative than God. But God's values are valid for humans made in his image.