Computers, Information Technology, the Internet, Ethics, Society and Human Values Philip Pecorino, Ph.D. Queensborough Community College, CUNY Chapter 3 Ethics Divine Command |
|||
There are ethical theories that make reference to or depend upon the existence of a deity. Two are presented here in this section. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. The first is Divine Command theory that is not used anywhere in the world by the major organized religions. It is mistaken for the foundation of the moral theory of Judaism and Christianity and Islam but it is not so. The Divine Command theory has too many problems with it to be used by large organized religions. It is used by small cults and by those who are uneducated about what their own religion holds.
I.
DIVINE
COMMAND THEORY
and
Criticisms of it
The first is one that equates the GOOD with whatever
the god or deity commands. VIDEO at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiUscM9hw3c Socrates (
READ:Plato( http://www.faithnet.org.uk/AS%20Subjects/Ethics/euthyphrodilemma.htm Euthyphro (Socrates is speaking): "Consider this: is what is pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods? (Euthyphro, 10a)" Euthyphro’s dilemma, as it has come to be known, is this: Horn 1 - If the good is such because God says it is, then morality is arbitrary (e.g., God condoning all sorts of immoral acts in the Old Testament, including: Genesis 34:13-29, Exodus 17:13, 32:27, Leviticus 26:29, Numbers 16:27-33, 21:3, 21:35, 31:17-18,Deuteronomy 2:33-34, 3:6, Joshua 6:21-27, Judges 3:29, etc., etc.). Horn 2 - If the good is absolute, and God cannot do evil, then we don’t need the middle Man to figure out what is good and what is not (e.g., we know that killing innocent children and women, ethnic cleansing, etc. are wrong, period).Notice that this is not an argument against the existence of God, only about gods’ irrelevance to morality. Yet, if one cannot avoid either horn of the dilemma, it is difficult to see what the point of religion ultimately is... by Massimo Pigliucci, at www.rationallyspeaking.orgCHRISTIAN DIVINE COMMAND THEORY There are many people brought up to accept the Ten Commandments as guides for a moral life and they think that following those commandments would make them adherents to the DIVINE COMMAND Theory . This is NOT the case at all. In DIVINE COMMAND THEORY the GOOD is whatever the "god" or deity commands. This means whatever and whenever and wherever. DIVINE COMMAND THEORY does not rest on scriptures. DIVINE COMMAND is DIVINE COMMAND. DIVINE COMMAND does not stop with the Ten Commandments. No not at all. The theory holds that the deity did not go out of existence after issuing those commandments but continues to exist and issues new commandments. The deity can even issue commandments that change the previous commandments and even in contradiction to them. In fact it is often the case that someone claiming to have received a direct command from the deity or god will do something quite inconsistent with or a violation of one of the ten commandments, for example killing innocent children because the deity told them to do so. How does anyone know what the "god" or deity commands? The "god" or deity tells them either directly or through some intermediary or through signs or omens or some experience that those who receive the command claim has been the transmitter of the message or the command. How exactly do people get the command ? Well again it is either directly or indirectly through some intermediary like a person or a written work. Can the deity continue to issue commands after previous recordings? Yes, the deity can update and change commands as the deity wishes. There are many problems with this theory. The religions of the West have rejected DIVINE COMMAND THEORY and instead hold for Natural Law Theory. The rejection may be based on the fear of some charismatic person receiving a divine command to change the religion or to kill the leaders of that religion. DIVINE COMMAND THEORY does not rest on scriptures. DIVINE COMMAND is DIVINE COMMAND. People claim that GOD has COMMANDED them to do X Therefore doing X is a morally good act. X can be ANY ACT AT ALL. ANY ACT AT ALL can be good if GOD COMMANDS it!!! In DIVINE COMMAND THEORY there is NO GOOD or BAD by itself at all. There is only what GOD COMMANDS GOD commands= GOOD GOD forbids= BAD GOD gives a NEW COMMAND, then NEW COMMAND= GOOD No one who accepts DIVINE COMMAND THEORY can question the commands of the deity or make a statement such as "I do not believe God would command the things you stated here at all." because a person who accepts the DIVINE COMMAND THEORY accepts NO ACT as being GOOD or BAD except according to what the deity commands. According to DIVINE COMMAND THEORY
All that matters is that the "god" commands it. Scriptures can record what some people at some time thought god commanded them to do. Some people can follow what is written in those scriptures. That is not DIVINE COMMAND THEORY. Why not? Because for those who believe in a deity or a god then GOD lives forever. GOD is alive. GOD keeps issuing COMMANDS. People hear the DIVINE COMMAND in 1205 1and 1776 and 1848 and on May 10, 2003 and on December 23, 2005 and so on and they follow it thinking the command makes the act that is commanded the morally correct thing to do. DIVINE COMMAND THEORY has so many problems that there are very few people on earth that use it and they tend to be fanatics, and mentally unstable people. No organized religion actually supports DIVINE COMMAND THEORY because of all the problems with it and the threat it poses to organized religions. Judaism and Christianity and Islam support NATURAL LAW THEORY and not DIVINE COMMAND. Problems: 1. Is there a god or any deity? 2. Who knows what the commands of the deity are? Can anyone claim to have heard the command and respond to it? 3. The commands may need to be interpreted, but by whom? 4. If there are a few who claim to be designated by the deity or who are designated by some group to be the official recipients of the divine commands are humans prepared to follow the commands of these designated recipients as if they were the commands of the deity? 5. If the deity commands or the designated recipients of the deity's commands do command that every human sacrifice the second born child on its third birthday on an altar would that make human sacrifice a morally GOOD act? See belwo for examples of GOD MADE ME DO IT... So there are several and severe problems with the Divine Command Theory. They account for the reasons why no major organized religion would use this theory as the basis for morality. God Made Me Do It… Stories & Articles compiled by Nicole Nohs (Nassau Community College, 2012), Based on the book God Made Me Do It: True stories of the worst advice the Lord has ever given his followers by Marc Hartzman Sourcebooks Inc. , 2010 Excerpts at this location: http://www.scribd.com/doc/69701076/God-Made-Me-Do-It-True-Stories-of-the-Worst-Advice-the-Lord-Has-Ever-Given-His-Followers March 2002 the mayor of a small Florida town bans
Satan September 1993 San Fernando Valley, CA.... God tells man to rob banks May 2008 in Wisconsin...God told me if i prayed hard enough she would
come back to life... May 2009 in Minnesota. Bank practicing Christianity August 1993 in Texas, 20 naked people emerge from a car that struck a
tree September 2001 in Cinncinati...God told man to steal San Antoni, TX...God tells man to ram another vehicle at 100mph Various dates...God told me to kill and eat people June 2008...God told me to kick her in the face June 2005...God will remove judges from the supreme
court October 2005...God tells president to end tyranny
in Iraq June 2009...God told me to invade Iraq December 2007...God told me to run for president April 2000..."I'm leaving it in the Lords hands" February 2009...God has brought an Africa American
woman back from the dead January 2008, God told me to get Laura Bush to back
me in running for president May 1937, near Stooping Oak,TN...God told me to
fast August 2007 in Los Angelos...God tells reality show
contestant thatshe will be in the finals... January 2002, Boca Raton,FL...God writes messages
in the sky January 2008, God told me to resign http://okpns.wordpress.com/category/oral-roberts/ More cases of God's bad advice found and compiled by Nicole Nohs... January 2008 in Texas...God made me kill my girlfriend 2011 Midtown Manahnttan Murder ordered by God http://gaycitynews.com/god-made-me-do-it-defense-in-2011-midtown-murder/ July 2012, It was God's plan to kill Teyvon Martin http://bazaardaily.com/2012/07/25/george-zimmerman-god-made-me-kill-trayvon-martin/ July 2007 in Houston,TX...God made me kill for the ultimate sin http://www.bilerico.com/2007/07/murder_says_god_made_me_kill_1.php November 2009, Nassau County, Long Island, NY...God made me hate gay people... August 2011, God made me cheat... http://blogs.knoxnews.com/silence/archives/2011/08/pearl_god_made.shtml April 2012, God told me to quit Fox news August 2001, Palm City,FL...God told me to kill my son... http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-08-17/news/0108170166_1_baby-s-death-baby-s-father-documents June 2011, Lubbock,TX...God told me to kill my son... http://www.9news.com/news/article/205850/188/Dad-God-told-me-to-kill-my-son March 2004, Texas...God told me to kill my 3 sons... January 2012...God told me to kill my pastor... http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/9451737.UPDATE__Mum_killer_to_remain_in_hospital_indefinitely/ February 2009, Virginia Beach,VA...God told me to kill.. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/02/12/Dad-God-told-me-to-kill-my-son/UPI-71281234475937/ November 2006...God told me to kill my daughter... http://trailerpark.blog.ca/2008/01/22/donnelly_god_told_me_to_kill~3613340/ January 2008, God told me to eat my girlfriend... http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080107/NEWS08/986513661 July 2012, God told me to shed some blood... March 2012, England...God told me to saw off my managers head... June 2012, Effingham,CO...God told me to kill my father... http://www.disclosurenewsonline.com/2011/01/18/accused-in-patricide-god-told-me-to-do-it/ November 2011, God told me to run for president... http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/13/herman-cain-god-told-me-to-run-i-was-like-moses/ Unknown date, England...God told me to smoke pot... http://tyneandwear.sky.com/news/article/34951 October 2012, Sacremento,CA...God told me to steal... http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/10/07/burglary-suspect-god-told-me-to-do-it/ July 2012, God told me to cut my genitals... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVHF6mKJZg June 2012, Spokane,WA...God told me to set my apartment on fire... http://www.scout.com/2/1195326.html June 2012, God told me to send her threatening letters... http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/06/05/anti-choice-terrorist-god-told-me-to-threaten-her October 2009, Lexington, KY...God told me to steal the car... http://metro.co.uk/2009/10/29/would-be-car-thief-god-told-me-to-do-it-507974/ November 2012, Fort Pierce...God told me to drive 100mph in a 30mph zone... http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/woman-god-told-me-to-go-100-in-30-mph-zone/ December 2004, God told me to kill my parents http://www.chattanoogan.com/2004/12/10/59715/Badowski-Says-Killed-Parents-Because.aspx July 2012, Lexington,KY...God told me to kill dog http://www.lex18.com/news/police-man-claims-god-told-him-to-kill-dog-friends November 2011, Enfield,Conn...God told me to molest boy Lastly, a few stories about the horrible deeds the Devil caused people to do... March 2009, Arlington,VA...Devil made me steal... October 2008, Devil made me do drugs... http://discoveringalcoholic.com/amy-winehouse/the-devil-made-me-do-it 2019 Callahan County TX Cody Edmund Dixon case of someone who killed their entire family, including a nine-year old child because god allegedly told him to. https://www.newsweek.com/man-confessed-murder-girlfriend-baby-god-1465006 2019 POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- 35-year-old Stanley Mossburg admitted to killing at least three people because God "needs them for the war."
more to come if God wishes..... |
|||
Web Surfer's Caveat: These are class notes, intended to comment on readings and amplify class discussion. They should be read as such. They are not intended for publication or general distribution. ppecorino@qcc.cuny.edu @copyright 2006 Philip A. Pecorino Last updated 8-2006 Return to Table of Contents |
|||