Welcome, it seems as if we are both new to this platform so I hope we have a good thoughtful first discussion.
I will utilize two arguments to the existence of a Creator and then subsequently demonstrate how God's existence demands moral authority. You will have two syllogistic arguments to rebut and then an official argument at the end.
Argument I.
We know the universe is expanding because of the phenomenon called "redshift," where light from distant galaxies appears stretched towards the red end of the spectrum, indicating that the space between us and those galaxies is expanding, causing the light waves to lengthen as they travel towards us; the farther away a galaxy is, the greater its redshift, signifying a faster rate of expansion.
An effect cannot be produced by itself.
- An effect cannot be produced by nothing.
- A circle of causes is impossible.
- Therefore, an effect must be produced by something else.
- An accidentally ordered causal series cannot exist without an essentially ordered series.
- Each member in an accidentally ordered series (except a possible first) exists via causal activity of a prior member.
- That causal activity is exercised by virtue of a certain form.
- Therefore, that form is required by each member to effect causation.
- The form itself is not a member of the series.
- Therefore [c,d], accidentally ordered causes cannot exist without higher-order (essentially ordered) causes.
- An essentially ordered causal series cannot regress to infinity.
- Therefore [4,5,6], there exists a first agent.
- This is what we call God.
Argument II.
P 1. If morality is objective and absolute, God must exist.
P 2. Morality is objective and absolute
P 3. Therefore, God must exist
- There are objective moral obligations.
- God provides the best explanation of the existence of moral obligations.
- Probably, God exists.
Argument III.
Since I have demonstrated there exists a God this begs the question....Why should we use Gods Moral Commands as the guide for our daily lives? Very simple. God's universal control over the cosmos dictates reality and imbues onto mankind a moral knowledge of sorts. Why do we inherently know murder, raper, and stealing from senior citizens are objectively bad? This God imbued into our faculties. On theism, we are held accountable for our actions by God. Those who do evil will be punished, and those who live morally upstanding lives will be vindicated and even rewarded. Good, in the end, triumphs over evil. Justice will win out. Moreover, on a theistic view of ethics, we have a reason to act in ways that run counter to our self-interest, because such actions of self-sacrifice have deep significance and merit within a theistic framework. On Divine Command Theory it is therefore rational to sacrifice my own well-being for the well-being of my children, my friends, and even complete strangers, because God approves of and even commands such acts of self-sacrifice.
Typical Non-theist/Naturalists use the argument that morality is subjective and can be explained through evolutionary processes but there are a number of issues with this framework. Naturalism explaining subjective Morality has a few problems namely the following;
- No basis for an ''ought claim''. Why should I not kill my child because they are taking up too much space? Blue birds do it!
- It could vary significantly across cultures and situations, leading to a relativistic view of morality. This would mean rape can be a good practice for some societies.
- Explaining truly selfless acts (where someone sacrifices their own benefit for another) can be challenging within an evolutionary framework where natural selection favors self-preservation.
Another argument Non-theist use is Utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill was a very intelligent man but what exactly is a utility? Hitler believed that the Jewish Race was interfering and persecuting the Aryan Race in his purview it was morally justified to cleanse the suffering and maximize the happiness for his people by....exterminating Jews. What is the definition of pleasure? How do we measure suffering. I have concluded these views will not cut the mold of explaining moral duties.
Therefore, If God Exists All Of This God's Moral Commands Are Logically Given Instructively To This God's Creation As Obligations.
