Divine Command Theory Essay

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Divine Command Theory is a meta-ethical view that claims morality is dependent on religion. Hence, for this theory we should assume a divine being, such as God, to exist. For this essay we shall just assume for one God to exist. He would then act as a foundation for the creation of, not only the physical, but morality as well. His will then decides if something can be morally right or wrong e.g. something is morally right if command by God or morally wrong if forbidden by God. For example, Christians or Jews would use the old testament within their religious practice and teaching, therefore, would live by the 10 commandments as God’s will. Following the commandments makes them morally good people and not makes them morally bad. This is due to the fact that ‘God’s will is necessary and sufficient in determining the content of morality - it actually defines it’ (Driver, 2006, 25). If God’s will is necessary it refers to the fact if an act is not in God’s will to be right then it cannot be the right action and sufficient in referring to the belief that all is needed for an action to be a right one is that it is in God’s will to be.

However, a major issue with accepting Divine Command Theory was presented by Plato, in a dialog between Socrates and Euthyphro, known as the Euthyphro Dilemma. Within their discussion, …show more content…
Hence, it would mean that if ‘...God cannot do immoral actions is not a limit on his power, but rather it is entailed by his omnipotence...God cannot command cruelty because he is omnipotent.’ (Austin, M). Though he is all powerful for God to command an immoral act would not be in his realm of being able to do all possible things. It would the same as asking God to make a flat mountain; it is impossible and a contradiction. This would allow for the third option to work and for Divine Command Theory to still be

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