21 Jun '14 00:18>
Gather 'round, boys and girls.
We're about to put a stake in one of atheists' favorite go-to responses in those situations where the topic is rational discussion, and how such supposedly is at odds with a belief in God.
This is what they quote when they wish to put a stake in the heart of the contention of the goodness of God.
The basic problem, according to atheists, is that God's goodness is arbitrary and subjective and therefore, irrational--- it doesn't hold to a standard independent of Him.
"Are moral acts willed by God because they are good, or are they good because they are willed by God?"
This is a fairly good representation of the alleged problem.
This framing offers two choices, but the problem is inbred: the picture offers but two failures.
If God wills good on the basis of good, then good is outside of God.
If the will of God is good, regardless, then the arbitrariness of good makes it suspect, specious... worthless and meaningless, really.
The third option which is not discussed by the dilemma shows the dilemma was based upon a rationale which lacked all of the necessary information, or simply ignored it when formulating its question.
What is that third option?
That God, Himself, is good.
That good is based upon Who and What God is.
Anything less than good is less than God; anything less than God is less than good.
From now on, when an atheist pulls out their objections to the goodness of God by invoking the Euthyphro dilemma, we can simply reference this thread and let the matter rest.
You're welcome.
We're about to put a stake in one of atheists' favorite go-to responses in those situations where the topic is rational discussion, and how such supposedly is at odds with a belief in God.
This is what they quote when they wish to put a stake in the heart of the contention of the goodness of God.
The basic problem, according to atheists, is that God's goodness is arbitrary and subjective and therefore, irrational--- it doesn't hold to a standard independent of Him.
"Are moral acts willed by God because they are good, or are they good because they are willed by God?"
This is a fairly good representation of the alleged problem.
This framing offers two choices, but the problem is inbred: the picture offers but two failures.
If God wills good on the basis of good, then good is outside of God.
If the will of God is good, regardless, then the arbitrariness of good makes it suspect, specious... worthless and meaningless, really.
The third option which is not discussed by the dilemma shows the dilemma was based upon a rationale which lacked all of the necessary information, or simply ignored it when formulating its question.
What is that third option?
That God, Himself, is good.
That good is based upon Who and What God is.
Anything less than good is less than God; anything less than God is less than good.
From now on, when an atheist pulls out their objections to the goodness of God by invoking the Euthyphro dilemma, we can simply reference this thread and let the matter rest.
You're welcome.