ipl-logo

Ethical Concern In Louise M. Antony's Good Minus God

699 Words3 Pages

Louise M. Antony argues an important ethical concern in her article, “Good minus God”. Can a person do good deeds without God? Arguing from an atheistic point of view, Antony believes that a person does not need to depend on God in order to complete good deeds. I agree, whether Christian or Atheist, all can perform good deeds, but who ultimately defines good versus evil? Antony subjectively defines morality and uses nature as her source. In contrast, I believe God created all things and defines good and evil through His creation and Word. And finally, as followers of God, our motivation for accomplishing good comes from our love for all God has done for us. Imagine a world without order, chaotic without a specific guide to right or wrong–a world without God. Antony considers herself a “moralistic atheist”, possessing similar beliefs to a humanitarian. She believes a person should strive to attain morality, even without the influence of a supreme God. For example, imagine finding a homeless person with failing health, …show more content…

“It’s the view that the only kind of ‘obligation’ there could possibly be is the kind that is disciplined by promise of reward or threat of punishment,” Antony claims. She believes that a Christians’ motivation comes from fear of punishment. Unfortunately, She dismisses the fact that motivation to do good out of fear of judgment may have value. For example, history teaches us that individuals who committed heinous crimes (Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong) have rejected the idea that their actions may produce judgment. Furthermore, besides fear of punishment, Christians have a higher motivation. Consider 1 John 4:19: “We love him because he first loved us”(NKJV) and Matthew 25:40: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”(NKJV). We should love others not out of duty to God, but out of love and thankfulness for everything he has done for

Show More
Related

Divine Command Theory In Antony's Good Minus God

337 Words | 2 Pages

In Antony’s paper Good Minus God: The Moral atheist, she is questioning the label of “bad” that has been placed on atheists. To help aid her throughout her paper, she uses the differences between the divine command theory (D.C.T) and the divine independence theory (D.I.T). According to Antony (pg. 5) “Whatever the gods love — bingo! — That’s pious.” This is what she uses to define the D.C.T. Antony defines the D.I.T (pg. 6) to be “that the goodness of an action is a feature that is independent of, and antecedent to God’s willing it.” To further explain, the D.C.T is the belief that if god finds something moral and good then it is pious.

Read More

Summary Of A Compensatory Response To The Problem Of Evil Beaty

921 Words | 4 Pages

He argues that God compensates for the evil that people suffer in this life by giving them rewards in the afterlife. Beaty's argument is based on the idea that God is just and merciful, and that he would not allow his creatures to suffer without compensating them in some way. Beaty's argument is creative and thought-provoking. He provides a new way of thinking about the problem of evil, and he offers a possible solution that is both plausible and consistent with traditional Christian beliefs. However, Beaty's argument is also controversial.

Read More

Analysis Of George Nagel's Argument Against The Existence Of God

1121 Words | 5 Pages

Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?” In a similar vein: If God exists, he is all-knowing, omnipotent, and ethically flawless. If God were all-knowing, God would know about all the terrible occasions that occur in our reality. If God were omnipotent, God would have the capacity to do something.

Read More

Summary Of Evil And Omnipotence By J. L Mackie

777 Words | 4 Pages

The problem of evil is a logical problem that creates a contradiction in the theist’s belief that God is both omnipotent and wholly good. If God were all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good, he would be conscious of all the evil that is present in the world, he would be able to cure the suffering that occurs in our world, and he would want there to be only goodness. However, we are a population encompassed by wickedness and cruelty; thus, we cannot logically agree to a God. This conflict, identified as the problem of evil, is a logical

Read More

Rival Notions Of God By C. S. Lewis

888 Words | 4 Pages

This question has plagued many a mind. Why do things such as war, famine, and death exist in the world? If God really cared about the state of the earth, would He not intervene? To answer this question, Lewis writes, one must first have a standard by which to judge right and wrong. Lewis insists that beliefs like those held in atheism do not have a standard by which to judge.

Read More

There Is No God Penn Jillette

409 Words | 2 Pages

Penn Jillette wrote the essay “there is no God”. The essay theme principal is atheism. The author think believing there is no God, make people more kind and thoughtful. He believes no God means people will suffer less in the future. The author thinks when people suffer; they said it is god will and they do nothing about it.

Read More

Keith Ward's The Evil God Challenge: A Response

1395 Words | 6 Pages

Ward states that doing “good” includes more than pleasure. It includes moral obligations and objective intrinsic values to do right by others and ensure pleasure for oneself. With an omnipotent and omniscient being like the monotheistic God, Ward argues that these values and obligations would be grounded within God. Thus, an "evil God would have to

Read More

Seeing Faith In Flannery O Connor's Stories

855 Words | 4 Pages

In her notions, a respectable lady should believe in a merciful god. Overall

Read More

Simon Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

886 Words | 4 Pages

What would life be without evil in the world? Many optimists believe there is an inherent goodness gifted to all people at birth and fundamentally embedded in us that dictates our actions, but the reality is exactly the contrary. People are evil, not because of a desire or choice but out of absolute necessity on account of none of the things we enjoy today would be available or even invented without some evil. Evil, within limitations and with restrictions, is productive for a group of people. Society, with all its art, culture, music, and glory, was created because there was evil present and now works to destroy its very creator through police departments and social initiatives.

Read More

Olaudah Equiano Argumentative Essay

521 Words | 3 Pages

Many people claim to follow the religion of Christianity and all of his sayings. These people claim that they are truly Christians however their actions prove otherwise. These types of people are usually called nominal Christians. Olaudah Equiana argues that these people are nominal Christians who don’t believe in the true religion. By doing unchristian like things kidnapping young Africans like Olaudah from their home to unknown lands, only thinking of wealth instead of thinking about the life’s they were affecting, and forcefully removing Native Americans from their homes.

Read More

Evaluating Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

1495 Words | 6 Pages

He describes the objection as, “all men desire the apparent good, but have no control over the appearance, but the end appears to each man in a form answering to his character” (1114b).   This view argues that all people pursue that which seems good, but some people cannot see the true good, which is out of their control.   The immediate implication of this objection, if it is indeed true, suggests that “no one is responsible for his own evildoing” (1114b).

Read More

Dennis Hollinger's Choosing The Good: Christian Ethics

1067 Words | 5 Pages

According to Hollinger, love and justice should be the driving force behind moral choices, since it is based on the foundation that God's love is both transformational and redemptive. He also emphasizes the critical part that justice plays in resolving social injustices and standing up for the weak. In practicing these key values, readers will be well guided to navigate through turbulent ethical challenges and thus present a holistic Christian witness while grounding their faith not only within the community of believers but also contributing powerfully to society at large. The book also offers helpful advice on how to make moral choices.

Read More

To What Extent Can We Consider People As Good Or Evil Essay

545 Words | 3 Pages

Everyone 's definition of good and evil is different. This definition can change depending on their upbringing, religion and events in their own life. This can be seen in a classroom. Everyone 's definition of good and evil will be different as they were all brought up differently. Without a clear definition of good and evil, we can not consider people as

Read More

Is Man Inherently Good Or Evil

345 Words | 2 Pages

Therefore, good and evil are subjective qualities that everybody defines differently. The official definition of “good” is morally right. Consequently, everyone has a different set of morals that can change the definition of good. Man’s behaviors can sometimes be considered good, other times be considered evil, but man evolved behaviors that increase our chances of survival and reproduction, whether they be typically good or bad.

Read More

The God Delusion Debate Summary

2505 Words | 11 Pages

Professor John Lennox clearly shows here that it is not possible for atheist to derive their ethics from anywhere else besides God, the absolute moral giver. The fact that we have a common set of morality across humankind is in itself evidence that we are moral beings made in the image of our

Read More

More about Ethical Concern In Louise M. Antony's Good Minus God

Open Document