Question.

My sister had a question in her philosophy class that got my mind twisted for quite a while before having some solid reasoning to establish my answer. If you are willing to read this entry, sit down, get something to munch or drink on, and prepare to think like crazy!

ASSUMPTION: Throughout this discussion, we are assuming that whatever God commands IS good or right.

QUESTION: What makes God's commands good or right?

There are two possible answer to the stated question:

(1) It is right because God commands it (Our morals is entirely in the will of God).

(2) God commands us to do certain things because they are right (Our morals has a reason identified by God).

Note that this discussion is based on whether God Himself MAKES the moral truths true or God RECOGNIZES them as true. Also, note that we considering these statements as an absolute statement.

It seems like we can agree with either statement as to what makes God's commands good or right. However, here are the problems with each statement:

Problem with reason 1:
(a) The result is that God's commands are arbitrary. God's commands are not based on reason, but based solely on pure will.
(b) The well-known statement "God is Good" is an empty and cheap statement based on this reason. If x is good means that x is commanded by God, then God's commands are good would mean that God's commands are commanded by God, which is an empty statement because God is good only because God commands Himself!
(c) This reasoning confuses "might" and "right". The reason would suggest that God is to be obeyed not necessarily because He is good, but because He is the boss! This results in God who becomes some sort of totalitarian ruler whose rules and wishes must be followed.
(d) It creates the wrong reasons for moral principles. For example, child abuse happens because of many reasons like maliciousness, unnecessary pain, long-term effects, etc. If reason 1 is applied, there is no reason for child abuse but simply because it is the will of God for whatever plan He has for the child abuse.

Problem with reason 2:
(a) It implies a moral standard outside of God's control. If God makes a command for a reason, then it is that reason that makes the action right or wrong NOT the fact that God commanded or forbade the action.
(b) There is an issue with the idea of "God's total sovereignty". Reason 2 would state that God does NOT have absolute control over everything.
(c) It leaves open the question of the basis of morality. Who or what stands behind moral commands? In other words, what makes good things good or bad things bad?

Considering all of these problems, I would have to agree with the idea that God commands us to do certain tings because they are right. Here are my reasons. The main idea that completely made my disagree with reason 1 was the statement that the moral principles in our world would have the wrong reasons. Even though we have the tendency to toss the phrase "will of God" loosely, based on my sister's lecture slides, the will of God is an absolute term. This would mean that God has total control of everything, both the good and the bad. An example is that God allowed the creation of sin through Adam and Eve, that God has a reason for every bad thing that happens in our lives. For some reason, God uses the bad to bring us closer to Him. However, this is a problem because that would suggest that the source of good AND evil is God, which can't be since God can't do wrong.

I remembered the story of Genesis to realize that reason 2 is rather more compelling. God created and made commands BECAUSE he knew that it was good or right. He had the initial thought that the creation of the earth would be good. However, when Adam and Eve was created, it was solely themselves that disobeyed God, resulting in the so-called original sin. It's in fact the entire concept of what sin is in the first place and perhaps the basis of our entire Christian faith. Sin is the idea that we would rather not follow God's command but instead follow our own and therefore results in our own cut off from God. Therefore, we have the free will to either follow God or not, or even more so, we have the free will to seek forgiveness for the sins we commit. This can only mean that God's commands are rather suggestions to live a lifestyle that is good or right, which most likely means that God commands us to do certain things because they are right (There has to be a reason for all those rules and regulations that we follow.).

However, does that mean that God has less control over us? It depends on how you see the so called "control." Even though he probably does not have total control on our decisions in life, that does not lessen His power over us. He is still the one who created us, and He is the one who ultimately decides where we go when we die based on many factors (Namely, did we take His "suggestions" or not.). In my opinion, if God was in control of every single detail of our lives, it would only degrade every single thing that we believe and hold dear to. This would mean that it is not us who are responsible for everything in our lives, but rather it is God controlling the universal show. With our free will, we are even more responsible of our actions. Therefore we are the ones in control of how we use our lives either for Him or for our benefit.

To give some more interesting facts about this question, Martin Luther and John Calvin were strong supporters for the first reason. St. Thomas Aquinas was a major supporter for the second reason.

If you're still puzzled, think about it. Perhaps make your own opinion about it.

That is all.