A Christian Perspective On Authority

The Divine Command theory states that” an act is morally required just because it is commanded by God, and immoral just because God forbids it.” (Lecture Notes pg. 42, slide #2.) This theory says that since God has said that it is something we must do to be good, that we must do it. Many religions believe and live by this saying that “it is the will of God or the Gods”. I truly believe that God has done his work and is still at work and since He did create us, He does know what good and evil is and does have authority to tell us what is good.

Divine Command Theory theorizes that God it is the author of moral law and the right actions are those willed by God and that God clearly defines right and wrong. This allows the concept that sometimes situations are only right or good because God deems it so. In the simplest terms, God can determine right and wrong since he is omnipotent. Since God is all powerful, he can establish moral norms. Critics of Divine Command Theory believe that if a specific action is only right because God wills it so then evil acts would also be right since God willed them into existence. For example, if God wills murder or torture than these actions would be considered morally right.

The Christian worldview of leadership is distinctly different from most secular views on the subject. In the secular, leadership tends to be viewed primarily in terms of a company’s bottom line and how well the leader can urge employees to produce more and better work. That view is profit-centered rather than person-centered, and it does not give much attention to employees’ human needs and qualities nor on how developing excellent work relationships can promote productivity. In the Christian worldview, however, people are key, and their human needs are important. The leader in the Christian worldview understands how meeting employees’ needs promotes the kind of productivity desired and

I believe that God commands it because it is already right or wrong. This could possibly mean that whether or not God exist, those right or wrong actions were already right or wrong instinctively. The only difference is that, some people believe that they need a creator or God to tell them what is morally correct or wrong to believe it is.

The divine command theory states that “An act is morally required just because it is commanded by God and immoral just because God forbids it” (Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, p.67). In interviewing an Elder of a local Jehovah’s Witness congregation on the ethics involved in religion, he agreed that the divine command theory is correct, and that there are many commands and things that are forbidden in the bible that are considered to be God’s standards for the way we live our lives. But, when asked the modified version of the Euthyphro Question: is an action morally right because God commands it, or does God command an action because it is morally right, (Shafer-Landau, The Ethical Life, p.57) he picked the latter. Despite agreeing with the statement that the divine command theory makes, picking the latter is not uncommon even if the first affirms the theory. The statement that God commands an action because it is morally right, “implies that God did not invent morality, but rather recognized an existing moral law and then commanded us to obey it” (Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, p.67-68). This does not make the Elder’s message wrong, in fact most theists don’t follow the divine command theory. This is based on the fact that if the theory were true, whatever God says is a command, and therefore morally right, but God could have said that rape, murder, and stealing is morally right if that was the line of thinking.

After going through different types research observing and analyzing hierarchical and congregational church structures, a conclusion that the two churches are basically completely different. Hierarchical are run by people’s level of authority or rank, and in congregational churches the church makes the decisions as a whole. In a Hierarchical church the members have no say in how they worship, unlike a congregational church when they have a say in matters of the sort. The two both have strengths and weaknesses that make them into the kind of church they are today.   thesis

The conflict between the Divine Command Theory and the Euthyphro objection come with questions about who sets the rules of morality, and how it can be assumed that these rules are justifiable. On one hand, the Divine Command Theory defends the idea that an act is morally right because God commands it and wrong because He commands against it. This sets God’s will as the foundation of ethics, making morally good actions those that comply with His commandments. This religion-based concept becomes problematic when it runs into the Euthyphro dilemma, founded from Plato’s Euthyphro dating back to 395 BC. The argument centralizes on why it is that God commands rightful actions, bringing in the question of, “Are moral acts commanded by God because they are morally good, or does God command things to be right because He has good reasons for them?” The Euthyphro argument creates its foundation on the idea that either God has reasons for His commands, or that He lacks reasons for them. This divides up the Divine Command Theory in two ways, either making the theory wrong or portraying God as an imperfect being. If God does have reasons for His commands, then these reasons are what would make the actions right or wrong. God’s reasons would stand as the basis of morality, instead of God’s commandment itself. God having reasons would insinuate that goodness existed before any direction from God because otherwise, there wouldn’t be any commandment. Morality would have to stand independent

After reading three articles, I think Christian response to government should be dissatisfied. It doesn't mean that Christians should start facing government as an enemy. As a follower, government might also need to consider the verses from Romans 13:1-7: “Because God has ordained government authority for our good, we must be subject to our government.” Oppositions are not always bad, it can also be the progress of success in the future. In my opinion, I think public office is depends on the situation, because sometime it can be either againsting Christianity or follow it. Serving military is not a bad thing, train our limits, make ourselves stronger, but people should notice that military is also same as “weapon”. Everything is a preparation

Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. This can often be portrayed in many ways like an authority figure. In the play there are multiple characters that start with a strong sense of authority in given situations. The idea of having authority lead to some conflicting situations. However, at certain points some of the characters begin to lose their authority as the problems continue. Throughout The Crucible, the amount of authority and power one has is a concern due to the lying that occurs.

In this paper, I will discuss about the Divine Command Theory and Euthyphro Problem and show how the Euthyphro Problem makes the Divine Command Theory morality arbitrary. Also, I will discuss why one does not have to reject the belief in God due to the Divine Command Theory cannot give a satisfactory answer to the Euthyphro Problem. First, I will define what the Divine Command Theory is and discuss its attractive features that answer the problem about the objectivity of ethnics. Second, I will define the Euthyphro Problem. Also, I will discuss how the Euthyphro Problem makes the Divine Command Theory morality arbitrary and show how it makes the doctrine of God’s goodness meaningless. Finally, I will discuss why one does not have to reject the belief in God just because one rejects the Divine Command Theory.

When thinking of the figures in the church, they are thought to be loyal, respectful,

The members of the Priesthood, Vowed Religious Brothers and Sisters, and the Diaconate take on a different, more difficult way of life to make it possible for the Church to exist. They all make vows, knowing they will be persecuted and made fun of for their beliefs more than laypeople. Yet, they all follow their vocations to express their love for God.

Is the churches moral teaching of value only to Catholics or to everyone, and either way, why?

They are subject to the authority of the pope as well as the authority of the leader of the state. Also, they are commanded subject to the rule of the Vatican as well as the rule of their homeland. For Rousseau, “religion of the priest” is “so bad that it is a waste of time to amuse oneself by proving it. Whatever breaks up social unity is worthless. All institutions that place man in contradiction to himself are of no

Authority is defined as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. Coincidentally, authority is found virtually everywhere, including in religious establishments. An issue has arose in many different circumstances, and continues to create religious debates all over the world. The issue is the amount of authority a community of faith should have over its members. Although many argue that this authority is needed in religious establishments, I disagree completely. I believe that a community of faith should possess no authority over its members. There are many of reasons why I think this, and I will soon discuss them. There are several advantages of a community of faith attaining great authority, while there is also an array of disadvantages. Likewise, there are plenty of advantages of a community of faith attaining no authority, while there are multiple disadvantages, as well. However, I believe that numerous benefits can occur when a community of faith attains a lack of authority over its members.