Deck 5: Believing

Question 1

Consider the following question raised by the dialogue: If God loves the good because it is good, then the good exists prior to and apart from God, and God is not the creator of everything (a notion rejected by most monotheists, such as Jews, Christians, and Muslims). Would this make any difference to our moral lives and our duties? Why or why not?

Answer 1

In one sense, it should not. If our moral duty is to do as God commands, and it is usually the case that God commands us to do good, seek good, then it should not matter whether God created it or not, only that he commands us to do it. It seems reasonable that doing good just is moral, for how could doing good be immoral, excluding obvious cases like "too much of a good thing" or where a good leads to something terrible.
If however, one takes this as a reason not to do what God commands, or to reject the existence of God, then the second argument in the preceding paragraph fails, and there must be another reason for doing good. If there is no such reason, then the basic moral notion of doing good seems to lack grounding. What a grounding for morality may be without God is discussed in the Nielsen and Mavrodes readings.

Question 2

Nielsen argues that abstracted from religion, secular morality collapses into egoism.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Augustine argues that the intellect can discern good from evil.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The New Testament makes the primacy of love, among virtues, clear. Note the claim in 1 John 4:16 that "God is love." Given the idea central to Christian ethics that we are to live like God, do you see the connection between this theological claim and the moral injunction to love?

Question 5

Often love is thought of as an emotion, a bond of affection held between persons close to one another. But is there any reason to deny social, economic, political, institutional, and international dimensions and manifestations of love? Why or why not?

Question 6

If St. Augustine is right about morality only being possible through God's grace, does this make us feel helpless and risk casting us into moral skepticism, cynicism, or relativism? Explain your answer with specific examples.

Question 7

Augustine argues that there are three things one must love, God, himself and The Church.

Question 8

What does Nielsen say is an example of something that could give our lives meaning?

A) Justice
B) Happiness
C) Rationality
D) Selfishness

Question 9

If God makes the good good and commands us to follow moral rules of God's creation (the divine command theory), does this mean that only certain (obedient) religious believers can be moral? Or perhaps nonbelievers can be as moral as believers, even if God is the author of ethics. Do you think this is possible? Why or why not?

Question 10

Nielsen argues that without God, life could have no meaning.

Question 11

How does Euthyphro ultimately define holiness?

A) What God loves
B) What all of the gods love
C) What some of the gods love
D) He doesn't reach an acceptable definition

Question 12

St. Augustine writes that God inculcates two things in us: love for God and love for others; he adds that we must love ourselves as well (he sees these three loves as intrinsically connected). Love for St. Augustine is first among the virtues (indeed, for him it is the fountainhead of all virtue). Do you agree? Is there something unrealistic about privileging love in this way?

Question 13

If God loves the good because God made it as such (as monotheists believe), how might this affect our moral lives and our duties? Are we then obligated to follow God's commands even if they seem immoral or contradictory? If God is responsible for the good, can we even evaluate it independently of God?

Question 14

Which of the following best captures the point of Nielsen's essay?

A) Without God, life can have no meaning
B) Without God, all things are permissible
C) We do not need God or any religious notion to support our moral convictions
D) God is dead

Question 15

Augustine argues that divine foreknowledge is compatible with __________.

A) Scientific determinism
B) Fate
C) Human free will
D) Divine omnipotence

Question 16

Socrates' dialogue with Euthyphro calls into question the __________.

A) Relationship between the gods and holiness
B) Existence of God
C) Objectivity of morality
D) Divinity of Man

Question 17

Morality has long been seen by many people as matter of achievement: We become more ethical by overcoming immorality and changing ourselves for the better. But St. Augustine (following St. Paul) observes that we have neither sufficient ability to know what is truly moral, nor the power on our own to achieve it; thus, morality is a result of God's grace. Do you agree with St. Augustine? Why or why not?

Question 18

Augustine argues that our actions are determined by fate, which he understands to be the dictates of God.

Question 19

Socrates argues that if the gods love the holy because it is holy, then the holy exists prior to and apart from the gods.

Question 20

Augustine claims that there are only kinds of societies. How does he distinguish between the two?

A) He claims that a society is either Christian or infidel
B) He claims that a society is either moral or immoral
C) He claims that society is geared toward living in the flesh or living in the spirit
D) He claims that society is geared toward righteousness or sin

Question 21

Do you agree or disagree with Dennett's proposal? Why or why not?

Question 22

Mavrodes argues that morality does in some deep sense depend on religion.

Question 23

Mavrodes argues that if the actual world were a Russellian world, morality would be rather queer.

Question 24

What is the central question of Mavrodes essay?

A) Is it possible to answer the question, "Why be moral?" from a secular perspective?
B) Is secular morality logically consistent?
C) How can we hold people accountable for their actions if their actions are not free?
D) Is human free will compatible with divine foreknowledge?

Question 25

If you consider yourself to be religious, have you ever felt you were being "used" by those in your religion who do things you consider immoral? If so, what specific acts can you take to keep from being used?

Question 26

Theology (and some moral theory) distinguishes between sins (or acts) of omission and commission. Not trying to stop an immoral act when it is possible to do so is itself seen as immoral. Do you agree that not trying to stop immorality perpetrated in the name of religious belief by advocates of one's own religion is immoral?

Question 27

Dennett specifically targets the religion of Islam.

Question 28

Mavrodes thinks that morality has an odd status in at least "one rather common nonreligious view of the world," which he calls a "Russellian world." Do you agree that this secular worldview makes morality "odd"? Why or why not?

Question 29

Dennett argues that Christian morality is deeply flawed.

Question 30

Dennett argues that it downright shameful for religious leaders to proclaim various dictates of morality and then refuse to give reasons grounding those dictates

Question 31

Nielsen thinks that "morality requires that we attempt to distribute happiness as evenly as possible." Does he provide a satisfactory argument for this claim? Why or why not? Indeed, what might this claim mean?

Question 32

Which of the following features of a Rusellian world does Mavrodes say is "queer?"

A) The existence of obligations that run contrary to self-interest
B) The wetness of water
C) The existence of self-interest
D) The existence of minds

Question 33

Who is Dennett criticizing?

A) People who accept the dictates of religion on blind faith
B) Religious moderates who take steps to make their faith more attractive
C) Radicals who use religion as a cloak for their own political agenda
D) All of the above

Question 34

Nielsen argues that our lives just go better if we live morally with one another-for example, giving one another respect. But is this version of secular morality sufficient in hard cases, when what is moral may seem unwise, or when what is moral may seem hard to discern? Why or why not?

Question 35

Mavrodes argues that the idea of moral obligation in a Rusellian world is __________.

A) Strange
B) Logically impossible
C) Logically contradictory
D) Demonstrably false

Question 36

The author thinks that only religious people can be effective in stopping religiously justified immorality. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Question 37

Dennett seems to have much faith in reason and little faith in religion. Is it likely, as he may think, that "reason" will lead all people to similar conclusions about moral conduct? Is he underestimating the role played by religious people who do curtail violence and injustice perpetrated by their coreligionists?

Question 38

According to Nielsen, the secular rationale for treating people fairly is __________.

A) It is God's will
B) The essential equality of all persons
C) It is in each person's best interest
D) It feels good

Question 39

Dennett argues that morality requires the renunciation of reason.

Question 40

Further, surely each person's life does not always go better by acting ethically. Sometimes it is to my advantage to act immorally. Does Nielsen offer a sufficient response to this problem? Why or why not?

Question 41

If "God is dead," do you agree that this is all for the better? Why or why not? If he is not "dead" as Nietzsche claims, why not?

Question 42

Nietzsche says that we should feel said that we have killed God.

Question 43

Nietzsche's madman predicts that the result of God's death will be __________.

A) Peace and harmony
B) The disappearance of the sun
C) An ocean voyage
D) The collapse of morality

Question 44

Which of the following is not an image Cockburn employs?

A) Wings of the storm cloud
B) Banner in the wind
C) Smile of the dew
D) Flower of heaven

Question 45

For what does the poet yearn?

A) His lover
B) The laughter of his youth
C) God
D) Silence

Question 46

Which of the following descriptions does Cockburn employ when describing the creator of the universe"

A) Sower of life
B) Wings of the storm cloud
C) Love that fires the sun
D) All of the above

Question 47

Cockburn is a Christian, but do you think that religious persons of other faiths could embrace this song? Why or why not? Do you think that agnostics or atheists could embrace the message of this song in some ways? Why or why not?

Question 48

Do you think that the question of whether secular morality is as "deep" as religious morality can be answered? How could this question be tested and answered?

Question 49

What do you think Nietzsche means by the proclamation that "God is dead"? In what ways have we "killed him"?

Question 50

The "Lord of the Starfields" refers to humanity's penchant for violence as evidence by the brutality of war.

Question 51

Nietzsche sees the death of God as an opportunity and a cause for gratitude. Why do you think he feels this way? Why does he think that there is now an "open sea" with God's death? Nietzsche thinks that religious belief stifled morality. In what sense do you think that he believes morality may, in the wake of God's "death," be invigorated?

Question 52

Is love itself based upon a kind of belief? Can we only love authentically if we're willing to believe certain things about those we love or the world? If so, what must we believe? Again, support your answer with examples.

Question 53

The poem reflects Cockburn's understanding of God as love.

Question 54

Mavrodes argues that secular ethics are superficial compared to ethics that are metaphysically or religiously grounded. Do you agree that values and obligations tend to not be as deeply rooted in secularism? Why or why not?

Question 55

How does Nietzsche think the philosopher should react to the death of God?

A) Happiness
B) Amazement
C) Relief
D) All of the above

Question 56

In the chorus, Cockburn asks that the Love which "fires the sun" keep him burning. This sounds like a plea for moral strength. But Cockburn has already identified this as a "song of praise." Do you think that praise, or worship, and morality are inherently related? In what might that relationship consist? Support your answer with specific examples.