Ethics- Chapter 5- Divine Command Theory and Civil Religion – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Divine Command Theory
answer
something is morally right for an individual simply because God commands it. There are not independent criteria for judging the morality of an action. Something is holy or moral becase God loves it.
question
Religion
answer
an institutionalized system of beliefs and values shared by a group and grounded in faith and the worship of a supreme transcendent being(s).
question
2 Theories regarding the relationship between morality and religion
answer
1 Dinive command theory 2 Civil religion
question
Civil Religion
answer
blends religion and cultual relativism, is a variant of divine command theory. Claims that God's commands are relative to a particular nation or culture
question
Natural law theory
answer
maintains morality is based on universal, unchanging principles and that God commands or approves something because it is right prior to the command.
question
Divine Command Theory is a type of
answer
ethical relativism-morality is dependent on or relative to God. morality does not exist imdependently of God's will, whether it be charity or and act of terrorism. no other independent universal moral standards by which to judge God's commands.
question
What Bible story is often used to as an example of Divine command theory?
answer
Abraham and Isaac- Abe did not question God's command, because God, being omipotent and the source of all morality, can change the moral rules at any time simply by and act of will. Abe's righteousness stemmed from his unquestioning obedience to the will of God.
question
Andrea Yates
answer
drowned her five children,ranging in age from 6 mo-7yrs, to save them from Satan. Her reason, that God commanded her to do so.
question
Twin towers-NYC
answer
Muslim tadicals hijacked tow passenger planes an flew them into the twin towers of the world trade center in NYC, killing almost 3000. Justified their actions on the grounds that God commanded them to do it.
question
Key claims of Divine command theory
answer
-God is perfectly good and just -morality is dependent on and relative to God's will -God's commands to particular prople and groups override universal m oral principales when there is a conflict.
question
Critique of Divine Command Theory
answer
1 morality is independent of God's commands 2 there are no criteria for determining whether God actually issued a particular command. 3 the theory provides no objective criteria for determining which claim to accept if two particular groups or individuals present confliction claims based on DC. 4 the theory is based on the assumption of the existence of a just, loving, and infllible personal God. 5 the existence of a perfecly good God who is the source of all morality seems inconsistent with the presence of so much suffering and evil in the world.
question
Civil Religion includes
answer
an institutionalized set of beliefs, symbols, and rituals that provide a religious dimension to a nations collective life. come from God and represent a "higher standard" by which the experiences of a nation are interpreted and judged.
question
Emile Durkheim , french sociologist and philosopher in" The elementary Forms of the Religious Life"argued
answer
that God stands in the same relationship to worshippers as society does to its individual members. Each society creates God in its own image
question
Robert Bellah in "Civil Religion in America" maintains
answer
a new form of religion has imerged which he calles American civil religion.
question
Who wrote "God is actively interested and involved in history, with a special concern for America"
answer
Sociologist Robert Bellah
question
American civil religion expresses itself in what symbols
answer
American flag National anthem war memorials national holidays (holy days) US Constitution Pledge of Allegiance money oaths for public office
question
When is civil religion at risk for abdication to divine command theory?
answer
During times of crisis, when people are unsure of how to react and a powerful n ational leader claims to have knowledge of God's divine plan for the world. However, since divine commads do not need justification, there is no way fo determining whether the commands actually come from God.
question
"religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of spiritless concitions. It is the opium of the people"
answer
Karl Marx
question
"do the gods love holiness because it is holy, or is it holy because the gods love it?"
answer
Socrates (Plato)
question
" God is actively interested and involved in history, with a special concern for America"
answer
Robert Bellah
question
Carol Christ's essay
answer
"Why Women Need a Goddess", argues that patriarchal religions centering on the worship of a male God create an atmosphere and worldview "that keep wome in a state of psychological dependence on men and male authority, while at the same time legitimation the political and social authority of fathers and sone in the institutions of society
question
Theologian James Cone rejects
answer
the "white American Christianity" that is built on racism, to reevaluate traditional Christian values, recognition of our common humanity and a refection of our racist and heirarchiacal concept of the moral community that rotates around a white-skinned God.
question
Native Americans view of earth
answer
1 is sacred 2 has intrinsic moral value 3 cannot be owned or sold
question
Who is Black Elk
answer
a Sioux holy man and philosopher
question
Supererogatory
answer
morality that is beyond what is normally expected of an individual. Acts such as giving away belongings, risking life for a moral cause.
question
Spirituality
answer
is an inner attitude of reverence or deep respect for the ulitimate moral worth or sacredness of oneself and others, independently of a belief in a transcendent God or any particular religious or cultural doctrine.
question
Gandhi maintained that is the soul-force that
answer
gives the moral strength to persevere in nonviolent action and to love our oppressors and to engage in nonviolent action to otherthrow unjust social structures and to overcome evil.
question
Psychologist Gordon Allport 2 types of religious people
answer
1 Intrinsically 2 Extrinsically
question
Intrinsically religious people
answer
join curces because faithis meaningful to them as an end in itself. Because of this, they are more likely to be active in their church.Are more autonomous and committed at the moral level and more likely to reject or protest cultural norms.
question
Extrinsically religious people
answer
join churches because of the secular benefits, such as social status. Likely to be indiscriminately proreligious, their faith does not usually translate into being a nuclear church member. Heteronomous moral reasoners woh uncritically accept the tenets of civil religion- including its narrow view of moral community.
question
Traditional Western religious concept of God is
answer
anthropocentic patriarchal racially biased
question
American exceptionalism
answer
the belief that the USA is unique and superior to other nations is one of the key concepts in American civil religion
question
What is Rousseau's book
answer
Emile: 90% dedicated to boys 10% to girls
question
According to Rousseau, how is society's negative influences remedied?
answer
early education, concerned with removing all the obstacles to a child's natural learning, leave children in own world to learn from own mistakes.
question
According to Rousseau, when does corruption enter a child's world?
answer
when adults enter the child's world and stop them from discovering who they are.
question
According to Rousseau, what does society force on us?
answer
Masks, hypocrisy and deceit. To train us to fit into a society.
question
How does Romantic Sentimentalism serve as the root for Ethical Subjectivism?
answer
Feeling
question
What are the problems with Ethical Subjectivism?
answer
-tries risky things -implies doublethink: focus on feelings and society comes up with feelings, its not ok but if a child does its ok. -universal sentimentalism: come to agree on feelings but they are different for everybody. -not compatible with Ethical Subjectivism with universal standards.
question
What are Rousseau's goals for boys and for girls
answer
boys- become members of society girls- subservient wife/mother
question
According to divine command theory
answer
it was morally acceptable for the terrorists to bomb the world trade center on 9/11 if the command to do so came from God.
question
divine command theory is a type of
answer
ethical relativism
question
If a woman sincerely believe that God commanded her to kill her children, a divine command theorist would most likely respond that
answer
she did the right thing by killing her children
question
If there is no God then, according to dct
answer
there would be no morality
question
According to dct, if there is a conflict between what is considered to be a universal moral principle, such as "Thou shalt not kill" and God's command to a particular person or group
answer
Gods command overrides the universal moral principle
question
both Gottfried Leibniz s and John Hick explain the problem of evil and suffering by arguing that
answer
the purpose of suffering is the perfection of our souls
question
Emile Durkheim argued in his book "The elementary forms of the religious life" that
answer
each society creates God in its own image
question
According to philosopher Gottfried Leibniz
answer
this is the best of all possible worlds
question
According to Bellah, the morality supported by mainstream religion in the US is primarily based on
answer
cultural relativism
question
What is a basic tenet of American Civil Religion?
answer
God is actively involved in history and has a special interest in USA
question
Unlike most Naive American religious traditions, Western concepts of God tend to be
answer
anthropocentric and patriarchal
question
On what grounds does philosopher David Hume argue that God does not exist?
answer
the world is mechanistic; God, free will, and morality do not exist
question
Which document has been used to support the belief in American civil religion
answer
Declaration of Independence
question
Civil rights leader MLK Jr...........................divine command theory
answer
rejected
question
Carol Christ and James Cone argue that religion in America tends to promote
answer
sexism and racism
question
Who said..."Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of spiritless condition. It is the opium of the people"
answer
Karl Marx
question
Who said..."Do the gods love holiness because it is holy, or is it holy because the gods love it?"
answer
Socrates
question
Who said... "[God] is actively interested and involved in history, wit a special concern for America"
answer
Robert Bellah
