JLNobody wrote:Could it not be said, logically, if falsely, that WHATEVER the Christian god chooses to do or does, it is BY DEFINITION moral. He does not HAVE free will; he IS freedom and morality by virtue of His nature and its absoluteness.
Chumly wrote:JLNobody,
Your argument relies on the assumption that god can take any path, and while true in "principle" in "practice" I would counter by asking what is the likelihood of all paths being equally moral in the eyes of god? I suggest that likelihood is zero. It seems to me that any other answer would infer an infinite number of equally moral universes simultaneously.
So the question becomes: does god create the most moral path by default of his actions, or does god select from an infinite number of paths of potential levels of morality and select the highest?
You could argue we have a semantic problem, because as mere peons, any choice by god must by default be the one most moral, but the same cannot be automatically said that any choice as contemplated in the eyes of god, must by default be the one most moral.
I had hoped someone might pick up the "infinite number of paths" part of my response to JLN, but alas it was not meant to be. Nevertheless, as I was whizzing around picking up materials to finish the basement, I wrote out an expansion to it. If anyone wishes to respond I would be pleased, with the understanding that I for one, find it quite unworkable to take seriously, yet that does not change the fact that it can be engaging, educational and humorous in the absurd. Here you be:
If god can take any action he chooses, and if default any action god chooses must be most moral, then all possible worldly scenarios are all most moral, because god can take any action he chooses.
But since there can only be one most moral worldly scenario per reality, there must therefore be an infinite number of most moral scenarios in an infinite number of realties.
In sum, in a theology which has as its central pretext, a god which can take any action he chooses and by default any action he chooses must be most moral, then this theological viewpoint supports infinite-equal moral realities, or if you like complete amoralism and not even moral relativism.
I can't imagine most Christians or Muslim or Jews being very happy to hear their theology supports an infinite number of equal moral realities, and thus no moral code at all!
