The Divine Command Theory: Is Wrong Or Ethically Wrong?

The divine command theory is rooted in the idea that morality was created by God. This means that an action is considered moral simply because God commanded it, and immoral simply because God forbade it. This theory argues that since no one person can be considered perfect, it is up to a higher power to create a moral code suitable for humanity. By stating what is right and wrong, God has absolute power in creating an ideal code of conduct. Additionally, the divine command theory offers an incentive to keep its followers steered toward righteous living. A person who lives a pure, conscientious, and ethical life (in the eyes of God) is rewarded with an afterlife filled with pleasure while a person who lives a wicked life is doomed to everlasting

One source that philosophers often cite to disprove the theory comes from one of Plato 's dialogues in which Socrates asks, Is an action wrong because God forbids it, or does God forbid an action because he sees it as being wrong? If one agrees with the former statement, he must also agree that if God no longer forbade murder, slavery or torture, then any of these actions would be deemed moral. This is obviously not the case since causing harm to another individual for no good reason is almost universally considered ethically wrong. However, if one agrees with the latter statement, he must also agree that whether an action is right or wrong, it has nothing to do with God himself. Although a perfect (non-arbitrary) God can tell whether an act is moral or immoral with perfect clarity, he cannot affect the rightness or wrongness of any single action. Instead, he realizes the reasons behind why an action is morally incorrect. For example, God declares that torture is wrong because it causes pain and humiliation to a defenseless person. It is for this reason, and not because God simply declared it to be so, that torture is wrong. Therefore, the divine command theory is