Does Objective Morality Necessarily Imply A God?

An important step in the Argument from Morality is that objective morality necessarily implies God. That is to say, it assumes that if there is an objective morality, then there must be a god. Is that a reasonable assumption?

This is related to a couple of other post:

Mere Christianity

The Argument From Morality


What is objective morality?​

The first problem is deciding exactly what objective morality is. Here is one definition that I think works well.

Objective morality is the idea that right and wrong exist factually, without any importance of opinion. It's the concept that some actions and beliefs are imperatively good or inherently bad, and that the goodness or badness of those things holds true no matter who you are or what else you believe in.​

Is this what Lewis, for example, was thinking about in Mere Christianity? I am note sure, but I think this is a good starting point.

Using this definition, we can say that murder is wrong not because our culture insists it is, but wrong at a more fundamental level; it is intrinsically wrong, it is wrong by its very nature. Further, we could say that murder was wrong before mankind even existed, before there was a person to commit the murder and a person to be murdered.


Does an objective morality require God?​

I guess it will come as no surprise that I think it does not!

Objective morality could be an abstract concept like mathematics.

The ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter is about 3.14159265359. That is not something mankind invented, it is something we discovered. And it was 3.14159265359 before there were any actual circles. This is a mathematic truth that exists in the abstract and always has.

Did God decide the ratio would be 3.14159265359? I have never heard that claim. As far as I am aware, it is generally accepted that it just is.

I suggest objective morality could be the same. No need for God to decide murder is wrong, it just is.


Does an objective morality from God even make sense?​

An objective morality is one that exists without anyone's opinion. If morality comes from God, then it is God's opinion that murder is wrong - and that is not an objective morality.

Is murder wrong because of its own nature - because it deprives another person of their right to live - or is it wrong just because God arbitrarily decided it is wrong?

Note the word "arbitrarily". If it was not an arbitrary decision by God, then fair enough, you have an objective morality. But you now have no need of God. God chose murder to be wrong because of its nature; God was himself obliged to say murder is wrong because it objectively is, and mankind could have worked that out without God's help.

If God said murder is wrong because of his nature, then God has no choice. Murder is necessarily wrong.

The choice here is between morality being intrinsic or being an arbitrary set of rules God just made up.

I think murder is wrong because of what it is, and not because God arbitrarily decided it is.

In contrast, I think not working on the Sabbath is arbitrary.

 

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