Monday, April 22, 2019

Quick Rebuttals to Moral Objectivity and The Problem of Evil

I share these comments for others to place where they see fit for non-profit usage.   Please attribute to T. Ray or T_Ray_TV when appropriate.  Feel free to substitute "God," "gods" or whatever is appropriate.  The substance of these arguments are millennia old so I am but a curator and editor.  If you notice a grammatical or spelling error please comment so I might fix it for everyone.

The two main points of scrutiny under which your arguments fail are the Euthyphro dilemma and the problem of evil.
The Euthyphro dilemma: Is it moral because Allah says it is moral or, it is moral so Allah commands it? If it is moral because Allah commands it then it is not objective but rather the subjective preference of an entity. If Allah commands it because it is moral then Allah is not the source of morality which would mean not only that we can and should question moral commands (which we do anyway via interpretation and fatwa) but that we should seek the actual source of morality and the alleged Word of Allah should never be more than a suggestion.
The problem of evil: If Allah is existent omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent (or omni-benevolent) then suffering and evil cannot exist. Suffering exists. Evil exists. Therefore, Allah is not what he is claimed to be. To relieve Allah of the blame of suffering and evil is to claim that the omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent Creator of all made a mistake and didn't (or couldn't) fix it. Therefore, Allah is still not what he is claimed to be.
If you value truth over belief you will stop deceiving yourself. And if you truly value morality you will stop deceiving others with paradoxical beliefs which can't possibly be true.