Divine Command Theory Research Paper

With every religion, there are some similarities and differences between the religions. However, an atheist, someone who does not believe in the existence of a God oods, and Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are very different. Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky said: “if God is dead, everything is permitted.” When he said this, he is refering to the divine command theory. In this theory it states, “God decrees what is right and wrong. Actions that God commands us to do are morally required; actions that God forbids us to do are morally wrong; and all other actions are morally neutral” (Rachels, 51). From an atheist perspective, there is no god. As a result, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was saying that since there is no God, you can do whatever you want and nothing is considered “good” or “bad” because there is no God to tell you how to behave or what is “right” from “wrong.” This quote does affect the divine command theory. The divine theory is based on the fact that there is a God. If there is no God, there is nothing to base your values on and there is nothing to determine what is “good” or “bad.” As a result, the divine command theory would not be a theory, because there needs to be a God for this theory to be followed. If you concluded God is dead, you would view life and how you got your values different than if …show more content…
If you follow the divine command theory, what is “right” is based on what God thinks is right. An atheist could argue that since their values are values they have learned over the years and choose to follow, they will be just as good of a person. Many values that God thinks is “right” will be values that everyone will follow no matter what they believe in. If God is dead, the values that you follow should not matter if God is real or not. Values such as honesty, helping out your elders, and respect should not matter if there is an existence of a