Philosophy

1.) Could it have been right for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? The Binding of Isaac:
in Genesis 22 we are told the story of a time Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac when an angel appears and commands him to stop. The angel elaborates and says “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12, NIV)
Could it have been right for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? If not, what implications do you—especially if you are of the Christian faith—think this has for the relationship between God and morality?
For a proper discussion, I recommend you read the story of the binding of Isaac in full. I have a link to Genesis 22’s account here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. By all means, bring in any additional resources you wish for this question, too. For example, the five page article “The Link Between Morality and God” which I added as an optional reading argues from the binding of Isaac to the conclusion that the Divine Command Theory is false and should even be rejected by theists. Author Tim Kocher closes by summarizing an alternative account of the relationship between morality and God.
2.) The relationship between God and morality
More generally, what do you think the relationship between God and morality is?
Try to focus on questions of philosophical relevance. So, some of the issues I have addressed in this lecture fit well (e.g. could we only all have a good reason to be moral if God exists? Is God necessary for moral truth?).
By contrast, questions like “to what extent do people learn their moral beliefs from religion?” are questions for one or another empirical science. So, you won’t be penalized for discussing them, but in a philosophy class they shouldn’t be the focus—except insofar as you think the bear on a philosophical question.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22