1. RELIGION
AND
MORALITY

2. THE ARGUMENT FROM MORAL NORMS
(FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD)
P1. Moral norms exist and have authority.
P2. If they have authority, there must be a
reliable motive for human beings to be moral.
P3. No such motive could exist, unless there
was an omniscient, omnipresent, wholly just
agent to attach sanctions to behavior under
moral norms.
C1. Therefore God exists

3. IS MORALITY POSSIBLE WITHOUT RELIGION?
"If there is no order to the universe, and
therefore some being, some force that
ordered it, then who determines what is
right or wrong? There is nothing immoral if
there's nothing in charge.”
- Reverend Al Sharpton
Does anyone truly believe that our ancestors
lacked social norms before they had
religion? Did they never assist others in
need or complain about an unfair deal?
- Frans de Waal

4. IS MORALITY POSSIBLE WITHOUT GOD?
SEVERAL DISTINCT QUESTIONS
It’s important here to separate:
• Moral sentiments - empathy, compassion, altruism, love, shame
• Moral judgments of good/bad right/wrong
• Moral motivation - the motivation to do what is good or right
1. Are atheists actually less, more, or equally as moral as theists?
2. What can serve as the source of moral value?
(God’s word? Social norms? Instincts? Empathy? Rationality?)
3. Is religion conceptually or socially better placed to encourage moral
behavior than non-religion?
4. What counts as a proper motivation for performing a moral action?
(Because you want to? Because you recognize that you have to? Because
it’s in your interests - e.g. you want heavenly rewards?)

5. THE EUTHYPHRO DILEMMA
Is what is pious loved by commanded by Godis pious, or is morally
"Is the morally good the gods because it because it
good, or is itbecause it is loved by the gods?”
is it pious morally good because it is commanded by God?
- Plato, “Euthyphro”, 10A
OPTION 1: OPTION 2:
God commands what is morally God’s commandment is what makes
good because it is morally good something morally good
FATAL FLAW: FATAL FLAW:
God has nothing to do with whether Goodness is an arbitrary product of
something is or is not good. God is God’s will. God is not the basis of
not the basis of morality. morality.

6. MORALITY AND EVOLUTION
Genuine altruism and morality in other species?
• chimpanzees and bonobos will voluntarily open a
door to offer a companion access to food, even if
they lose part of it in the process.
• dominant monkeys (those who have least to fear)
are the most generous.
• when Peony’s (an old Chimpanzee) arthritis is
flaring up, she has trouble walking and climbing,
but other females help her out
• chimpanzees commonly console distressed
parties, hugging and kissing them
• primates will happily perform a task for cucumber
slices until they see others getting grapes, which
taste so much better.
- Frans de Waal

7. MORALITY AND MORAL EMOTIONS
- Frans de Waal
• Our moral sentiments and intuitions
come to us from our evolutionary
background as social animals.
• Morality starts from these sentiments,
but strives beyond them for logical
coherence and principled explanations.

8. HOW DOES RELIGION FIT INTO THIS?
- Frans de Waal
Religion gives us a supporting narrative for morality – it’s an attempt to explain,
justify, and motivate us to do and be good.
E x a m p l e o f a l t e r n a t ive
Example of religious application philosophical application
Q: How do we know stealing is Q: How do we know stealing is
wrong? (explanation) wrong? (explanation)
A: God, who knows everything, reveals A: We have good arguments that justify
this to us. our belief that this is so.
Q: Why should we not steal? Q: Why should we not steal?
(motivation) (motivation)
A: God watches us and judges us on A: It would make us hypocrites, since
our actions. If we steal, we will suffer. we do not want others to steal from us.
If we refrain, we will be rewarded. And we don’t want to be hypocrites