Does God have the right to kill?

Originally posted by LemonJello

No one knows why God does anything outside of God, you cannot even
reach inside of my mind and know why I'm doing anything

Sorry, but that is just incredibly absurd. We can justifiably infer the motivations of others...happens regularly. But fine, have it your way. So it will be duly noted that in response to the question in the OP, ...[text shortened]... atsoever to the underlying motivations one may have for acting. Might be a tough row to hoe....

" We can justifiably infer the motivations of others...happens regularly"

I agree, with other people that is very easy to do, we may infer, it does not
mean we are getting it right; however, that said with God who sees the
whole universe at once at all time, exactly how could you infer any such
thing with one as that?
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
" We can justifiably infer the motivations of others...happens regularly"

I agree, with other people that is very easy to do, we may infer, it does not
mean we are getting it right; however, that said with God who sees the
whole universe at once at all time, exactly how could you infer any such
thing with one as that?
Kelly

If that is so then you have no basis to claim that god is moral, or good.

Originally posted by googlefudge
That's a nice elegantly logical description of the Euthyphro Dilemma there.
I tend to deliver it with less logical rigour and more emotional punch,
but it depends on the audience. [or at least I intend emotional punch,
whether I achieve it...]

I'm too tired tonight (long day at work) to properly think through a response to the second bit. ...[text shortened]...

Or is this a question that you can't answer in the abstract, and need a concrete example for?

Suppose you had an act which had no bad consequences, and indeed had good consequences.

Which was conceived and executed by an agent with bad intentions who did not foresee or
intend the good consequences of this act, and intended bad consequences that didn't manifest...

THEN.

Is the act; moral, amoral, or immoral?

AND

Is the agent; moral, amoral, or Immoral?


Or is this a question that you can't answer in the abstract, and need a concrete example for?[/b]

Generally, I'm not a consequentialist and so these sorts of questions are not in my mind settled by the consequences alone. Additionally, as I mentioned, I would make a distinction between the act (as what the agent intentionally does) and the action (as the combination of the act and the underlying maxim of the agent). Generally, in this case, I suppose I would call the act fortunate (or some such). And I would label the action as morally blameworthy; and I would think the agent is deserving of blame on the basis of the motivational content. I think this is a good (general) example of why a regimen of consequentialism is not adequate for determining whether an agent is morally blameworthy or not: it is not settled solely by the outcome or consequences but also depends on the motivations involved, in my opinion.

That said, motivational inspection is also probably not in itself sufficient for settling if an agent is deserving of moral blame/praise. An example to show this could be something like the earlier one you raised, in which one has good intentions but fails to do his prior homework or fails to possess some expected common sense or some such....

Originally posted by KellyJay
"Since you have said that you think God determines the components of morality and that morality origination is solely dependent on God, I presume you would agree with the following premise: If God forbids (commands) act A, then act A is morally wrong (right). Now, there are couple ways in which this could hold. For one, it could be that God forbids act A be ...[text shortened]... unt of morals; or morals do not depend constitutively on God."

It could not be a mix?
Kelly

There are two horns to the dilemma I described and they are mutually exclusive. So, no it cannot be a mix of the two.

Originally posted by KellyJay
" We can justifiably infer the motivations of others...happens regularly"

I agree, with other people that is very easy to do, we may infer, it does not
mean we are getting it right; however, that said with God who sees the
whole universe at once at all time, exactly how could you infer any such
thing with one as that?
Kelly

With our powers of inference, of course.