Pointus you said:
Christian routinely claim that humans get their morality from God, the Abrahamic God (aka Jesus) and that without God, everything goes. To this, I have the following questions;
Excellent questions, Pointus! I think that most who have responded, have done so a bit hastily, trying to defend their theological positions without giving much thought to the matter.
"Morality" seems to be one of the basic terms which cannot be defined except in other moral terms. To say that "morality" is a reference to "the province of right and wrong" does not really tell us anything. For the terms "right" and "wrong" are themselves moral terms in this context. Of course, "right" and "wrong" are used in a non-moral sense also, for example, when they mean "corrrect" and "incorrect".
I think people have an innate ability to distinguish what is morally wrong from what is morally right. That is why throughout all societies there seem to be a commonality of basic moral principles. That is not to say that there are not disagreement on moral issues, but there is general agreement on the basics. For example, people generally agree that the following actions are morally wrong (though some will bring forth exceptions): killing other people, theft, lying, and adultery, or in short, anything which hurts or harms other people. People from all cultures also agree that it is morally right to assist starving people, help a needy neighbour, and show kindness to others, in short, anything which brings pleasure and joy in living to other people.
I think this innate ability to distinguish the morally good from the morally bad was imparted to humanity through the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, by our first parents, Adam and Eve.
2) Is it possible for humans to derive a moral article that is MORE moral than God's?
I certainly think human beings can derive a moral imperative that is more moral than some of the ways in which God is depicted. I think many people have misunderstood the revelation of God, and have concluded God to have a character which is vastly inferior to His true Character, which is pure love.
3) Are certain behaviours moral because they are commanded by God, or does God command because they are moral?
God commands morally right behaviours. If they were right because God commands them, then they would be arbitrary. What if He had commanded us to steal and to kill others for our own convenience? Would that make these acts morally right? I don't think so.
4) What do you make of Exodus 21: 17 (Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death )?
I know other Christians who post in these forums will strongly disagree, but I think that Moses sometimes ascribed to God, his own ideas about what should be done. It is true that God often spoke to Moses, so much so that (in my opinion) Moses began to think that every thought he had which might solve the problems which were arising among the Israelites, were God's word to him.
He wrote also that God told him to tell the people that if anyone had a rebellious son, that the parents were to inform the elders, and the men of the city were to stone him to death. How many of us would consider that to be a moral solution for our own children if they were rebellious?
No.
5) Is it morally right to punish someone for eternity?
Absolutely not. To think that God would do so, is a great blasphemy against Him, and His true character! Unfortunately, in the Bible, the Greek adjective "ἀιÉνιοÂ" has been rendered "forever" by most (not all) translators. The word is the adjectival form of the noun "ἀιÉν" which means "age". The adjective can mean "going from age to age" or it can mean "permanent". That which is permanent does not necessarily go on forever. You may possess a permanent driver's license, but you won't have it forever! This is the word which is used in connection with correction in Gehenna (the Lake of Fire).
And these will go away into age-to-age correction, but the righteous into age-to-age life.†Matthew 25:46
The Greek adjective "κολαÃιÂ" actually means "correction" (although many translators have renderered it as "punishment". The word originally referred to pruning plants. We prune plants to correct their growth, and the word came to mean "correction". So in this context, the adjective ""ἀιÉνιοÂ" CANNOT mean "eternal". For how could there be "eternal correction"? If one was corrected eternally, the correction could never be completed.
On the other hand, the true Greek adjective for "eternal" is "ἀιδιοÂ". This word is used with reference to God's "eternal power and deity". It is never used with reference to Gehenna.
The scripture does not teach that over 99% of people (non-disciples of Christ) will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire; rather it states that all will ultimately be reconciled to God. Death is not the cut-off point as some affirm. God is patient. However, no one will come to God except through Christ. Everyone must submit to the authority of the Saviour in order to get right with Him. He is the Saviour of ALL people --- especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)
To answer the title of the thread, "YES, GOD IS A MORAL BEING!"
