Euthyphro and Divine Command Theory
In 2012, a man in Sacramento, California burglarized a house that was occupied by the Sacramento Mountain Lions football team. Belmonte the twenty-five year old burglar, claimed that God sent him to the house that night, and stated, “Something kept telling me, like itching at me, to go up to the rooms” (Shore, 2012). Belmonte seized an iPad, iPod, and a wallet before being caught (Shore, 2012). This story and others like it, raise the question if God is truly telling these people to commit these heinous acts, or if it is an elaborate defense. Divine Command Theory was introduced during a discussion between Euthyphro and Socrates, and states that actions are right or wrong because they accord or conflict with…show more content… At the time Euthyprho endorsed Divine Command Theory, citizens in Greece believed in a polytheistic religion, consisting of many Gods, including, Zeus, Haitis, Athena, and others. With many Gods, the question arises of how a person would know which God’s commands are correct if there is controversy. The answer is they would not know. During the dialogue, Socrates hints at this dilemma by stating, “I wanted you to tell me what is an essential form of holiness which makes all holy. I believe you held that there is one ideal form by which unholy things are all unholy, and by which all holy things are holy” (DIALOGUE). Socrates is wondering if there is a dispute between the Gods, is there one God, whose commands trumps all others, or how one would decide which commands are the correct, or more…show more content… As shared earlier, the burglar in Sacramento believed his actions were ok because it was a command from God. Similar claims are made in cases of mass genocide, where one party receives a sign from God telling them to complete these terrible acts. No one can claim that the mass killing of an innocent group of people is acceptable, and in the world today, acts of theft, rape, and genocide are not moral acts, or are they justified. If God’s commands are morally right acts, then the burglar in Sacramento would be allowed to take the players posessions with no moral reprecussions. Thus, the Divine Command Theory is not a