Essay Analysis: William Lane Craig

Naturalism and Theism

Naturalism is a philosophical position that rejects religion and the natural world and is based on facts and evidence. Theism, on the other hand, refers to the belief in God, a supreme being who created the universe and actively interferes in human affairs (Lane Craig William). The existence of objective morality and the existence of God as its guide are incompatible with naturalism. Therefore, there is no moral responsibility according to naturalism. Theists hold to the notions of moral responsibility, moral objectivity, and the existence of God. Man is doomed without all of these. This paper aims at analyzing William Lane Craig’s masterpiece, The Indispensability of Theological Meta - ethical foundations for morality.

Analysis of the Meta - ethical Foundation

William Lane Craig considers two viewpoints in his discussion, that is: the theistic and the naturalistic point of view. The naturalistic point of view makes life lose meaning because occurrences are attributed to be natural and physical in nature. Morality lacks definition because good and bad loses meaning (Lane Craig William). Everyone is at liberty to do that which they please because there is no accountability needed. Further, the morals become subjective because everyone does that which promotes self - interest with full disregard of their neighbor. However, the theist has a mentor in God and they believe in objective morals and moral accountability. This is the most objective reasoning because good and bad have meaning and good always triumphs evil. There are two commandments provided by God for man to live by, these commandments are: the love of God with all the body, soul and love of neighbor as one loves self. Anarchy and chaos can erupt in a completely naturalistic world.

The Holocaust

The Holocaust refers to the state sponsored cold murder of six million innocent Jews by the Nazi regime. The case of the Holocaust is relevant to the meta - ethical foundation. The holocaust is an example of the results of lack of objective morality. The morality of the Nazi people was subjective and this comes from viewing the world as a naturalist. The murder of 6 million innocent Jews was considered right because the State had sponsored the heinous and cantankerous act (Bergen, 15). Objective morality and accountability for individual actions proves that there is God. The place of God is in punishing the bad and vindicating the good.

The law

The law is a new addition to the meta - ethical foundation. Naturalists can adopt a system whereby they abide by the law fully and disregard the beliefs of religion and theism. It is still possible to live objectively with the law and not theism alone. Though William Lane Craig’s stance states that naturalists at times have the best method of living with objective morals in comparison to the theists. It is still possible to have mutual exclusivity in good and bad as long as the law is factored in. This is because the law and constitution dictates the rights and privileges of everyone. The meta - ethical foundation provides me with the knowledge of the basic commandments of theism. The Nazi Germans did not practice the love for neighbor and the love for God. However, the events in this article does not in any way indicate a limitation in William Lane Craig’s position.

Conclusion

Objective morality attests to the existence of God. Man, is deemed special in God’s creation as long as there is a God. according to the theists, life loses meaning when God ceases to exist. This is because actions bear no consequences and both good and bad lose meaning. People are therefore not obligated to do good. All that remains is anarchy.

Works Cited

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Bergen, Doris L. The Holocaust: A Concise History. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Print.

Lane Craig, William. “The Indispensability Of Theological Meta-Ethical Foundations For Morality”. Leaderu.Com, 2017, http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/meta-eth.html.

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