Divine Command Research Articles

NEXUS BETWEEN BIBLICAL STUDIES PROGRAM AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF STREET FAMILIES IN SELECTED FAITH BASED ORGANIZATION’S REHABILITATION PROGRAMS IN ELDORET TOWN, KENYA

Despite numerous efforts, the number of street families in Kenya continues to increase over time. This threat that has existed since independent has proven to be difficult to overcome. However, faith-based organizations now recognize their biblical mandate for reaching out in love to the needy as a panacea to this threat. Therefore, this study explored the nexus between biblical studies programs and the spiritual development of street families drawn from the rehabilitation programs in selected Faith Based Organizations in Eldoret Town, Kenya. The study was underpinned by the Divine Command Theory, and adopted a descriptive mixed methods research design that triangulated data collection by infusing a mix of techniques, including questionnaire, interviews and field observations. The study targeted 52 FBO directors, 687 street families, 180 chaplains, and the chairman of the North Rift Child Care and Protection Association (NRCCPA). In retrospect, a sample of 246 individuals comprising of 12 FBO directors, 48 chaplains, 185 street families and the chairman NRCCPA was constituted. Validation and reliability of the study instruments was facilitated through a pilot study conducted in the nearby town of Kapsabet in Nandi County. Consistent with the mixed methods approach, data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data analysis was facilitated through frequencies/proportions and Chi-square tests of association. Conversely, qualitative codes were used to extract recurring themes from the qualitative nuances. The descriptive analysis results together with field observations and interview responses revealed that bible study programs continue to be a significant component of FBOs' efforts to rehabilitate street families in Eldoret town. The Pearson chi-square test, the likelihood ratio test, and the linear-by-linear test results confirmed that the nexus between these bible study programs and spiritual development among street families is positive and statistically significant. The study concludes that proactive employment of Bible study programs in FBOs in Eldoret town to rehabilitate street families has a direct impact on the spiritual growth of these families. Therefore, all FBO’s should also adopt policy guidelines that embrace bible studies programs.

Relationship between Leadership Skills Program and Spiritual Development of Street Families in Selected Faith-Based Organization’s Rehabilitation Programs in Eldoret Town, Kenya

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between leadership programs and the spiritual growth of street families participating in selected Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) rehabilitation programs in Eldoret Town, Kenya. The study was guided by the Divine Command Theory and utilised a descriptive mixed-methods research design anchored in the pragmatist research philosophy. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires for quantitative data, observations, and oral interviews for qualitative data. Various sampling techniques were employed, including purposive, proportionate stratified random, simple random sampling, and census sampling. The study sample included 12 directors of FBO’s, 185 street families, 48 chaplains, and the Chairman of the North Rift Child Care and Protection Association (NORCCAPA). Data collection instruments were validated through a pilot study in Kapsabet town in Nandi County. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests of association, while qualitative data was analysed thematically and reinforced with results from field observation using the NVIVO software. The study established a positive and significant relationship between exposure to leadership programs and the spiritual development of street families, as well as an improvement in their skills and confidence. Therefore, Christian-based initiatives infused in leadership programs given to street families ensure their holistic development by not only attending to their immediate physical and emotional needs but also nurturing their spiritual welfare. The study recommends that all FBOs implement leadership programs and policy guidelines to support these initiatives.

Tafāḋul al-Umam fī al-Qur’ān al-Karīm

This study aims to analyze the concept of differentiation, "Tafāḋul," one of the concepts of divine law in the Qur'an. This research is qualitative and uses a type of literature study. This research uses a semantic approach. The research data is in the form of the concept of differentiation "Tafāḋul" with the source of Qur'an data. The data collection technique uses documentation. Meanwhile, data analysis uses content analysis. The results of the study show that the concept of "al-Sunan Alelahia" divine laws refers to the divine laws governing history and nations. Differentiation between individuals and nations is a law established by God Almighty in the universe to enhance competition and effectiveness between humans to obtain the higher degrees of Paradise, and the divine preference for humans over all other creatures is The most comprehensive circle of preference is followed by the preference for those who carry messages, followed by the preference of nations over each other, and the preference for some groups of society, such as the preference for those who fight with their money and their lives over those who remain idle, that is, the preference for those with high determination over those who are passive and idle. So preference is for the one who carries out the message and advances the nation and elevates it. During the research, I explained the characteristics of the best nation and its descriptions in the Holy Qur’an, and how these characteristics are constant over time, deriving their stability from divine laws, but the best nations change over time according to their firmness and commitment to the divine commandments and their fulfillment of the charitable role assigned to them. If they regress and deviate from the path of righteousness, their fate is to disappear.

Navigating Contemporary Ethical Challenges: Murtadha Muthahhari’s Philosophical Insights for Modern Muslims

This article explores the ethical framework proposed by Murtadha Muthahhari in addressing the moral dilemmas encountered by contemporary Muslims. Motivated by the multifaceted crisis affecting modern Muslim societies, this research seeks to apply Muthahhari’s philosophical insights to contemporary ethical issues. Central to this investigation is Muthahhari’s conceptualization of Ma'rifah Allah (Knowledge of God) and Worship as foundational elements in his ethical philosophy. The study utilizes primary sources, including Muthahhari’s seminal works such as Philosophy of Morals, Perfect Man, and Islamic Moral Philosophy, alongside secondary sources encompassing related scholarly literature. Employing a methodological approach that integrates literature review, inductive reasoning, critical analysis, and heuristic methods, the research elucidates how Muthahhari’s emphasis on aligning human actions with divine commands can lead to a transformative ethical paradigm. The findings suggest that Muthahhari’s philosophy provides a robust framework for resolving the ethical challenges faced by contemporary Muslims, underscoring the transformative potential of grounding ethical conduct in the pursuit of divine pleasure.

Divine Command Theory – Potentiality and Limits

Divine Command Theory – Potentiality and Limits

Investigating the Relationship between Religion and Morality: Insight from Hume

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between religion and morality. David Hume, an influential figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, provides insightful contributions to this discourse through his philosophical works. This article explores Hume's nuanced views on the relationship between religion and morality, drawing from his key texts such as "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion" and "An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals." Hume challenges the traditional notion that religion is a necessary foundation for morality. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he argues that moral principles do not derive from religious doctrine or divine commandments but instead from human sentiment and reason. Hume contends that moral judgments are based on a natural sense of empathy and utility rather than religious authority. Furthermore, Hume critiques the idea that religion is essential for maintaining moral order within society. He suggests that religious beliefs and institutions may, in fact, be detrimental to morality by promoting superstition, intolerance, and dogmatism. Hume advocates for a secular approach to morality, where ethical principles are grounded in rational reflection and social cooperation rather than religious doctrine. While Hume challenges the traditional link between the two, he acknowledges the historical influence of religion on moral development and societal norms. Hume recognizes the social utility of religion in fostering moral virtues and promoting social cohesion, albeit without attributing morality exclusively to religious sources.

Divine command theory and the (supposed) incoherence of self-commanding

Abstract Theological voluntarism is a family of metaethical views that share the claim that deontological statuses of actions are dependent on or identical with some divine feature. Adams's version of this theistic metaethical view is a divine command theory (DCT). According to Adams's DCT, the property being-morally-obligated is identical to the property being-commanded-by-God. Thus, a natural consequence of Adams's DCT is that an agent is morally obligated to do something just in case God commands that agent to do such a thing. From Adams's DCT, it follows that God is morally obligated to act just in case God commands himself to act. Quinn argued that commanding oneself is incoherent and, therefore, that God cannot be morally obligated to act. The claim that commanding oneself is incoherent has seldom been discussed in the divine command theory literature. This article is an attempt to change that. Here, I argue (contra Quinn) that that no constitutive rule (or condition of satisfaction) of self-commands is incoherent, from which it follows that self-commanding is not an incoherent speech act. I conclude that divine command theorists can, without the charge of incoherence, affirm that God can be morally obligated because God can command himself.

Sceptical theism, divine commands, and love

Abstract Sceptical theists respond to the problem of evil by arguing that we should be sceptical of our abilities to understand God's plan and the justifying reasons for his actions. A major difficulty faced by sceptical theism is the problem of moral paralysis. Some sceptical theists have proposed a divine command response: theists can appeal to God's commands in acting, and this circumvents the need to exercise value judgement in moral deliberations. This article provides an objection to the divine command response by arguing that it renders love impossible and practically undermines the possibility of the theistic way of life. As a result, this article demonstrates a constraint on any potential solution to the problem of moral paralysis in sceptical theism: the access to values of loving relationship and human well-being, as well as their role to play in agents’ deliberative process, should be safeguarded.

A Non-Vacuist Response to the Counterpossible Terrible Commands Objection

AbstractCritics of Divine Command Theory (DCT) argue that DCT implies the following counterpossible is true: If God commanded us to perform a terrible act, then the terrible act would be morally obligatory. However, our intuitions tell us that such a counterpossible is false. Therefore, DCT fails. This is the counterpossible terrible commands objection. In this paper, I argue that the counterpossible terrible commands objection fails. I start by considering a standard response by DCT proponents that appeals to vacuism—the view that all counterpossibles are vacuously true. I argue that DCT proponents should pursue a different response instead. I then go on to provide a new response to the counterpossible terrible commands objection: I argue that we lack reason to think that the counterpossible in question is false by examining the underlying intuitions.

Torah as the Basis of Modern Ideas about the Judiciary: Introduction to the Topic

The diversity of relationships between people determines the multiplicity of types of social norms that regulate interactions in human society. Various systems of social regulation – such as customs, morality, religion, law – throughout the history of mankind are also in constant mutual influence. Their relative importance is fluid, social norms have a constant impact on each other, often experiencing transformations from one type to another. In light of this, the influence of religious institutions on the formation of secular law and the secular system of public, including judicial, power deserves serious study. The Torah, the main holy book of the Jewish people, the basis of Judaism (the oldest and most enduring monotheistic religion in history), which had a significant influence on the formation of Christianity and Islam, is the source of many well-known and established legal ideas. In particular, the Torah contains many provisions concerning the values of justice, the principles of organization and the exercise of judicial power. In fact, all the fundamental principles of justice that have become widespread in the modern world – the institutional organization of the judicial system, the staged nature of legal proceedings, the principles of fair justice, accessibility of court, impartiality of judges and many others – are enshrined in the Torah (and detailed in other sacred Jewish texts) as Divine commandments obligatory for people to fulfill. The article concludes that the study of the Jewish religious heritage can strengthen the significance of the values and principles of justice as the fundamental basis for the existence and functioning of human society.

Digital content and reading encouragement initiatives... A vision towards a knowledge society

Perhaps it is enough to read the importance and destiny and consider it a key to knowledge and the achievement of civilized renaissance, as it is the first divine command that came with the faithful revelation of the illiterate prophet, the last of the prophets and messengers. This is indisputable proof that reading outweighs everything of importance and value in life. Therefore, no two disagree that the decisive factor in the present and future life revolves around knowledge, by which the progress and superiority of nations and societies is measured and their arrangement among the developed and less developed countries of the world, since the early nineties of the last century, and with the increasing spread and development of the use of information and communication technology The governments of all countries are actively seeking to pay attention to information management, knowledge production, and civilizational value creation. Of course, the use or consumption of information and the production of knowledge, and the growing interest in the growing awareness of the role of creativity and innovation by using knowledge to add value, come only through the availability of digital content in a way that guarantees availability and rapid access in order to enhance knowledge and cultural openness and create information awareness among generations. At this juncture, the problematic of this research paper emerges in: The nation of Iqra does not read, as it is one of the least countries in the world in demand for reading, which negatively affects its awareness and awareness of achieving the civilizational renaissance, as the main question on which the axes of the paper are based to answer is: • What is the method or the elements through which it is possible for the Arab countries to be a nation of reading in the full sense of the word, and to be able to achieve the civilizational renaissance and progress towards the knowledge society with merit and competence?

Redefining love: Engaging the Johannine and Akan concepts of love through dialogic hermeneutics

Both the Johannine and Akan cultures are described in scholarly literature as collectivistic communities that value love as a communal value. Nonetheless, a scholarly analysis of the Akan concept reveals that Akan proverbial tradition promotes love motivated by the expectation of reciprocation. Thus, the article aimed to provide a biblical response to these challenges for Akan Christians, who hold love as both a traditional and theological value. Consequently, the study employed Gatti’s dialogic hermeneutics because it encourages engagement between text and culture, viewing them as dialogue partners from which a call to action emanates directed at the interpreter’s context. Even though the Akan concept relates love to sacrifice, forgiveness and reciprocity, it promotes conditional love, thereby diminishing its concept of love-motivated sacrifices and reciprocity. By incarnating the concept of love that Jesus promotes and embodies in John, Akan Christians can establish a culture that reflects the community of God, proscribing conditional love and prescribing utmost and greater love – godly selfless and reciprocal love. In addition, it makes love the substratum of functional unity and interpersonal relationships. Ultimately, it makes love a divine command for the community of believers.Contribution: This article engages the Johannine and the Akan ideations of love through dialogic hermeneutics and, as such, contributes to African biblical hermeneutics and the ongoing discussions on the inculturation of the New Testament within the African context.

“How Would He Not Protest God’s Putting to Death the Righteous Child?”

Abstract Medieval Jewish readings of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, remain almost entirely oblivious to the antinomy between ethics and the revealed divine command that many modern interpretations find at the heart of the story. This study explores an exception, the teaching of the fourteenth-century rationalist, Eleazar Ashkenazi ben Nathan Ha-Bavli. In his Revealer of Secrets, Eleazar seeks a remedy for what he takes to be the theological and moral scandals that arise when the Akedah is read according to its plain sense. While Eleazar’s treatment of the Akedah builds in many ways on that of Maimonides, it also adds novel layers regarding this most difficult of biblical accounts. For this reason, the study begins with a substantial review of Maimonides’ intentionally elusive treatment of the Akedah and its reception among some representative later medieval interlocutors. Turning to its main focus, the article supplies a case study in medieval Jewish rationalism at its limits, in both matter and manner.

Human rights and divine holiness

Abstract Theists commonly hold that God endows humans with rights. Standard explanations draw on natural law theory or divine command theory. However, the natural law account does not give God a central role in explaining our rights, and the divine command account does not assign human nature a significant explanatory role. A successful theistic explanation of human rights must meet three conditions: (1) God must directly explain human rights; (2) human nature must also directly explain human rights; (3) this dual contribution must explain why morality forbids rights violations by grounding the deontic reasons associated with rights. I propose a holiness account of rights. On this view, God endows human nature with rights by making human nature holy, and God does so by fashioning humans with one of God's essential properties: the capacity to love. This theory satisfies all three conditions and explains the deontological character of rights.

Russian Thinkers of the XI–XIII Centuries on Justice

The article examines the ideas of medieval thinkers of the XI–XIII centuries about justice as the main function of the head of state – the Grand Duke. For an adequate understanding of their views, it is necessary to find out the origin and historical meaning of the main terms used by thinkers: “law”, “truth” and “justice”. Initially, the terms “law” and “truth” denoted concepts similar in content, but with the adoption of Christianity under the influence of doctrinal dogmas, the term “law” as a result of its sacralization expanded the scope of its content. They began to denote high values of religious status: the Laws of God, the Laws of Jesus Christ, the Laws of Ecumenical Councils, etc. At the same time, the legal nature of the law did not disappear, but was combined with the moral and ethical commandments of Christianity, which fully corresponded to the concept of sin as a violation primarily of the Divine Commandments, so the moral norms of Christianity, but also the laws of secular the authorities. However, the highest sacred concept of the law led to the fact that in everyday vocabulary princely decrees and orders were called princely “truth” [“Russian Truth” or “Тhe Truth of Yaroslav” (XI century.); “The Truth of Yaroslavich” (XII century)]. Justice as a religious and philosophical category was placed above all concepts and actions of people, since it was defined as “the property of Jesus Christ” embodied in the Gospel commandments. Every Christian should strive to achieve justice by steadily fulfilling all the Commandments of Jesus Christ in all spheres of political and legal activity, as well as personal life. Russian Russian medieval thinkers formulated their idea of justice on this religious and political basis, referring to the Books of the Bible, as well as the Byzantine and original Russian writings spread in Russia, presented in the article.

The Aqedah (Genesis 22), God’s Promise, and Its Relation to the Post-Pandemic Churches

Gerhard von Rad’s exegesis on Genesis 22 shows that the test of Abraham or the Aqedah contains a problem of the endangered promise. Isaac was seen as the promised child, the proto-Israel. Hence, there is a dilemma of the endangered people of God if Isaac is sacrificed. So too the church, along with the entire history of salvation, would not exist. Abraham’s experience can serve as a blueprint of how God deals with his church, the Israel of God. It is normal then to ask the follow-ing: How does God deal with his church? Can the church continue to thrive in this post-pandemic era? This paper aims to provide some answers by showing, first of all, that Genesis 22 is a culmination test from the initial calling to Abraham in Genesis 12. This command and the related verbs are then examined in the context of Abraham’s calling from Genesis 12 until the test in Genesis 22. Finally, some spiritual implications and insights are drawn to encourage post-pandemic churches as they journey on with the Lord. As the world grapples with the profound impact of the global health crisis, it is argued that Genesis 22 is not just a problem of an endangered promise, but rather a complex relationship Abraham has between a divine promise that is also entangled with and should be understood in relation to, a divine command, a doubtful and responding faith, and an act of obedience and disobedience. In short, faith indeed is a pilgrimage.

At-Ta’abbud and at-Ta’aqqul in Islamic Law and Their Relevance to the Implementation of Law Number 33 of 2014 Concerning Guarantee of Halal Products

This writing discusses ta’abbudi and ta’aqquli in Islamic jurisprudence, aiming to provide comprehensive insight into both of these terms. Positioning oneself as a mukallaf (a responsible and accountable individual), on one hand, acknowledges that acts of worship (ta’abbudi) must be fully accepted, whether or not one comprehends their meanings, as they are divine commands. Similarly, on the other hand, a mukallaf is granted the authority and capability to employ reason in dealings with worldly matters (mu’amalah), enabling the development of laws in accordance with the changing times. In the context of Law Number 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance, at-Ta’abbud and at-Ta’aqqul hold significant relevance. Article 10, paragraphs (1) and (2), regulate the requirements for halal products, encompassing raw materials, production processes, storage, as well as processing, handling, and packaging procedures. This indicates that at-Ta’abbud plays a crucial role in ensuring compliance with halal product requirements. Furthermore, Article 10, paragraph (3), emphasizes that halal products must be verified by accredited halal certification bodies. This underscores the importance of at-Ta’aqqul in analyzing and verifying the halal status of products.

Normative Reasons, Epistemic Autonomy, and Accountability to God

According to many, human autonomy is necessary for moral action and yet incompatible with being morally accountable to God’s divine commands. By issuing commands that ground normative facts, God demands our accountability without understanding our normative reasons for moral action, which crushes human autonomy. Call this the Autonomy Objection to Theism (AOT). There is an unexplored connection between models of normative reason and AOT. I argue that any plausible AOT must be stated in terms of an adequate model of normative reason. There are two broad metaethical categories for models of normative reason: anti-realist or realist views. I defend the thesis that both anti-realism and realism about normative reasons fail to support AOT by means of a dilemma. If the AOT defender adopts anti-realism about normative reasons (subjectivism and constructivism), AOT loses its force. However, if the AOT defender adopts moral realism, they face the same problem as the theist, as normative fact constrains autonomy. Consequently, AOT is a problem for all moral realists, including non-theists, such as Russ Shafer-Landau, David Enoch, and Erik Wielenberg, among others.

Water (and Blood) in Ezekiel 16 and 36-37

This article compares Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 36:1-37:14 as an example of “resumptive exposition” (D. I. Block) with particular attention to the ways that the message of Israel’s restoration in the later chapters allude to the message of Jerusalem’s judgment and rehabilitation in the earlier one. Although commentators have occasionally noted various lexical and thematic links between Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 36-37, none has yet provided an integrative assessment of these chapters with respect to the foundling motif. The prophetic indictment of the adulterous Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16 recurrently appeals to YHWH’s merciful treatment of Jerusalem in her youthful years as an exposed orphan and uncovered virgin (vv. 1-14). The author proposes that the ancient Near Eastern texts on the birth ritual and the foundling inform the rhetoric of Ezekiel 16. A careful examination of the chapters warrants the conclusion that Ezekiel 36:1-37:14, in connection with Ezekiel 16, employ literary reversal and amplification through skillful interlacing of lexical elements (e.g., to multiply, to know, to remember, and to live) to augment the import of YHWH’s message for the eschatological renewal of Israel. Moreover, in both chapters (Eze 16 and 36), the water ritual intimated at the beginning of YHWH’s deliverance of the covenantal partner is allusively linked to priestly texts on riddance rituals (e.g., Num 19; Lev 16), underscoring the irony of divine forgiveness of the house of Israel to her shame. Ezekiel’s prophecy of the restoration of the — house of Israel (Eze 36:33-38) and the vision of the bones in the valley (Eze 37:1-14) parallel the depiction in Ezekiel 16 of Jerusalem’s encounter with YHWH as a foundling in response to his divine command, “Live!” (Eze 16:6/2x). The creative imperative reverberates throughout Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 (vv. 6, 9, 10, and 14) with the word to live ( חיה ) serving as a characteristic leitmotif. This pronouncement powerfully affirms YHWH’s eternal loving-kindness for his chosen people, whom their parents had abandoned (Eze 16:2), in contrast to the way these estranged parents entreat the river god for their lives while abandoning an unwanted child in the Mesopotamian riddance ceremony. Ezekiel 16 is thus a significant dialectical partner in understanding the prophetic discourse on the hopeful future of Israel in Ezekiel 36:1-37:14.

A Christological Critique of Divine Command Theory

This paper presents a theological critique of divine command theory, a metaethical theory stating that moral wrongness is constituted by God’s command. First, I argue that this theory does not qualify as a Christian moral theory because it lacks connections to central parts of Christian theology, such as Christology. This argument does not imply that the theory is wrong nor that it is inconsistent with Christianity—only that it is not Christian as such. Second, I argue that divine command theory does not fit well with the New Testament’s vision of the moral life, in which being conformed to the image of Christ has primacy over adherence to law. This argument implies that the Christian ethicist should look elsewhere for a metaethical theory. I next argue in favour of a moral theory of imitation, in which the moral life consists of imitating God, the prime exemplar of goodness, which is made possible through an imitation of Christ.