The statement "If God is good, then why is good not God?" addresses a philosophical concept known as the Euthyphro dilemma, which has been debated for centuries.
The Euthyphro dilemma is derived from a dialogue written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his work "Euthyphro." In this dialogue, Socrates asks a character named Euthyphro whether something is good because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is good. This dilemma can be adapted to monotheistic beliefs by asking whether something is good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good.
There are two possible interpretations of this dilemma:
Divine Command Theory: This view suggests that actions are good because God commands them. In other words, God's will determines what is morally right or wrong. This raises a potential problem: if God's commands are the sole basis for what is good, then morality becomes arbitrary. Anything God commands would be considered morally right, even if it appears harmful or unjust to human reasoning.
Objective Morality: This perspective asserts that there is an independent standard of goodness that exists apart from God's commands. In this view, God is inherently good and follows the moral standard because it is good in itself. This raises the question of whether morality exists independently of God and whether God is bound by a standard beyond Himself.
Various religious and philosophical traditions have offered different responses to this dilemma:
Some religious believers, particularly within the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), argue that God's nature is intrinsically good, and therefore, whatever God commands aligns with this inherent goodness. They maintain that God's commands are not arbitrary but are grounded in His unchanging nature.
Others argue that the concept of good is inseparable from the nature of God. God, being all-good and all-knowing, embodies the standard of goodness itself.
Philosophers have proposed different ethical theories to reconcile the Euthyphro dilemma, such as virtue ethics, consequentialism, and deontology, which provide alternative frameworks for understanding morality without relying solely on divine commands.
In essence, the Euthyphro dilemma is a complex philosophical question that delves into the relationship between God and morality. Different thinkers and belief systems offer varied perspectives on this issue, and it remains a subject of ongoing debate among theologians, philosophers, and religious scholars.