I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Mother Teresa vs. Hitler: The Moral Argument for God
Read Chapter 7 of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
Previewing Week 8 of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
After examining the physical universe, Geisler and Turek turn to the moral universe, arguing that our deepest convictions about right and wrong point unmistakably to a moral Lawgiver.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The authors present the moral argument for God as follows: (1) Every law has a lawgiver; (2) There is a moral law; (3) Therefore, there is a Moral Lawgiver. Which premise do most people find easiest to dispute, and how do the authors defend it?
2.The chapter uses the contrast between Mother Teresa and Adolf Hitler to illustrate that most people — regardless of their stated beliefs — act as though some things are objectively right or wrong. Have you ever met someone who genuinely believed morality was purely relative? Did their life reflect that belief consistently?
3.Geisler and Turek argue that objective moral values must be grounded in something beyond human opinion, cultural consensus, or evolutionary pressure. Walk through each of these proposed alternatives to God. Why, in the authors' view, does each one fail to provide a stable foundation for morality?
a.If morality is just cultural consensus, what was wrong with Nazi Germany?
b.If morality is the product of evolution, why should we trust it to tell us what we *ought* to do?