The Moral Argument

The Moral Argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of God that draws from the nature of morality. It posits that the existence of objective moral truths necessitates the existence of God as their source.

The Argument

If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist.
Objective moral values and duties do exist.
Therefore, God exists.

This syllogism is logically valid, meaning that if the premises are true, the conclusion necessarily follows. The debate, therefore, centers around the truth of the premises.

The Rebuttals

Premise 1: This premise is not necessarily true and lacks an argument for its truth. Why must objective moral values and duties be tied to God?
Evolution: Our moral intuitions can be explained by evolutionary processes, without the need for a divine source.
Euthyphro Dilemma: Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it's good? If the former, morality seems arbitrary; if the latter, moral standards exist independently of God.
Cultural Relativism: The diversity of moral beliefs across cultures is sometimes cited as evidence against objective moral truths. What seems morally obvious in one culture may be considered wrong in another.
Secular Foundations for Ethics: There exist secular foundations for ethics, such as social contract theory, utilitarianism, or Kantian deontology, which don't require a divine lawgiver.