Alex O'Connor ( @CosmicSkeptic ) discussed with William Lane Craig ( @ReasonableFaithOrg ) the slaughter of the Canaanites. Using Divine Command Theory, Craig defended God's command to kill the Canaanites. In this episode of Refereeing the Debate, I analyze Craig's defense and O'Connor's pushback against Craig's view. Ultimately, Craig misses a HUGE opportunity to refine his moral theory.

Takeaways

• The slaughter of the Canaanites in the Old Testament is a challenging issue for Christians to defend.
• Divine command theory is the moral theory underlying William Lane Craig's defense of the slaughter of the Canaanites.
• According to divine command theory, moral obligations arise from imperatives issued by God, who is the paradigm of moral goodness.
• Considered moral judgments and reflective equilibrium should be taken into account when evaluating the moral implications of divine command theory. The context of God's commands, including the social context and wartime circumstances, is crucial in understanding their morality.
• The distinction between intrinsic wrong and moral permissibility depends on the moral theory one adopts.
• Considered moral judgments and reflective equilibrium can lead to the revision or augmentation of moral theories.
• The existence of objective moral truths can be accounted for by various moral theories, not solely divine command theory.
• The morality of killing innocent children and the deprivation of a future like ours raise significant moral concerns that need to be addressed in ethical theories.
• Reconciling biblical ethics with moral intuitions requires a broader and more comprehensive moral theory.