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Summary
In this episode of the Mama Bear Apologetics podcast, Amy and Tricia Scribner continue their series on arguments for the existence of God by exploring the moral argument, also called the “right and wrong argument.” They explain that if objective moral laws exist, then there must be a moral lawgiver behind them. The conversation carefully distinguishes between descriptive statements (“what is”) and moral or prescriptive statements (“what ought to be”), arguing that morality cannot arise from impersonal forces or mere social convention.
Amy and Tricia address several common objections to objective morality, including moral relativism, emotional subjectivism, and Darwinian evolutionary explanations for morality. Drawing from thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, Frank Turek, Norman Geisler, and Francis Schaeffer, they demonstrate how universal moral principles exist across cultures even when customs differ.
The hosts also discuss the Euthyphro dilemma and explain the Christian understanding that goodness flows from God’s very nature rather than existing independently of Him. Throughout the episode, they provide practical ways parents can help children recognize objective morality through movies, discussions, discipline, and everyday experiences.
Main Points Covered
- The Moral Argument for God’s Existence
- Objective Morality vs. Subjective Morality
- Common Challenges to Objective Morality
- C.S. Lewis and the Nature of Justice
- Teaching Children About Morality and Truth
Scriptures Mentioned
- Romans 2:15 — The law written on human hearts
- Galatians 5:20–23 — Fruit of the Spirit and moral goodness
- Psalm 34:8 — “Taste and see that the Lord is good”
- Romans 3 — Humanity missing the moral standard
Unfamiliar Vocabulary
- Cosmological Argument — A philosophical argument stating that whatever begins to exist has a cause.
- Teleological Argument — An argument for God’s existence based on order and design in the universe.
- Moral Lawgiver — A higher power who establishes objective moral standards.
- Descriptive Statement — A statement describing what is true about reality.
- Prescriptive Statement — A statement describing what ought to be done morally.
- Objective Morality — Moral truths that are universally true regardless of opinion.
- Subjective Morality — Morality based on personal feelings or cultural opinions.
- Imago Dei — Latin for “Image of God”; humans reflect God’s nature.
- Moral Relativism — The belief that morality changes depending on culture or individual preference.
- Neo-Darwinism — Modern evolutionary theory combining natural selection and genetics.
- Eugenics — The attempt to improve humanity through selective reproduction.
- Altruism — Self-sacrificial concern for the well-being of others.
- Euthyphro Dilemma — A philosophical question asking whether something is good because God commands it or whether God commands it because it is good.
Quotable Quotes
We know that good exists not external to God, but God himself is morally good. — Amy Davison Share on X Natural laws like gravity only describe what is, but moral law describes what ought to be. — Tricia Scribner Share on X To say anything is unfair or wrong or evil requires a supreme standard of fair and right and good. — Tricia Share on X
We are all in this together, so sometimes our posts are a bit of all of us.
This is very good. Thanks for the email 150 Moral Arguments for God. I hope you can tolerate that I am not a “Mom”. I am a dad and a grandparent. My wife, Karen, and I will be married 50 years this summer and we attend a Christian church in Plano (this info is shared for the purpose of providing you a brief context).
I am attempting to prepare and to engage people (strangers, etc.) with the Gospel of Christ. But, I am also attempting to prepare for objections. I am pretty much doing this on my own i.e. not part of any organization. I am looking at courses like in Crossexamined.org. One thing that helps would be to hear about the rebuttals given by people on “the street” to arguments for the belief in God. This could help prepare when getting blindsided by an objection. You do this in many cases. I am reinforcing that. I try to do this on my own as well. I have read books like The Case For Christ and Person of Interest and others and gained a lot. I am compiling for personal use a comprehensive list of objections and responses. Thank you for your ministry. God bless your ministry. Armin