Predator

Let’s deal first with the simple question. “If Christianity were proven false, and Islam true, would you simply drop your current moral convictions and adopt those of Islam because you found you ‘had the wrong God’?” This question is, I think, misphrased. The important question is not what I would do under the envisioned circumstances, but what I should do. What I would do is an autobiographical fact about my personal psychology, which is of little philosophical interest. Moreover, it would be presumptuous for me to make predictions about what I would do under different circumstances (remember the apostle Peter on the night of Jesus’ betrayal?). What is of interest rather is what I should do under the envisioned circumstances. So stated, the question’s answer is clear: if Islam were proven true and Christianity false, then Islam would be true, and so of course I should believe in it. The same answer would present itself to the atheist: if atheism were proven false and Islam true, then should you obey the commands of Allah? Of course, for then Islam is the truth, and you really do have those moral obligations, however difficult it might be for you to stomach them.

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer?pagename=q_and_a

i) Craig is half-right. If Christianity were false, that should make a difference in how we view Christianity. It’s not like Don Cupitt, DZ Phillips, and John Spong–who continue to practice a Christian creed they no longer believe.

ii) However, Craig takes too much for granted. He seems to view epistemic duties as worldview-invariant. That we have a moral obligation to believe the truth and abide by the truth in whatever possible world we find ourselves. But that doesn’t make much sense.

Does every possible world have objective moral norms? Aren’t some possible worlds amoral?

iii) Take another example: suppose human beings were created by a race of evil aliens. The evil aliens created us to be prey in a game where we are hunted down by hunters whom the evil aliens also created for that purpose. The aliens enjoy the vicarious spectacle of watching the game play out.

The aliens really exist. This is a true state of affairs. But does that mean the aliens are in a position to obligate us to do their bidding? I don’t see how.

The aliens are unworthy of our allegiance. How can immoral beings impose moral obligations on other beings? They don’t deserve our obedience.

iv) Rather, compliance would be a pragmatic consideration. If Allah were the true God, then it would be foolhardy to defy Allah. You’d lose. You’d suffer. So you go along to get along.

It’s like citizens who live under oppressive, despotic regimes. They don’t believe in the regime. They hate the regime. But they keep their true feelings to themselves. They make expedient moral compromises just to survive.