Does Fear of God Ground Morality?

Podcast audio:

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer responds to a PragerU video which argues that moral wisdom requires a “fear of God.” Bayer argues that a fear of God undercuts moral wisdom and is driven by a fear of the intellectual independence that moral wisdom requires.

Among the topics covered:

• The proposal that a fear of God provides the basis for an objective morality;
• How the fear of God makes objective moral guidance impossible;
• Why being motivated by fear undercuts our love of moral wisdom and virtue;
• How faith is driven by a fear of the independence that moral wisdom requires.

Mentioned in this podcast is Onkar Ghate’s article “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God.”

The podcast was recorded on March 5, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here

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