My Ways Are Not Your Ways:

The Moral Character of the God of Abraham

Not long now until Steve and I will be attending a Center for the Philosophy of Religion conference, "My Ways Are Not Your Ways" at the University of Notre Dame. The last time we were away together for such fun was in 2005, when we went to the Wheaton Philosophy Conference, "Heaven and Hell," with Jerry Walls as keynote speaker. It's about time for another get away.

Here is a description of the conference:

The Character of the God of the Hebrew Bible

Adherents of the Abrahamic religious traditions contend that human beings are made in the image of God and that modeling the character of God in one’s life represents the pinnacle of human flourishing and moral perfection. Defenders of this tradition commonly point to passages in the canonical texts of the Jewish and Christian faiths that portray God as loving, merciful, patient, etc. in support of such a position.

Since the seventeenth century, however, numerous critics of these Abrahamic traditions have argued that God, especially in the Hebrew Bible, is often portrayed as anything but a moral role model. On the one hand, historical narratives in these texts describe God apparently committing, ordering, or commending genocide, slavery, and rape among other moral atrocities. On the other hand, a number of commands purportedly issued by God seem to commend bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia. In recent days, similar criticisms of the Abrahamic traditions have been raised by philosophers (Daniel Dennett), scientists (Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris), social commentators (Christopher Hitchens), and others.

Are these apparent commendations and commands of the Hebrew Bible consistent with the claim that the Abrahamic God is perfectly good and loving? Those defending this tradition have two avenues of response open to them. The first response would be to argue that the aforementioned troubling narratives or commands should simply be rejected. Those taking this approach would have to explain how they think such passages could be rejected without placing in peril the Abrahamic religions, which have traditionally claimed that the Hebrew Bible is, represents, or contains the inspired word of God. The second response would offer explanations aiming to show that the apparently untoward consequences can be avoided without rejecting the narratives or commands. Those taking this approach must explain either why the untoward consequences do not follow, or why they are not, in the end untoward.

However, while defenders of this tradition have both routes available to them, few of these defenders seem to have taken the challenge to heart. Despite these recent, forthright criticisms, only a handful of theologians or philosophers in these traditions have sought to respond to the criticisms.
The present conference aims to remedy this deficiency, taking as its focus the charge that the Abrahamic tradition should be rejected because of its foundation in the Hebrew Bible, which portrays God as immoral and vicious. The presenters and commentators include philosophers—both theistic and nontheistic—as well as Biblical scholars.

The papers, comments, and replies from the conference will be collected in a volume provisionally titled Divine Evil? The Moral Character of the God of Abraham. We have a contract with Oxford University Press for this volume and expect it to be published in 2010.

Participants include

Alvin Plantinga – University of Notre Dame
Eleonore Stump – Saint Louis University
Richard Swinburne – University of Oxford
Peter van Inwagen – University of Notre Dame
Michael Murray – Franklin and Marshall College
Michael Rea – University of Notre Dame
Stephen T. Davis – Claremont McKenna College
John Hare – Yale Divinity School
Daniel Howard-Snyder – Western Washington University
Christopher Seitz – Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
Mark C. Murphy – Georgetown University

But most exciting is the discovery that one of our VCC students who attends Calvin College will be attending. We look forward to seeing Kaylee and her friends, and sharing some great conversations.