SHOULD A GOOD

GOD REWARD AND

PUNISH?

Traditionally in the Bible the

good
areofrewarded
and
the evil
The Story
the Sheep and
Goats.
punished.
What is the reward or punishment based

upon?
Other ideas about what secures a place
Can you
in heaven?
perceive any
difficulties with
judgement
based on
either of these
terms?

Does reward and punishment

preserve Gods Justice (+
If the wicked get
therefore perfection)?

away with it is
Gods Justice
undermined?
Is it fair to hold
humans fully
responsible for
what they do?

Augustine and Aquinas

Augustine:
Sin doesnt mar the perfection of God because the
balance of the moral order is preserved by the
infliction of appropriate punishment.
...the penalty of sin corrects the dishonour of sin.
Aquinas
Justice requires ...that penalties should be dealt out to
sinners.
For both, the perfection of God requires that
justice in the Universe is preserved which means
that humans must be punished for their sinful
choices.

What difficulties may there

be with the idea of
punishment
of sins?
What might the issue
of freewill and

determinism tell us about this?

What might modern psychology say
about why people do the things that
they do?

Does the Justice of God

depend on what sort of

afterlife
is on
offer?
Problems with
Heaven
and Hell?

Does Gods omniscience

interfere with this?

If we are determined
then clearly it would be
illogical to hold us
responsible for our
actions and punish or
reward us.
Some philosophers
argue that Gods
omniscience leaves no
room for our freewill
and therefore God
shouldnt reward or
punish.

Boethius
solution?

Kant on virtue and reward?

What should God be

judging?

Actions?
Motivations?

If you are good in order to be rewarded

have you still behaved morally?
What would Kant say? Widows offering
(Mark 12)
Virtue theory Parable of the Prodical Son
Sheep + Goats
Matthew 6: 3

Is Gods morality, moral?

Is it a trustworthy
standard by which
judge people by?
Biologist and
Humanist Richard
Dawkins would
argue that morality
developed
independently
of
This is why Xns
religion
today judge which
parts of the Bible
they will follow and