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Why does God command?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2022

Shlomit Wygoda Cohen*
Affiliation:
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Jerusalem, Israel

Abstract

Assuming the existence of God and divine commands, it makes sense to ask to what end God issues commands. This question has been raised in recent philosophical literature in the context of whether there can be a divine command to believe in, or to worship, God. In this article, I argue that the answers proposed to this question fail to appreciate the wide range of possible purposes of divine commanding. In particular, I argue that commands that cannot be conformed or complied with may still have purpose.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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