Is what is moral commanded by God because it is moral, or is it moral because it is commanded by God?

The Pythagorans of Ancient Greece would argue that, rather than giving commands, the Gods, being the embodiment of all that is good, are providing a perfect example. Free will allows us to emulate that example or not according to our own choice and understanding. Morality would therefor be an arbitrary and subjective human judgment rather than a Divine one, and vary from culture to culture and from generation to generation, as history shows that it does. Even Christianity, working from a single source, cannot agree on a common concept of right and wrong, let alone a universal definition of morality, after all the Nazis and the Amish are both Christian, as were both the slave traders and the abolitionists of the 19th century. Of course, Thomas Aquinas argued that what God commands is good because God, by his nature, is good, and He would never choose to give an evil command, which makes it matter of trusting in the character of your God. Don't forget that in Plato's dialogue Socrates and Euthyphro never came to any conclusion, it was doubtful from where they left it that one was even possible.

However, there is a prevalence of the view that Monotheistic codes of morality, such as those of the Christian faith satisfy some sort of objective basis for morality.

They might also want to ask themselves these questions:

1. Is something morally good because god desires it to be?

2. Or does god desire it because it is morally good?

1. Do you praise God because he is moral???

2. Or is God moral because you praise him???

1. We generally accept that torture is wrong but... Is it just because God says so (and you have faith in him)???

2. Or... Is it because God understands what morality is about (and you have faith in his ability to understand the reasons for morality)???

I think you get the picture... perhaps we ought to thus abandon theistic morality as an objective morality and begin to embrace other codes of morality that need not reduce to the total anarchy and nihilism that so many Christian fear mongers regard non theistic morality as susceptible to.

Edit.. Virtue ethics???! You need to argue for moral realism before you can convince me! I think we should start with "naturalized" theories of value... before we even get as far as ethics... The closest thing to a rational/universal objective basis for morality was Kant... and I think he failed!

Edit2 - All I'm saying is lets get some basic values on the table first and then work from that, instead of putting the cart before the horse. Why does the concept of morality have to be objective or categorical??? If it turns our we value moon pigeons then so be it but that's just facetious! let's look at what our brain says about value??? So that we don't go wasting our energy on saving embryos. Authority comes from actual facts of reality, and then humans decide to proclaim one another (or deities) as having authority.... that's what divine command theory is isn't it?

The God Yahweh wrote The Mosaic Laws for the moral good as well as the physical good for not only the individual humans who are smart enough to follow them but also for a whole nation who is smart enough to follow them. Everyone thinks mankind established our own morals but it wasn't us who taught ourselves but that of the "Intelligent Designer" that created us and made the human species different from any other wild animal species on Earth.

It is right or wrong because God says so. It is his universe so he gets to make the rules.

Having said that, God is love and works towards the good of everone. But if you insist on being a jerk he he will judge you and send you to hell.

Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Well, I know it's not the latter. That would mean genocide is a moral thing to do.

It's a good thing people don't need a god to develop morality.

It is moral because God commands it. God's moral values have been changed by Him many times in the Bible.

Morals evolved with mankind. Behaviors that benefited the tribe were rewarded and survived. There is no "god" in the equation.

FIRE MAKE TRIBE STRONG!

Morality doesn't come from god.

Can you name a moral act that a believer can do and nonbeliever can't do?

Looks like a circular question.