Tpaine summarizes Plato in an attempt to disprove the Divine Command theory of morality:
(1) If divine command theory is true then either (i) morally good acts are willed by God because they are morally good, or (ii) morally good acts are morally good because they are willed by God.
(2) If (i) morally good acts are willed by God because they are morally good, then they are morally good independent of God’s will.
(3) It is not the case that morally good acts are morally good independent of God’s will.
Therefore:
(4) It is not the case that (i) morally good acts are willed by God because they are morally good.
(5) If (ii) morally good acts are morally good because they are willed by God, then there is no reason either to care about God’s moral goodness or to worship him.
(6) There are reasons both to care about God’s moral goodness and to worship him.
Therefore:
(7) It is not the case that (ii) morally good acts are morally good because they are willed by God.
Therefore:
(8) Divine command theory is false.
The Bible clearly states on numerous occasions that (ii) is the Christian viewpoint. However, point (5) “If (ii) morally good acts are morally good because they are willed by God, then there is no reason either to care about God’s moral goodness or to worship him” is half false.
It is true that there is no reason for the Christian to concern himself with the question of God’s moral goodness, as God makes clear when speaking from the whirlwind to Job, and as both Jesus Christ and Paul teach, Man is incapable of understanding, much less judging, God. However, there are a plethora of reasons to worship God nevertheless, thus demonstrating the flaw in Plato’s argument, (or at least Tpaine’s summary of it):
1. Gratitude for His gift of free will. He created us and set us free to reject Him if we so choose.
2. Fear of His almighty power.
3. Respect for His awesome majesty.
4. Desire for the eternal life He promises those who follow His Son.
5. Protection against the powers and authorities of a fallen world.
6. Understanding that following His commands are of material benefit to us now.
7. Love for the love – insofar as we understand it within our limits – He has shown us in our lives.
Ergo, there is no conflict between (5) and (6) and the conclusions in (7) and (8) fall apart. Care to attempt a counter-refutation or would you prefer to try a different tact?