"Would God Really Ask That?" Wrestling with Divine Commands and Moral Intuition

    This week’s Religious Studies class left me unsettled—in a good way. We revisited the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, a passage I’ve heard countless times but never sat with so uncomfortably. The image of a father raising a knife over his son at God’s command is haunting. It’s not just a test of faith—it’s a test of moral boundaries. And it raises a question I can’t shake: What kind of God would ask this?

    Our readings pushed that discomfort further. Robert Adams’ article Abraham’s Dilemma and David Baggett’s chapter titled “Abhorrent Commands,” both confront the tension between Divine Command Theory and moral intuition. Baggett doesn’t shy away from the hardest questions—like whether a good God could command genocide or child sacrifice. He argues that while scripture must be taken seriously, not every command attributed to God reflects His true nature. A perfectly good God, Baggett insists, would never issue a truly abhorrent command. His version of Divine Command Theory is principled, not blind.

    For the weekly assignment, I was asked to summarize David Baggett's key point in 250-300 words. Below is my reply:

Chapter 7, titled Abhorrent Commands, explores one of the most challenging objections to Divine Command Theory: the possibility that God could command something morally abhorrent, such as genocide, as found in the book of Joshua or child sacrifice. David Baggett engages with troubling biblical passages like the Binding of Isaac as found in Genesis 22 and the Conquest Narratives found in the Old Testament, which seem to depict God commanding actions that conflict with our deepest moral intuition. Rather than dismissing these texts as non-literal or irrelevant, Baggett argues that they must be taken seriously and interpreted within a broader theological and moral framework. He acknowledges that some divine commands, if taken at face value, appear incompatible with the nature of a perfectly good God. However, he maintains that God’s commands are not arbitrary; they are grounded in His inherently good nature, which places moral limits on what God could command. Baggett encourages readers to draw a principled line between difficult biblical passages that challenge our understanding but may be reconcilable, and truly abhorrent scenarios that a good God could never endorse. This approach allows for a nuanced version of Divine Command Theory – one that respects both scriptural authority and moral intuition. Ultimately, Baggett’s goal is to show that belief in a good God does not require abandoning moral reasoning, but rather invites deeper reflection on how divine commands and moral truths can coexist.

    I don't believe in a divine being, but I do believe in the power of moral reasoning. What these readings and discussions have shown me is that even within religious frameworks, there's room for critical thought and ethical boundaries. The idea that some commands - even if attributed to God - should be questioned is not just a theological concern, but a human one. Whether we view these texts as sacred or historical, they reflect the ongoing struggle to reconcile authority with conscience. And that struggle, I think, is worth engaging with - regardless of belief.

Sources: 

Adams, R. M. (2003). Abraham’s dilemma. In Finite and infinite goods: A framework for ethics (pp. 277-291). Oxford University Press.

Baggett, D., & Walls, J. L. (2011). Abhorrent commands. In Good God: The theistic foundations of morality (pp. 125–142). Oxford University Press.

[Written for PHIL 366R class UVU Fall 2025]
aB . All Rights Reserved . 2025

Examining the Masters

Philippe Halsman - “Marilyn Monroe, Jumping”

This image was featured on the cover of Life magazine on November 9, 1959, as part of Halsman’s famous Jump Book series. The image is one of his most iconic portraits as it captures Monroe mid-air with a joyful, spontaneous expression. Halsman believed that asking people to jump revealed their true selves, stripping away posed personas. Monroe participated in the shoot – despite arriving late – resulting in some of Halsman’s final photographs of her, and the image became a symbol of both her charisma and Halsman’s innovative portrait style. Monroe reportedly jumped over 200 times during the shoot to get the perfect image.

Chip Forelli – (no specific title, but found on his General Industrial Energy gallery page, and images such as this are often categorized under thematic collections like “Hand of Man”, “Hint of Man”, or “No Man” by him) 

Blurred motion is used to evoke energy, transformation, and the dynamic nature of industrial processes. Forelli often features machinery, turbines, or industrial structures captured with long exposures or intentional camera movement, creating a sense of fluidity and abstraction. Rather than presenting industry as cold or mechanical, he reveals its aesthetic and emotional dimensions, turning utilitarian forms into expressive visual art. He studied architecture, which influences his strong sense of form and structure in his photography.

[Written for ART 1050 class UVU Fall 2025]
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The Digital Divide

    For my third critical essay for my Internet and Society class, I decided to look at the concept of the digital divide and so I chose to look at week 6 and the reading we did called Technological Capital: an alternative to the digital divide by Andrew Carlson and Alyssa M. Isaacs and I compared that to one of the readings that was included in the symposium from week 15 titled Older people’s attitudes towards emerging technologies: a systematic literature review by Mengxi Zhang. The reason I decided on these two was because I find myself drawn to the concept of digital divide a lot as I feel that I am not fully aware of all the amazing things the internet and technology have to offer me. This class has taught me a lot about the internet and society, but I know there is a lot more that I can learn that I am not aware of. I know there is more knowledge out there and more that I can access to grow my technological capital.

    Week 6 was fascinating to me as it talked about technology growing across the world and slowly reaching countries that had never experienced it before. These countries were new to this advanced technology and needed to catch up to keep up with the rest of the world globally if they wanted to be able to keep competing in all the markets especially economically, culturally, and socially. The paper explained the inequalities certain countries faced as they were behind and were trying to catch up to countries that had much more capital and had the resources needed to keep up with the demands and knowledge to keep them in the game. It specifically talked about awareness, knowledge, access, and technological capacity as being the amounts of technical capital needed for an individual or country to have to be able to compete and feel like they can be part of the game when it comes to being relevant as the world keeps moving forward at a faster pace. The article gave a great example as it talked about South Africa and a study that was done there with small business owners as they were getting them ready for the FIFA World Cup that was going to be held there. These business owners needed help as an influx of tourists would descend into their towns and business would skyrocket. Mobile phones and internet connectivity could help them with their business but only if they were aware and had knowledge of how to access this technology and how to use it. Awareness, knowledge, and access would give them an advantage in this situation.

    The second article I read takes a different approach to the digital divide as it doesn’t talk about lack of access to technology but more about how technology can be explained to an aging society so that they can utilize it to communicate and take care of themselves. It talks about technology also as being used only if it is socially acceptable, which I found interesting. While technology is seen as a good thing many people do see it also as a big change and some even fear it will replace things they are used to. I remember many people held on to their landlines long after cell phones became the norm as it was comfortable to have it inside their home. Social media is another interesting topic in my opinion, and I found the topic interesting in the reading as well. The influence of family was very important to a lot of people on whether they joined social media which is what I experienced in my life as well. When I decided to leave social media, it was my aunt and uncle in Australia who “convinced” me to just keep Facebook so that they could still see what I was up to. Family and friends can be very influential when it comes to your decisions in life, and deciding to join or leave social media can be one of those decisions as well. Another fascinating part of the reading talked about doctors encouraging telehealth services and medical technologies and such. Older generations see doctors as people with authority and so they easily believe them and will accept their advice when it comes to purchasing technology. But again, without awareness and knowledge people do not know they have access to these types of technologies and so there is a divide but without the right information being given to the right people that divide cannot be breached and people’s technological capacity cannot grow.

    After examining the digital divide from both angles, it was interesting to see them both gravitate back to the basics that are awareness, knowledge, access, and technological capital. The technological literacy talked about in both articles were very different but they both reached the same conclusion that they could both be solved by making the individual aware of the problem and providing them with the knowledge they needed and giving them access to technology to increase their technological capacity. While I was not thrilled to join a Facebook group at the beginning of the semester as part of the curriculum for this class, I have learned a lot by doing so. Each week I had to interact and see what I learned from the readings in action. I was able to scour the group to see if I could pinpoint what I had learned and read about and find it online. Each week I gave myself a challenge to find something either in my group that related to my readings, or I would try to find it somewhere else online. When we talked about the digital divide, I remember talking about Facebook in my Internet Community Journal post and how I was able to reach out to my group for one of my other classes and I got 70 responses back. My awareness of the internet has increased in this class, my access has stayed the same as I am privileged to have good Wi-Fi, my knowledge increases daily, and so because of all this my technological capacity has grown immensely too.

Sources:

Carlson, A., & Isaacs, A. M. (2018). Technological Capital: An alternative to the digital divide.
Journal of Applied Communication Research, 46(2), 243–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2018.1437279

Zhang, M. (2023). Older people’s attitudes towards emerging technologies: A systematic literature review. Public Understanding of Science, 32(8), 948–968. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625231171677

[Written for SOC 3690 class UVU Spring 2024]
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Educated: A Memoir That Helped Me Reclaim My Voice

This post contains detailed reflections and commentary on Educated by Tara Westover, including key themes and events from the memoir. If you haven’t read the book yet and prefer to experience it without prior knowledge, you may want to bookmark this and return after reading.

    If you haven’t read this book or heard about it, you’re missing out on one of the most talked-about memoirs in recent years. For the last few years, I have had lots of people recommend this book to me. I had put it on my list but just never got to it. I don't think this book would have hit me as hard as it did if I would have read it a few years earlier.

    Educated is a powerful memoir of Tara Westover. She chronicles her journey from growing up in a strict survivalist family in rural Idaho to eventually earning her PhD from Cambridge University.

    Her family, Mormon fundamentalists, believed the end of the world was near. They homeschooled their children, practiced herbal medicine, and distrusted public institutions like the government, schools, and hospitals.

    Westover’s story is rich with themes that resonate deeply, especially for those who’ve experienced trauma or transformation.

    Education is a major theme of Westover’s book as she portrays it as the transformative force that allowed her to finally understand the world and gave her the strength to break free from her family’s control. Abuse is another central theme - one her family continues to deny. This has made it difficult for Westover to trust many of her own experiences as she has had to grapple with the knowledge that memory can be unstable and subjective. Westover experienced physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her family, and it was her family dynamics, and her identity as a loyal daughter that kept her trapped in this abusive cycle of silence and denial for a long time. When Westover finally decides to trust her own voice and experiences, even though they contradict with her family, her journey of self-discovery and trust in her own intuition is radical and empowering. The raw honesty with which she wrote this memoir made it one of the best books of the year in 2018 according to The New York Times, Time, and NPR.

    I decided to listen to the audiobook, and it was difficult at times to continue as the author kept justifying why her life was the way it was and to blame herself for so much of it. I cringed every time she returned to the toxic life she had escaped, only to be hurt again. When I read this in 2021, it had been almost 2 years since I decided to leave a very toxic relationship where I constantly blamed myself for everything. I justified everything done to me as normal and had accepted this to be my lot in life. As time has gone past, I have learned to slowly stop blaming myself for not seeing what is so apparent now, and to move on. It gets easier with time and distance, but years of being manipulated to think and feel a certain way are very hard "habits" to break. I could see myself in how the author described her mom who kept justifying everything her dad did. I still carry guilt for the times I didn’t stand up for my girls when they needed me most.

    This book was exactly what I needed to remind myself that some things are/were beyond my control. I can't change someone or make others see what I saw, all I can do is to be here now to pick up the pieces I let fall. I need to be happy with my progress and not look back, no matter how hard it is.

    I need to focus on the future now and not on the 'what ifs' anymore. I can't change the past. I can't wonder what if I would have spoken up sooner or found my courage earlier on... All I have is the here and now and what I do with my life from this moment forward.

    Thank you, Tara, for letting me read your story - to understand mine a little better, to make peace with my past, and to see my future a little brighter. If you’ve ever struggled to break free from a painful past, I highly recommend this book. It’s not just Tara’s story – it’s a mirror for so many of us.

Published: February 2018
Read: February 2021

aB . 2025 . All Right Reserved

The Internet

    According to the article we read during week 5 of my Internet and Society class, a basic description of the internet is that it is the connection of computer networks around the world into one entity, so to speak. It’s not one big computer, but rather numerous networked computers connected. (Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia) I was already a little older when the internet became something that could be used by everyone. I remember signing up for my first email address and realizing that I now could be connected to people across the world at a much faster pace. As I have gotten older I have also seen the internet age and grow. I have seen it add many more functions and possibilities to make people's lives easier. My kids will never know what it is like to do homework, write a paper, or do research for a school project without the internet or even a computer. In a way my entire lifetime so far has been part of an ethnographic study of the internet as it developed right alongside myself into what it is today.

    Sheila Jasanoff tells us that human beings are given to redescribing their world. The greatest achievements of human creativity - in art, literature, and in the sciences - come from just that urge to reread and rewrite experience. (Jasanoff, 2016) Because of our access to the internet and all the information you can find online that may be outdated, we can do what she describes by rereading and rewriting those things so that they make more sense in our world today. Our vocabulary has changed as well over time and so many things need to be updated constantly to keep the ideas current and relevant. The internet is allowing us to do so on a broad scale as we are able to collect all of these outdated ideas and rewrite them for our use today.

    Because we have access to the internet and lots of different information, we need to make sure that the information online is relevant, true, and accessible to all. Surveys can be more easily distributed to reach larger populations and large groups of people can collaborate with each other seamlessly online to further research and other important matters. A lot of our knowledge today comes from the internet and what is posted and uploaded by many different people. We have access to lots of different points of view for all types of situations. Rules and regulations are being placed on the internet as it continues to grow and give access to people who previously would never have been able to take part in it. Governments all over the world have had to create new laws for privacy, false accusations, copyright issues, and much more as the internet can now be found in many homes and businesses. We don’t even need to leave our home anymore for grocery shopping, schooling, work, and entertainment as it can all be accessed by us online.

    The digital divide is becoming narrower as now more than ever people have access to the internet and all its abilities. Older generations that did not grow up with this technology are catching up quickly and are able to keep pace with the younger generations in all aspects. They can be part of the online community in their homes, on their phones, at work, or wherever they are. Many elementary and secondary schools use technology in the classrooms and teach their students how to submit work online and do homework that way. Universities have online classes such as this one that don’t require students to ever set foot on a physical campus. For the first few years when I came back to UVU to finish my degree I had started a long time ago, I was able to take all my classes online while continuing to work full time. All I needed was a computer and an internet connection. I was able to have class discussions this way, log into live stream sessions, and do Team chats with my classmates and professors.

    There are so many components to the internet that are not visible to us. Underwater cables and satellite dishes in the sky keep us connected without our knowledge. We can get Wi-Fi at work, in our homes, and on the go with hotspots, internet routers, or just our regular cell service. Technology is replacing paper left and right by allowing us to write research papers online and submit them that way as well. Receipts are now sent to email addresses instead of physically handed to a customer at the end of a transaction. The multiple invisible components of the internet keep us going about our business without even stopping to think how this is all possible. Our lives are interrupted briefly when the Wi-Fi goes out or we lose cell service, but most of the time those hiccups are temporary, and we are back to business within a short period of time. The internet is fascinating at what it can do for us daily, even when we do not realize its impact on most of our day-to-day activities.

Sources:

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (n.d.). Evaluating Internet resources. GALILEO. https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_01.phtml

Jasanoff, S. (2016). The floating ampersand: Sts past and sts to come. Engaging Science,
Technology, and Society, 2, 227–237. https://doi.org/10.17351/ests2016.78

[Written for SOC 3690 class UVU Spring 2024]
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Two Women, Two Trails, One Shared Spirit: A Reflection on Grandma Gatewood's Walk and Wild

I’m an avid hiker and have always dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail. After going through a divorce following a 20-year emotionally abusive marriage, my sister recommended I read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk. I found the audiobook and was hooked immediately—I loved every minute of it. Emma Gatewood is absolutely amazing, and one day I hope to be just like her. Hearing all she endured gave me hope for my own life. Every avid—and even aspiring—hiker should read or listen to her incredible story. Hiking the Appalachian Trail remains on my bucket list, and I’m more determined than ever to follow in her footsteps. A year later, I was introduced to Wild by Cheryl Strayed and absolutely fell in love with that story as well.

Emma “Grandma” Gatewood was the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She did so in Keds, without a tent, carrying only a denim shoulder sack she sewed herself—all at the age of 67. The trail stretches 2,168 miles from Georgia to Maine. In Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, Ben Montgomery beautifully recounts her early life, the hardships she faced, and her brutal trek along the trail in 1955. Gatewood endured 30 years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from her husband while raising 11 children, running a household, and working the fields. In a time when divorce wasn’t considered an option, she found solace in long walks, sometimes with her children in tow. After reading about the trail in a 1949 issue of National Geographic, she attempted her first hike in 1954 but got lost in Maine. She tried again in 1955 and succeeded, completing the trail in 146 days. She went on to hike the trail two more times and even walked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail in 1959. Her hikes brought media attention to the poor condition of the Appalachian Trail, and her influence helped inspire the passage of the National Trails System Act of 1968, ensuring trails remain accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

In contrast, Wild by Cheryl Strayed is a memoir chronicling her 1,100-mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail as a journey of personal healing. At 26, Strayed was grieving the sudden death of her mother, coping with a fractured family, and struggling with addiction and the collapse of her marriage. Feeling broken and lost, she decided to hike the PCT—despite having no prior hiking experience. She began in the Mojave Desert and hiked through California and Oregon, ending at the Bridge of the Gods in Washington. Along the way, she faced harsh weather, exhaustion, wildlife, strangers, and emotional reckonings. Strayed’s story is raw, honest, and deeply emotional, resonating with readers everywhere. She was more prepared than Gatewood, carrying modern gear and relying on resupply boxes she mailed ahead.

Both women undertook long-distance hikes alone, which was rare and groundbreaking in their respective eras. Their stories brought national attention to the trails they hiked—Gatewood to the Appalachian Trail and Strayed to the Pacific Crest Trail. Each hike was a form of healing and empowerment: Gatewood left behind an abusive marriage, while Strayed confronted grief and addiction. Their journeys inspired bestselling books, and in Strayed’s case, a film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon.

Publication & Adaptation Details

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed: Published March 2012
• Wild (film): Released December 2014
• Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery: Published April 2014

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One Battle After Another - Movie Review

 

This review contains plot details and character analysis that may reveal key moments from One Battle After Another. Read at your own discretion if you haven’t seen the film yet.

I really enjoyed this nearly 3-hour movie. It maintained great pacing throughout and never felt boring. The storyline combines unsettling and complex themes that are highly relevant today, including white supremacy, immigration, racism, and trauma. These social and political topics were addressed thoughtfully, without coming across as preachy. The film included a few well-executed jump scares that were unexpected but added to the tension. A gripping car scene early in the movie and another spectacular one near the end were definite highlights for me. The dialogue felt real, raw, heightened, and eccentric – adding depth to the characters and their relationships. Action, suspense, and comedy were seamlessly blended by a brilliant cast, making this an epic rollercoaster ride of a movie. The music score was terrific, setting the tone and amplifying the paranoia and emotional tension in every scene. I also really enjoyed the cinematography as the scenery was beautiful and added visual depth to the story.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays a revolutionary fighter turned father, trying to do his best, and he shines in the role - you can’t help but root for him. Benicio Del Toro brings a calm, collected energy, appearing disinterested yet unwavering in his fight. He balances DiCaprio well, and together they add moments of unexpected humor. Regina Hall is powerful and captivating - I wish she had more screen time. Chase Infiniti brings quiet strength to her role, and I am excited to see more of her in future projects. Teyana Taylor plays a revolutionary fighter who is not yet ready to be a mother; her performance is intense and unforgettable – you want to hate her, but you can’t look away. The standout performance comes from Sean Penn. He is unrecognizable, spectacular, and legendary. His portrayal of the villain is chilling and precise, delivering a performance that feels like an Oscar-worthy one.

This film contains a moderate amount of sex, nudity, violence, gore, alcohol, drugs, smoking, fighting, and intense scenes. The profanity is severe.

Viewed in Theater: October 7, 2025
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson, inspired by Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
Music by: Jonny Greenwood
Cinematography: Michael Bauman
Release Date: September 26, 2025

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