Divine Command Theory is a religious, ethical and cognitive theory which is the idea that all moral commands come from God. It is also believed that whatever God commands must be good and therefore, God is the source of all goodness and so what he forbids then must be evil. Surrounding human reason, this is God-given and so using God as the source of authority; this contrasts to secular ethical theories which are based on moral intuition as a way of exercising reason. For religious ethics such as Divine Command theory there is the goal for the afterlife and therefore the rules are taken objectively. The principal feature of the Divine Command theory is that in order for morality to really be binding, it must originate from God – this reflects the belief that God is the creator of everything, even moral rules. Religious people use the idea of reaching for the afterlife as motivation to follow the rules and teachings of God, and because of the fact that we are believed to be made in God’s image, these are followed literally. For example, some Christians value teachings on sexual ethics seriously in order to reflect the moral character of God. This is also highlighted by the fact that some Protestants live by the doctrine of ‘Sola Scriptura’, meaning they may live and make moral decisions through scripture alone. Christians may use Divine Command theory as a way of being reliant on God’s attributes for deciding what’s morally right and wrong. For example, Christians may be reliant on God’s grace and omnipotence to be able to know what’s right and wrong. This is due to the consequences of Adam and Eve and understanding that the teachings of God may not be followed all the time – therefore although trying to obey God’s will, humans must rely on God’s grace and just qualities as well. A feature of the Divine Command theory which is viewed as a positive thing is the idea that it promotes and encourages obedience to God. This is supported by Karl Barth in his work ‘Church Dogmatics’ where he claims that humanity’s obedience to God is the answer to all ethical questions. This is due to the theory’s absolutist and unchanging nature, and the fact that God is a being greater than us, so therefore ‘the question of good and evil has been decided and settled once and for all in the decree of God’. Another feature of the theory is that it can be used to justify the belief in predestination. This is highlighted by John Calvin in his work ‘The Institutes of the Christian Religion’, where he supports the idea that ‘God is the supreme rule of righteousness…when it is asked why the Lord did so, we must answer, because he pleased’. For Calvin, Divine Command theory is a natural result of the absolute power and sovereignty of God, as He cannot be caused to do anything because then that would imply there is an external greater force than Him. Calvin uses this to justify his doctrine of double predestination: due to his omnipotence, God can choose who can will be saved, as well as creating and choosing people who will be eventually damned.