Case Scenario:
Imagine that you're part of a group of volunteers at a local shelter for families in need. Your group of volunteers is diverse in many ways, including in their views about religion. The group includes Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, practitioners of shamanism, secular Humanists, and atheists. Despite this diversity in religious views, you all have come to respect each other's commitment to helping others and have come to enjoy hanging out together. (When things are slow, there is no dearth of good-hearted practical jokes and pranks.) A recent event at the shelter, however, has sparked a debate.
A young adult (17 years-old) recently arrived at the shelter after being kicked out by their parents. After you get to know him, you find out that his parents kicked him out after he came out as gay. Everyone in your group is appalled by this and works to provide resources, time, and care that will help him weather this tough time. But discussions about the situation have revealed deep disagreements about the relationship between religion and morality. One volunteer, Doc Trine, is known for their devotion to the shelter and to helping people, and they have been characteristically supportive of the young adult. Others were surprised to learn, however, that Doc Trine believes both that they should help the young man and that it is nevertheless wrong for him to live as a gay man and engage in same-sex relationships. "I don't see why it's that confusing. When deciding moral questions, we just need to recognize that what's right and wrong is determined by God's commands. Helping people is good because God commands it, and same-sex relationships are wrong because God forbids them." "But how do you know what God commands or forbids?," others exclaimed. "Because it explicitly says so in scripture," replied Doc Trine. "That's all you need to know, and I don't see why there's anything more to discuss." Some of the group seems convinced by Doc Trine's explanation, others seem clearly skeptical, and still others seem unsure what to think.
Given that the group deeply respects each other, they feel interested in discussing the topic more to reach some kind of mutual understanding. They also want to think more carefully about whether "because God says so" and "because scripture explicitly says so" are reasons they should be satisfied with, even if they're devout. You've recently been learning some new ideas (explanatory vs. enumerative reasons) that could help you examine the topic, so you decide to apply those.
Discussion Prompt (pick one of these things to focus on in each post so you can do a thorough job):
A. What is the difference between explanatory reasons and enumerative reasons? How would you explain this to Doc Trine? Use examples to illustrate.
B. For each of the following reasons, explain (a) whether it is enumerative or explanatory (be sure to apply the justification and reversal test) and (b) if it is enumerative, whether it is a good (reliable) reason. Explain it in a way you think Doc Trine would understand.