What is Piety?
There are many different definitions and views on what piety is or means to someone. In Plato's Euthyphro, Socrates has a hard time completely agreeing with Euthyphro on his many definitions of piety. Persecuting the wrongdoer, acting in a way that is dear to all the gods, or the use of sacrifice and prayer throughout your life are the forms of piety that Euthyphro believes to be correct. However, along with Socrates, we all have our own objections. For example, piety doesn't always have to be linked to something religious. You may use your religious background to shape who you are as a person and how you will go about acting in a pious way, however pious acts are not always directly related to God or gods. In this paper I will argue that piety comes in many forms, therefore we cannot base its definition on a single source but rather on anything that will ultimately bring about some form of good in this world.
Living out the word of God is a classic example of piety. One definition of piety is to be holy, and the first thing most people think of when they hear the word "holy" is God. By being holy, you are working towards living out your life in a more positive way, which will ultimately benefit you and the lives of others. However, we then need to ask ourselves are these actions pious because God tells us to do them, or does God tell us to do them because they are pious? In contrast to Euthyphro, these actions are pious because God tells us to do them. As a Christian, you believe that God is all-powerful and all knowing. Therefore, what he believes to be good works are then pious because he is the ultimate source. Not everyone will agree with this statement because they may not believe th ...