Philosophy of Religion An Introduction

by Rowe, William L.

• ISBN13: 9780534574253
• ISBN10: 0534574254
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-15
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

What is the relationship between faith and reason? Find out in PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: AN INTRODUCTION. Because it's written to be easily understood no matter your background, this philosophy of religion textbook introduces you to the debate in a way you can understand. Whether it's the philosophical proofs for God's existence or using reason to evaluate faith claims, the major points in the philosophy of religion are all covered in this excellent textbook. And with its built-in study tools, PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: AN INTRODUCTION helps out during test time as well.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(3)
The Idea of God	4	(12)
The Attributes of God	5	(11)
The Cosmological Argument	16	(13)
Stating the Argument	16	(13)
The Ontological Argument	29	(15)
Basic Concepts	29	(3)
Developing Anselm's Ontological Argument	32	(12)
The Design Argument (Old and New)	44	(11)
Argument by Analogy	44	(6)
Hume's Criticisms of the Design Argument	50	(2)
The New Design Argument
Acceptable Arguments	52	(3)
Religious and Mystical Experience	55	(19)
Toward a Definition of Religious Experience	55	(4)
Nonmystical Religious Experiences	59	(3)
Mystical Religious Experiences	62	(3)
The Unanimity Thesis	65	(9)
Faith and Reason	74	(18)
Religious Beliefs and Faith	75	(1)
Aquinas: A Traditional View	75	(2)
James: A Radical View	77	(3)
Religious Belief: A Special Case	80	(1)
James' Religious Hypothesis	81	(2)
James' Defense of Passional Belief	83	(2)
Religious Beliefs and Evidence	85	(7)
The Problem of Evil	92	(19)
The Logical Problem	93	(5)
The Evidential Problem	98	(3)
Responses to the Evidential Problem	101	(10)
Freud and Religious Belief	111	(11)
The Emergence of Religious Ideas	111	(2)
Religion as Illusion	113	(3)
The Worth of the Illusion	116	(2)
The Truth of the Illusion	118	(4)
Miracles and the Modern World View	122	(12)
Miracles: Incompatible with a Scientific World View?	122	(2)
An Unreasonable Belief	124	(7)
To Believe in Divine Intervention	131	(3)
Life After Death	134	(13)
Varieties of Immortality	134	(2)
The Meaningfulness of Immortality	136	(2)
The Case for Immortality	138	(5)
The Case Against Immortality	143	(4)
Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge, and Human Freedom	147	(14)
Human Freedom and Divine Predestination	147	(3)
The Conflict Between Human Freedom and Divine Foreknowledge	150	(3)
Some Solutions to the Conflict	153	(8)
Many Religions	161	(11)
Exclusivism	163	(2)
Inclusivism	165	(1)
Pluralism	166	(6)
Religious Alternatives to Theism	172	(13)
Paul Tillich: Ultimate Concern	172	(6)
Henry Nelson Wieman: God Within Nature	178	(4)
A Return to the First Question	182	(3)
For Further Reading	185	(3)
Index	188