Philosophy of Religion The Big Questions

This book contains a collection of the essential readings treating both classic and contemporary issues in philosophy of religion. In addition to topics such as arguments for God's existence, the problem of evil, and divine attributes, it contains articles on divine hiddenness, the nature of revelation, and the doctrine of hell. As a result, this is an ideal text for use in courses on philosophy of religion and metaphysics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The text gives special attention to very recent work in philosophy of religion and includes a section devoted to multi-cultural perspectives.

Eleanore Stump, Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy at St. Louis University has published widely in the areas of Medieval philosophy, philosophy of religion, and metaphysics. She is also the current president of the Society of Christian Philosophers.

Michael Murray, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Franklin and Marshall College, works primarily in contemporary philosophy of religion and in early modern philosophy. He is currently a fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

General Introduction

xi

(2)

Acknowledgments

xiii

PART ONE WHAT WOULD ANYTHING HAVE TO BE LIKE IN ORDER TO BE GOD?

1

(58)

Introduction

3

(4)

Omnipotence

1 From Summa Contra Gentiles

7

(2)

ST THOMAS AQUINAS

2 The Paradox of the Stone

9

(4)

C. WADE SAVAGE

Omniscience

3 On Ockham's Way Out

13

(15)

ALVIN PLANTINGA

Perfection

4 The Problem of Divine Perfection and Freedom

28

(7)

WILLIAM ROWE

5 How an Unsurpassable Being Can Create a Surpassable World

35

(7)

DANIEL

FRANCES HOWARD-SNYDER

Eternity

6 Eternity

42

(11)

ELEONORE STUMP

NORMAN KRETZMANN

7 From God, Time, and Knowledge

53

(6)

WILLIAM HASKER

PART TWO CAN WE SHOW BY REASON THAT THERE IS A GOD?

59

(92)

Introduction

61

(4)

Ontological Argument

8 From Proslogion

65

(1)

ST ANSELM OF CANTERBURY

9 From Reply to Anselm

66

(3)

GAUNILON

10 Necessary Being: the Ontological Argument

69

(15)

PETER VAN INWAGEN

Cosmological Argument

11 The Cosmological Argument

84

(10)

WILLIAM ROWE

Teleological Argument

12 From Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

94

(6)

DAVID HUME

13 The Argument from Design

100

(9)

R.G. SWINBURNE

14 God's Utility Function

109

(5)

RICHARD DAWKINS

15 From New Perspectives on Old-time Religion

114

(11)

GEORGE N. SCHLESINGER

The Evolutionary Anti-Naturalism Argument

16 Is Naturalism Irrational?

125

(14)

ALVIN PLANTINGA

The Argument from Religious Experience

17 From The Autobiography of St Teresa of Avila

139

(3)

ST TERESA OF AVILA

18 Perceiving God

142

(9)

WILLIAM ALSTON

PART THREE DOESN'T ALL THE EVIL IN THE WORLD SHOW THAT THERE IS NO GOD?

151

(112)

Introduction

153

(4)

The Problem

19 The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism

157

(7)

WILLIAM L. ROWE

20 Pain and Pleasure: an Evidential Problem for Theists

164

(12)

PAUL DRAPER

Defense

21 On Being Evidentially Challenged

176

(14)

ALVIN PLANTINGA

Theodicies

22 From Theodicy in Islamic Thought

190

(2)

AL-GHAZALI

23 From the Book of Doctrines and Beliefs

192

(3)

SAADYA GAON

24 The Magnitude, Duration, and Distribution of Evil: a Theodicy

195

(15)

PETER VAN INWAGEN

25 Natural Evil and the Possibility of Knowledge

210

(12)

RICHARD SWINBURNE

26 An Irenaean Theodicy

222

(5)

JOHN H. HICK

27 The Problem of Evil

227

(14)

ELEONORE STUMP

Alternative Perspectives

28 Coercion and the Hiddenness of God

241

(9)

MICHAEL J. MURRAY

29 Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God

250

(7)

MARILYN McCORD ADAMS

30 The Theology of Liberation in Africa

257

(6)

BISHOP DESMOND TUTU

PART FOUR WHAT IS THE RELATION OF REASON TO RELIGIOUS BELIEF?

263

(50)

Introduction

265

(4)

Evidentialism

31 The Ethics of Belief

269

(4)

WILLIAM CLIFFORD

32 It is Wrong, Everywhere, Always, and for Anyone, to Believe Anything upon Insufficient Evidence

273

(12)

PETER VAN INWAGEN

Religious Belief as Basic

33 Warranted Belief in God

285

(13)

ALVIN PLANTINGA

Pascal's Wager

34 From Pensees

298

(2)

BLAISE PASCAL

35 The Recombinant DNA Debate: a Difficulty for Pascalian-Style Wagering

300

(2)

STEPHEN P. STICH

36 A Central Theistic Argument

302

(11)

GEORGE N. SCHLESINGER

PART FIVE CAN WE MAKE SENSE OF RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES?

313

(86)

Introduction

315

(5)

Miracles

37 Of Miracles

320

(10)

DAVID HUME

38 From A Dialogue Concerning Heresies

330

(4)

THOMAS MORE

39 Miracles and (Christian) Theism

334

(19)

J.A. COVER

Prayer

40 Petitionary Prayer

353

(14)

ELEONORE STUMP

Soul

41 The Future of the Soul

367

(8)

RICHARD SWINBURNE

42 From Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain

375

(4)

PATRICIA SMITH CHURCHLAND

43 Materialism and Survival

379

(8)

DEAN W. ZIMMERMAN

Revelation

44 Are We Entitled?

387

(12)

NICHOLAS WOLTERSTORFF

PART SIX CAN MORALITY HAVE A RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION?

399

(30)

Introduction

401

(2)

45 Morality: Religious and Secular

403

(9)

PATRICK NOWELL-SMITH

46 Divine Command Metaethics Modified Again

412

(5)

ROBERT ADAMS

47 Abraham, Isaac, and Euthyphro: God and the Basis of Morality

417

(12)

NORMAN KRETZMANN

PART SEVEN HOW SHOULD RELIGIOUS, GENDER, AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY INFLUENCE OUR THINKING ABOUT RELIGION?

429

(52)

Introduction

431

(4)

48 On Non-Jewish Religions

435

(6)

JUDAH HALEVI

49 Religious Diversity and the Epistemic Justification of Religious Belief

441

(13)

JEROME GELLMAN

50 What's the Difference? Knowledge and Gender in (Post)Modern Philosophy of Religion

454

(13)

GRACE M. JANTZEN

51 Women's Experience Revisited: the Challenge of the Darker Sister

467

(5)

JACQUELYN GRANT

52 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

472

(3)

FREDERICK DOUGLASS

53 The Value of African Religious Beliefs and Practices for Christian Theology

475

(6)

MERCY AMBA ODUYOYE

Index

481

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Philosophy of Religion The Big Questions

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials