An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

What An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion covers

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion is examined in AS 8, one of the two AS units chosen — area of study: Philosophy of Religion. Worth 20% of the A level. A student may not take two units from the same area of study.. It covers reason and faith in the philosophy of religion, the ontological argument: Anselm and Descartes, Critiques of the ontological argument, the cosmological argument: Aquinas's three ways, Critiques of the cosmological argument, moral and natural evil and the problem of suffering, the Augustinian theodicy, the Irenaean theodicy and Hick's modification, process theodicy, Swinburne and the free will defence, defining miracle: Aquinas, Hume and the Bible, miracle as coincidence and interpretation, the variety of religious experience, religious experience as proof for God's existence, reason, faith and secularisation in the modern world and evil, conversion and moral behaviour in the life of the believer.

The 15 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Reason and faith in the philosophy of religionPhilosophy of religion, phrase faith seeking understanding and priori argument.Open →
• The ontological argument: Anselm and DescartesAnselm's definition of God, first form of Anselm's argument and second form of Anselm's argument.Open →
• Critiques of the ontological argumentKant's central objection to the ontological argument, kant's point using his example and russell's objection about existential statements.Open →
• The cosmological argument: Aquinas's three waysHistorical background to the cosmological argument, contingent and necessary being and kalam cosmological argument.Open →
• Critiques of the cosmological argumentHume's objection about the whole and its parts, fallacy of composition and calling the universe a brute fact.Open →
• Moral and natural evil and the problem of sufferingMoral evil, natural evil and logical problem of evil.Open →
• The Augustinian theodicyState of creation as Augustine describes it, seminal identity and aesthetic argument in Augustine.Open →
• The Irenaean theodicy and Hick's modificationDistinction between the image and the likeness of God, epistemic distance and world does soul-making require.Open →
• Process theodicy, Swinburne and the free will defenceProcess theology, cost of the process solution and swinburne's view of natural evil.Open →
• Defining miracle: Aquinas, Hume and the BibleSignificance of the word semeia in John's Gospel, hume's argument against believing testimony to miracles and mutual cancellation argument.Open →
• Miracle as coincidence and interpretationHolland's example, strength of the contingency view of miracle and weakness of the contingency view.Open →
• The variety of religious experienceReligious experience, mystical experience and otto's phrase mysterium tremendum et fascinans.Open →
• Religious experience as proof for God's existenceSwinburne's principle of credulity, swinburne's principle of testimony and william James's conclusion about religious experience.Open →
• Reason, faith and secularisation in the modern worldDifference between strong and weak atheism and new Atheism.Open →
• Evil, conversion and moral behaviour in the life of the believerReligious conversion and euthyphro dilemma in outline.Open →

What you need to know

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Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the philosophy of religion?

   Model answer

   The philosophy of religion is the rational examination of religious concepts, claims and arguments, asking whether they are coherent and whether there is reason to accept them.

2. 2

   Distinguish natural theology from revealed theology.

   Model answer

   Natural theology reasons towards God from evidence available to anyone, such as the existence of the universe; revealed theology begins from what a tradition holds God has disclosed in scripture or in Christ.

3. 3

   What is fideism?

   Model answer

   Fideism is the position that religious belief rests on faith alone and neither needs nor can receive support from reason.

4. 4

   Summarise Aquinas's view of the relation between reason and faith.

   Model answer

   Aquinas held that reason and faith cannot conflict because both come from God, that reason can establish some truths such as God's existence, and that other truths such as the Trinity are known only by revelation.

5. 5

   What did Tertullian mean by asking what Athens has to do with Jerusalem?

   Model answer

   Tertullian was contrasting Greek philosophy with Christian revelation and suggesting that the gospel owes nothing to philosophical reasoning.

6. 6

   Explain the phrase faith seeking understanding.

   Model answer

   Anselm's phrase describes a believer who starts from faith and then uses reason to understand more fully what is already believed, rather than reasoning towards belief from outside.

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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion revision questions

What does An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion cover in CCEA A-Level Religious Studies?

15 subtopics: reason and faith in the philosophy of religion, the ontological argument: anselm and descartes, critiques of the ontological argument, the cosmological argument: aquinas's three ways, critiques of the cosmological argument, moral and natural evil and the problem of suffering, the augustinian theodicy, the irenaean theodicy and hick's modification, process theodicy, swinburne and the free will defence, defining miracle: aquinas, hume and the bible, miracle as coincidence and interpretation, the variety of religious experience, religious experience as proof for god's existence, reason, faith and secularisation in the modern world and evil, conversion and moral behaviour in the life of the believer. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion organised?

By the CCEA 4610 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.