Philosophy of Religion

I suspect that this is my first new thread in this forum. Interesting article I came across. Source:http://www.philosophynow.org/issue78/78antony.htm I like the twist here; genuine philosophical counters to atheistic arguments. Much more fun that the usual special pleading. Your thoughts?

Hello everyone, this is my first post here, I'm looking forward to hear from you all and learn some new things. Today I want to pose a question to all the atheists here.What are your most convincing arguments and evidences for atheism? This can be for philosophical atheism, positive atheism, negative atheism, evidential atheism, whichever version is your favorite and or most convincing. Here are the ones I've come across thus far, the problem of evil, the question of where did God come f...

There are different theories what will happen to us after we die. Some say a Paradise, some a hell and some simply say nothing or nothingness. So what do you prefer to happen to you after you die? Something or Nothing?

Religion has two elements, the social and the cosmological. The only aspect of religious cosmology an educated person could reasonably assent to today might be the existence of the divine entity or entities. Yet, the rituals of religion are very important activities that bring people together in meaningful community. Unfortunately, people have conflated the cosmology with the social aspects of religion, and assume that if one believes that human beings are the products of evolution, the grea...

It's interesting to me that much of what I hear it is that God wants from humans is an honest heart ("Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God")--as distinguished from an honest head. There are hundreds of references throughout the Bible that address men's heart. We all know that we are completely capable of false beliefs on the one hand because of sincere but faulty reasoning or inadequate justification, and on the other because we've deceived ourselves with ou...

I know that there are several of our most prolific posters in PF with this question in their minds. Fellows, your problem is solved; here is a simple guide for those who want to traverse the philosophical path (there are others, thank God) to disbelieving in disbelief. Each of these steps will demand some work, but they are tested and true (if a bit Western-centric; or, at least, it doesn't presume to be universal in scope). 1) Admit the problem So, you think that religion is bunk, and...

Hello, I'm new to this website and am currently writing an essay on whether God can create a square circle, and was wondering what other people's views on this question and topic were. I suppose what I feel the most important aspect to this question is the linguistic aspect to it. While researching online I discovered a link between the statement 'God can create a square circle' and the famous meaningless phrase 'colourless green ideas sleep furiously' proposed by Chom...

You've probably noticed that there's a lot of disorder on the planet and in the universe as whole. If a God created it all that I think he's either - a sadistic b@stard - hiding in embarassment at an experiment gone awfully wrong - more interested in getting us to "grow up" and act independently as moral agents capable of free choice rather than following him In short what I don't get about religion is why, if there is a god, should we necessarily follow him? ...

Think of it like this I know that there will be A, and I also know that B will be necessarily entailed by A (i.e. B is a necessary consequence of A). So if I cause A am I not then causing B? Now let A = creating humans B = people choosing the wrong choices/doing wrong that will lead to them to hell Or if God is omniscient then surely he knew everyones fate before even creating humans, hence he knew the fate of those destined for hell; yet he continued to create those destined for he...

I am someone who believes in God. I have believed in God for a very long time. I believe in evolution, but I think the start was a type of intelligent design. I believe in the Christian God and I have had enough spiritual and logical experience to back it up. My problem as of late is somewhat of a complex one. I am trying to separate the act of knowing something to be real and the act of endorsing something. For example, I know that things like disease, torture, and disaster are real, but I d...

Someone was just saying on a a reality television show that God should have intervened in the holocaust/shoah if he existed. This made me think as I usually do about this issue. 1) Is there any logical or valid argument that a creator or god (Omnipresent or otherwise) should intervene in its creations suffering. Or a moral argument based on an objective moral stance? 2) Could god/s intervene to prevent suffering and still grant free will? 3) Aren't the Nazi's and their supporter...

Something that has been playing on my mind recently. When the Day of Judgement comes, and the sheep are separated from the goats, which of the flock get to go to green pastures, and which get a turn on the eternal barbecue?

Hi…I just watched the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.For me there was something almost immature and boyish about him as though he had been a mothered public school boy all his life and had never had a shocking experience in his entire life. His comment that it was the first time he had been talked to like that, after a Muslim he was interviewing told him that he wanted “Muslims to dominate the earth” made me think he is naïve in a strange way. He seems to think that if you were to ...

I was reading Ramanuja who supported having a personal relationship with God and then was watching TBN one day and listened to a sermon (if you could call it that...) on the "one true God." I had entertained both the ideas, but have come to no better conclusion than I have in the past. This is going to turn out to be an argument perhaps, but it's rather a quest for more information than anything. Anyone have any information I could read on the different perspectives and/or any lit...

A woman being killed, a child being raped, thousands of innocent suffering........where is God in all of this? i was interested in this question after hearing Ravi Zacharias words... from his standing the christian perspective doesn't even know the answer ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am going to explain my logic using analogy because it is how I do it best. I don't believe many fundamentalists actually go into it with a fair choice on whether to be fundamentalist or moderate, it is a response to religion they are predisposed to. The logical response to an indoctrination of belief in a superior god is that this god would not resemble your personal wishlist. I can't see how one would logically believe there is a superior god and he kinda agrees with you on matt...

For my part, I’m an ingrate. Can’t say I’m glad to be alive nor do I think anyone did me any favors by having me come to be. Existence is certainly nothing for which I say “thanks”. Nonetheless I’m appreciative that many of preferences/desires are satisfied and I do not live in a physically compromised way. There are many individuals that I could thank for my life being as it is, but individuals aren’t necessarily responsible for the way that my life is in all respects. Th...

I've noticed that while many theists would consider astrology, magic, ghosts, etc to be superstitious they simply don't consider the idea of the existence of God superstitious at all. I've also noticed that the term superstition is understood relatively in respective religions; christians would consider hindus to be superstitious for believing in more than on God, muslims would consider catholics to be superstitious about praying to the saints. Is there an objective/independent defin...

If a drug was produced that had the same influence as religion, the same benefit/harm ratio, without the spiritual benefit. Would you want to see it promoted or banned?

Hypothetically, if someone were to make an ontological argument that was deemed full-proof by all mathematicians, logicians and philosophers alike... would you believe God existed? No necessarily believe In God (and commit to him) but just that he exists. It's an interesting point. Would logical proof in God 'trump' your commonly held belief system that God's existence is unreasonable - even if that previously held belief was founded in Logic. I stress this is Hypothetical...