Instructor(s)

Course Description

The course examines religious phenomena and concepts of God, miracles, truth claims of religion, faith reason, and religious traditions, the problems of evil and suffering, the afterlife, and religious ethics. One assesses the relationship of religion and philosophy and the perspective of philosophy for an understanding of religious experience. Whether philosophy of religion can remain separate from particular religious traditions and their sacred sources (Vedas, Torah, Sutras, Bible, etc.) is an issue that will arise in the course.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course the student will be able to: 

1. The rationality of theism 
2. The relation between reason and faith 
3. The character of religious language and experience 
4. The philosophical issues raised by certain non-Western religions 
5. Philosophy of religion from traditional perspectives 

Course Content

Topics 

1. Arguments for the existence of God 
2. The nature of miracles and the case for their occurrence 
3. Philosophical issues raised by the practice of petitionary prayer 
4. The problem of evil and suffering 
5. The relation between reason and faith 
6. The philosophical significance of religious language 
7. Religious experience (especially mysticism), and its relation to philosophy 
8. Philosophical issues in non-western religions (primarily Hinduism and Buddhism) 
9. Religion and the afterlife 
10. Religion and morality 
11. African philosophy of religion and ethics

Methods of Delivery

Through lectures, seminars, class interaction, group discussion, reading and assignments 

Reading Materials

1. Davies, B. (2004). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
2. Craig, W. L. (2003). The Cosmological Argument in Paul Cogan and Paul K. Moser, eds. The Rationality of Theism. Abingdon: Routledge. 
3. Craig, W. L. et al (2003). Philosophy of Religion. New Brunswick, NJ.: Rutgers University Press. 
4. Pojman, L. P. and M. Rea (2014). Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Stamford, CT.: Cengage Learning.
5. Rowe, W, L. (2006). Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction, 4th ed. Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth/Thomson.