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TEXTBOOK

Reason and Religious Belief
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

Third Edition

Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger

Price: £27.99 (paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-515695-9
Publication date: 23 January 2003
336 pages, 6-1/2 x 9-1/4 mm
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Description
What is the status of belief in God? Must a rational case be made or can such belief be properly basic? Is it possible to reconcile the concept of a good God with evil and suffering? In light of great differences among religions, can only one religion be true?

The most comprehensive work of its kind, Reason and Religious Belief , now in its third edition, explores these and other perennial questions in the philosophy of religion. Drawing from the best in both classical and contemporary discussions, the authors examine religious experience, faith and reason, theistic arguments, the problem of evil, Reformed epistemology, miracles, and religious language. They also treat subjects not often included in competing texts, such as process theism, religious pluralism, religion and science, and the relationship between religion and morality.
The third edition retains the engaging style and thorough coverage of previous editions and also takes into account the latest contributions in the field by such thinkers as Plantinga, Alston, Martin, Murphy, Dembski, M. Adams, and Swinburne. Integrating a variety of perspectives, it adds a chapter on the openness of God debate, several sections on feminist concerns, and frequent comparisons of how Eastern religions compare with Western theism. A sophisticated yet accessible introduction, Reason and Religious Belief, 3/e is ideally suited for use with a companion volume, the authors' 2000 OUP anthology, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 2/e .

Contents
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Introduction
1. Thinking about God: The Search for the Ultimate
Defining Religion
What is Philosophy of Religion?
The God of Theism
The Religious Ambiguity of Life
Our Task
2. Religious Experience: What Does It Mean to Encounter the Divine?
Types of Religious Experience
Religious Experience as Feeling
Religious Experience as Perceptual Experience
Religious Experience as Interpretation Based on Religious Beliefs
Can Religious Experience Justify Religious Belief?
The Principle of Credulity
Diversity of Religious Experiences
Is There a Common Core to Religious Experience?
3. Faith and Reason: How Are They Related?
Can Reason Be Trusted?
Strong Rationalism
Fideism
Critical Rationalism
4. The Divine Attributes: What is God Like?
Perfect and Worthy of Worship
Necessary and Self-Existent
Personal and Free Creator
All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and Perfectly Good
God Eternal--Timeless or Everlasting?
5. Theistic Arguments: Is There Evidence for God's Existence?
Theistic Arguments as Proof
The Ontological Argument
Contemporary Versions of the Ontological Argument
The Cosmological Argument
The Kalam Cosmological Argument
An Atheistic Argument from the Big Bang
The Atemporal Cosmological Argument
The Analogical Teleological Argument
The Anthropic Teleological Argument
The Intelligent Design Telelogical Argument
The Moral Argument
Cumulative Case Arguments and God
The God of Religion and of Philosophy
6. Knowing God without Arguments: Does Theism Need a Basis?
Evidentialism
Critique of Evidentialism
Plantinga on Properly Basic Beliefs
Alston on Perceiving God
Plantinga on Warrant and Knowledge
7. The Problem of Evil: The Case against God's Existence
The Logical Problem of Evil
The Evidential Problem of Evil
Defense and Theodicy
Themes in Theodicy
Some Important Global Theodicies
Horrendous Evils and the Assessment of Theism
8. Divine Action: How Does God Relate to the World?
What Kind of Power Does God Exercise?
Does God Know What Would Have Happened?
Does God Know the Actual Future?
What If the Future Is Truly Open?
9. Miracles: Does God Intervene in Earthly Affairs?
Miracles Defined
Miracles as Historical Events
Miracles as Unexplainable Events
Miracles as Acts of God
Practical Considerations
10. Life after Death: Are There Reasons for Hope?
Terminology
Concepts of Life after Death
Personal Identity and the Soul
Immortality of the Soul
Criticism of the Soul Concept
The Self as a Psychophysical Unity
Re-creation and Spatio-temporal Continuity
A Posteriori Arguments for Life after Death
A Priori Arguments for Life after Death
Prospects
11. Religious Language: How Can We Speak Meaningfully of God?
Human Language and the Infinite
The Classical Theory of Analogy
Verification and Falsification Issues
The Functions of Religious Discourse
Religious Language as Symbolic
Feminism and Masculine God-Talk
Can Talk of God Be Literal?
12. Religion and Science: Compatible or Incompatible?
Do Religion and Science Conflict?
Are Religion and Science Independent?
Is Dialogue Possible?
Attempts at Integration
Insights
13. Religious Diversity: How Can We Understand Differences among Religions?
Religious Diversity
Exclusivism
Critique of Exclusivism
Exclusivism and Justified Belief
Pluralism
Critique of Pluralism
Pluralism as a Plurality of Salvations
Inclusivism
Critique of Inclusivism
Criteria for Assessing Religions
14. Religious Ethics: The Relation of God to Morality
The Source of Religious Ethical Truth
The Authoritative Basis of Religious Ethical Truth
The Acquisition of Religiously Based Ethical Truth
The Significance of Religiously Based Ethical Truth
Current Issues
15. The Continuing Quest: God and the Human Venture
The Intellectual Process
Philosophical Activity and Religious Faith
Where Do We Go from Here?
Name Index
General Index

Authors, editors, and contributors


Michael Peterson, Professor of Philosophy, and Chair of the Department, Asbury College,
William Hasker, Professor of Philosophy, Huntington University (Emeritus),
Bruce Reichenbach, Professor of Philosophy, Augsburg College, and
David Basinger, Professor of Philosophy, and Chair of the Religion and Humanities Division, Roberts Wesleyan College


Links to web resources and related information
More in the same subject area:
Philosophy
Philosophy of religion

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