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Approach: Philosophy of Religion
WHAT IS IT?
Philosophy of Religion is a subdiscipline of Philosophy which explores many of the same questions as theologians (only without making any presumptions about which set of religious doctrines are correct); namely, questions having to do with the many facets of religion / spirituality. As such, philosophers of religion span the range of types of religious belief & adherence to [non]religious traditions (see below).
What Counts as a Religion?
Is it ok to be religious & ask questions? YES 🤓
Common Questions about...
God
To what extent could / does such a being(s) exist?
What is such a being(s) like?
What does that mean for humanity (i.e., in terms of an immortal soul / afterlife)?
Pluralism
Are all religious claims (even from seemingly contradictory traditions) equally true?
How can one be justified in maintaining the truth of only one tradition at the exclusion of all others?
Experience
What constitutes a genuine miracle (i.e., a violation of a law of nature)?
Under what conditions ought we trust our / someone else's personal experience of a miracle (or testimony thereafter)?
To what extent do religious claims count as "scientific" / verifiable?
Belief
Under what conditions (if any) is belief in a god(s) rational?
Does rational belief in a god(s) require evidence? If not, why not?
Theologians...
Answer questions using scriptural demonstration specific to the relevant religious doctrine.
Two Types: Revealed (source = divine revelation) & Natural (source = a priori reasoning)
Philosophy v. Theology
Philosophers of Religion (which can include "natural theologians") answer questions using ONLY exposition & argumentation (analytic deductive reasoning). The primary marker being that they assume nothing metaphysically; not using scripture.
Whereas, theologians may operate similarly, but from a specific set of assumptions.
Terminology & Types of Religious Belief
Theism
Belief in the existence of a god(s).
Many different types, but typically refers to belief in a personal deity.
A person who has this belief is called a ‘theist’
Agnosticism
Not a belief, rather the withholding of belief.
Either because they have not been sufficiently convinced yet, or because they think such a thing is beyond our ability to know (i.e., skepticism)
A person who neither accepts, nor rejects [the existence of a god(s) / really anything] is called an ‘agnostic’
Atheism
Belief in the nonexistence of any god(s).
In other words, the denial of belief in a deity, personal or otherwise.
A person who has this belief is called an ‘atheist’
Monotheism
Belief in a single-unified, personal deity (one who listens to prayers and intervenes in worldly affairs)
Polytheism
Belief in many personal deities
In between mono- and poly-theism are similarly prefixed: di-/bi-theism (2 non-opposing forces) & tritheism (3 gods)
Deism
Belief in an impersonal deity who lets the world run on its own (one who created the universe, but is not involved in worldly affairs)
Pantheism
Belief that the universe and the divine are one and the same; a unified whole (i.e., everything is God)
Panentheism
Belief in a deity that is part of, yet conceptually distinct from, the universe (i.e., God is in everything)
Zoroastrianism
Oldest Monotheistic religion (Deistic)
Hinduism
Monotheistic & Polytheistic (Pantheistic)
Buddhism
Atheistic (philosophically)/ Polytheistic (some practices)
Confucianism & Daoism
Atheistic (philosophically) / Polytheistic (Pantheistic)
Abrahamic Religions
Judaism, Christianity, & Islam
Monotheistic / Deistic
Holy trinity is viewed as Polytheistic by Judaism & Islam
Sikhism
Monotheistic (Panentheistic)
NOTE: Eastern religions have evolved over time to hold many different views of the divine, and take a more inclusivist approach allowing for what may otherwise appear to be contradictory beliefs.
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