Philosophy of Religion

Catalog description

This course introduces students to philosophy of religion - the systematic examination of religious concepts, beliefs, arguments, experiences, and practices - common to various traditions. It is not primarily a descriptive overview of the history, cultural practices, or doctrines of specific religious traditions. Rather, students will examine a variety of difficult and controversial questions, such as: Does God exist? What is God like? Does the universe point to God’s existence? How could God allow suffering? Why isn’t there more evidence for God? Does rational belief in God need an argument? Is faith compatible with reason, science, and evolution? Major elements of this course include close and critical reading of challenging philosophical texts, reconstruction and evaluation of philosophical arguments, and independent reflection and reasoning on topics and positions in philosophy of religion.