Philosophy of Religion

Introduction This paper is a critical analysis of the philosophy of religion. Philosophy of religion addresses the existence of God and seeks to find out what God is like. The most important aspect of philosophy of religion is if God exists and what God means to us (Collins 43). Each one of us ponders these questions in life, and the philosophy of religion has tried providing answers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The classic arguments of the philosophy of religion have been refined while some have been abandoned. Some other new arguments on the same topic have cropped up, but the controversial debate is still on. Philosophy of religion should be viewed from the perspective of its mother discipline; philosophy (Collins 43). For instance, we define philosophy as the analysis of ultimate concepts. Likewise we should think of philosophy of religion as being t he analysis of concepts encountered in religion. Metaphysical aspects are the central focus of traditional philosophers of religion. This is correct although some critics oppose this idea because concepts like God are crucial to metaphysics. After all, if this debate of God exists, then he must be someone or something pretty according to the attributions given to Him (Collins 46). If this God of debate does not exist, then God is not very important and this debate needs to be shunned. Analytical versus continental Analytical and Continental Philosophy are the two classifications of philosophy of religion. Analytical philosophy occupies the departments of theology while continental philosophies occupy the departments of philosophy (Pomerleau 558). Analytical philosophers decided to approach philosophy of religion with clarity, precision, logic and careful argumentation tools. On the other side, the continental religion philosophers have approached the subject with literal and informa l tools like love (Pomerleau 558). Both groups are correct in their approaches because they have different experiences, and they work in different areas of the philosophy discipline. The prove that God exists Philosophers of religion, who came first, have used both inductive and deductive methods to address the existence of God (Collins 56). For instance, the ontological argument says that God is a logical being and further explains that God actually exists. This argument is still debated up to date because of the confusion it raises. Various critics have come forward to give their views on the ontological argument.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another argument is the cosmological argument. This has portrayed many forms, and the first one is that if there is a contingent being, which exists, there ought to be a necessary being as well to explain its existence (Collins 57). Some cr itics have also come forward to criticize it. The third argument is that from design, which was proposed by various philosophers who gave it the classical formulation, ‘watches on the heath’ (Collins 61). The major question about this argument is what is the appropriateness and success of using the philosophical tools to show the existence of God in a probable way. This argument presents meaningless arguments on the existence of God because they cannot be verified. For example, the problem of evil has varnished and has no sign of popularity. Today, the problem of evil cannot assist philosophers of religion to knock down arguments on atheism. Some critical works have shown impossibilities in establishing the truth about the non-existence of God using this argument (Collins 65). Instead, it has been presented to argue that the existence of God is improbable. Atheists and believers are still on the debate of whether God exists, and if he doe, why does he allow sufferings? This argument cannot answer this question. The rationality of the belief Some critics argue that the religious belief is a basic belief that can be rationally held without necessarily inferring from other beliefs. This implies that since the belief is not necessary for purposes of rationality, its purpose is to convince the non believers. A belief is only justifiable if its production is from a cognitive mechanism that functions according to its designed plan (Collins 68). Otherwise, it would have made sense to believe that if God is our maker then his design plan, which we believe in him, should be rational. What is Godlike? Philosophy of religion has attempted to understand what God is like. The central claim is that God’s existence has put philosophers of religion on an edge in trying to explain this view. The debate has always focused on the four attributes of God, which include; omnipotence, omniscience, e goodness and eternity (Collins 79).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each of this attribute bring about puzzles like; why did God create a heavy stone that is so heavy that he himself cannot lift or why did God create a human being who knows secrets that he does not know. For instance, the attribute of omniscience has brought questions like does God know what I will be doing tomorrow. Another controversial issue about the nature of God is eternity (Collins 81). God is referred to as everlasting or eternal, but the concern is; why is God ever praised for doing well if he cannot do evil. Religious language The nature of religious language is another traditional controversial issue in the philosophy of religion. The issue is whether the language of God is to be understood literally, metaphorically, or analogically (Pomerleau 601). Theists have struggled to find a language construing religion but philosophers of religion shou ld be free to mean what they say and to say what they mean. The philosophy of Christians The Christian philosophers suggested to their believers that they should never feel forced to follow the current philosophical trends but should instead stick to the teachings of the church and philosophize the issues in the church, which are believed to be of significant importance than the philosophical issues (Pomerleau 606). Christian philosophers are also reminded not to forget their Christianity obligations when working in the fields of philosophy. In this context, Christian philosophers have brought their faith to carry topic like analyzing the unlikely counterfactuals. Christians should read about the sinfulness of human kind and guilt as well as the salvation of God for human’s sake (Pomerleau 607). They should also inform themselves more about the bible, which is their holy book to reveal to them about God. One of the Christian doctrines, which have touched so much on Christiani ty and philosophy, is the trinity. This aspect has evoked a strong debate. Analytic philosophers have sought by using all tools to explain this concept, but they have not yet found an answer for it. Conclusion To conclude, the standard of discussion is still high and more research needs to be done. There is a lot of interest amongst philosophers of religion and other fields of study. Atheists need to research on the argument about God and bring forward sensible reasons for rejecting theism. Human beings have viewed Atheism from a right or wrong perspective, which has left most of them pessimistic.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The conclusions arrived at do not matter; the time spent to argue out these questions and ambiguities is not time wasted. This is because religious beliefs of human beings underpin the way they live their lives in this world. The clear answering of the above questions will be beneficial. The building of confidence in us will make us better people. Works Cited Collins, James. The Emergence of Philosophy of Religion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967. Print. Pomerleau, Wayne P. Western Philosophies of Religion. New York: Ardsley House, 1998. Print. This essay on Philosophy of Religion was written and submitted by user Raul S. to help you with your own studies. 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