Key Objectives

Upon completing this chapter you should be able to:

State how philosophy of religion differs from religion and theology.

Explain the basic differences between ontological, teleological, cosmological, and moral arguments for God.

Describe St. Anselm's ontological argument and Gaunilo's objection to it.

Describe each of St. Thomas Aquinas' five proofs and state what kind of proof it is.

Give a brief characterization of what religious mysticism is.

State Rene Descartes' three proofs and say what kind they are.

Explain Baron von Leibniz's principle of sufficient reason and show how he uses it to construct a cosmological argument for God.

Explain why Hume rejected each of the four kinds of argument for God, especially the argument from design.

Explain why Immanuel Kant rejects the ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments.

Explain why Kant thinks it is morally necessary to believe in God.

Describe Cardinal Newman's argument from conscience.

Explain why Soren Kierkegaard thought belief in God requires a leap of faith.

Describe Friedrich Nietzsche's atheism.

Explain William James' pragmatic argument for God.

Explain why the logical positivists thought that God-talk is meaningless.

Describe Mary Daly's feminist alternative to the patriarchal vision of God as Father.

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