Philosophy of Religion

Reasoning about God

Philosophy of religion asks some of the oldest and hardest questions people have ever posed. Does God exist? If a loving and all-powerful God is real, why is there so much suffering in the world? Can an unusual event ever count as a sign from God? These are not questions with a tidy right answer at the back of the book. They are questions that thoughtful people, believers and non-believers alike, have reasoned about for centuries and still answer differently. In this part of the course you do not have to decide who is correct. Your job is to understand the main arguments on each side, explain them clearly and fairly, and learn to weigh them against one another. This module sets out the leading arguments for the existence of God, the strongest challenges to belief including the problem of suffering, and the way each side responds to the other.

Philosophy of religion words

Learn these terms before the arguments are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each idea to what it argues

Arguments for God against the challenges

A fair answer sets the reasons given for God beside the reasons some give for doubting, and weighs them.

Which argument is this?

A thinker argues that the order and fine balance of the universe make most sense if a mind planned it. Which argument for God is this?

• The design argument
• The cosmological argument
• The problem of evil
• The argument from religious experience

Weighing the arguments fairly

The highest marks in this topic go to answers that treat the question as a real debate. That means giving each argument its fair due before you reply to it. State a reason for a view as strongly and honestly as someone who holds it would, then give the strongest objection to it, then any reply that could be made, and only then reach your own careful judgement. Never set up a weak version of a view just to knock it down, and never write as though only foolish people could disagree with you. Believers and non-believers have both thought hard about these questions, and a good answer respects that. Show the examiner that you can hold two opposing arguments in mind at once, see the force of each, and reach a reasoned conclusion. That balanced habit is what philosophy of religion is really testing.

Pick the true statements about these arguments

Select every statement about philosophy of religion that is true.

• The design argument reasons from order to a designer
• The problem of evil is a challenge to belief in God
• Thoughtful people reach different conclusions
• Everyone now agrees that God exists
• These arguments settle the question beyond all doubt

Order how to weigh an argument about God

Put the steps of writing a fair, balanced answer about an argument into a sensible order.

• State the argument clearly
• Give the reasons offered for it
• Give the strongest objection to it
• Give a reply that could be made
• Reach your own reasoned judgement

Complete the philosophy of religion facts

The argument that the order and balance of the universe point to a designer is called the _____ argument. The argument that everything must have a cause, leading back to a first cause, is the _____ argument. The difficulty of squaring a good and powerful God with the suffering in the world is called the problem of _____. An event that appears to break the laws of nature, which some take as a sign of God, is called a _____.

Tap the two arguments for God

Read these four statements. Tap the TWO that are arguments for the existence of God.

• the order of the universe points to a maker
• everything needs a first cause
• the suffering in the world counts against God
• there is no proof that everyone accepts

Like a jury weighing evidence

Answering a question in philosophy of religion is a little like sitting on a jury. The jury cannot rewind time to watch what really happened; they were not there. Instead they hear the case for one side, then the case for the other, weigh how strong each piece of evidence is, and reach the most reasonable verdict they can, knowing that honest people might weigh it differently. A juror who made up their mind before hearing the evidence, or who dismissed one side with a sneer, would not be doing the job. The questions of philosophy of religion are like this. No one can settle them with a simple proof, so the skill is to listen fairly to the reasons on each side, judge their strength honestly, and give a reasoned verdict while accepting that thoughtful people reach different ones. That fairness is the whole art of the subject.

The philosophy of religion run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Weigh each argument

Read each situation and choose the best, fairest response.

• An exam answer states the design argument, then stops. What is missing for top marks?
• A student writes that only foolish people could doubt God. Why is this weak?
• Someone points to the suffering in the world. Which topic does this raise?

Build a philosophy point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about philosophy of religion.

Explain the arguments about God

A friend asks how people argue about whether God exists. Using what you have learned, explain the main arguments fairly, giving both sides.

• Explain the design argument for the existence of God
• Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of God
• Explain the problem of evil as a challenge to belief
• Explain how a believer might respond to that challenge
• Explain why a good answer weighs both sides before judging