Philosophy of religion Books

Book SynopsisThis masterful work on Kant''s Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason explores Kant''s treatment of the Idea of God, his views concerning evil, and the moral grounds for faith in God. Kant and Religion works to deepen our understanding of religion''s place and meaning within the history of human culture, touching on Kant''s philosophical stance regarding theoretical, moral, political, and religious matters. Wood''s breadth of knowledge of Kant''s corpus, philosophical sharpness, and depth of reflection sheds light not only on Kant, but also on the fate of religion and its relation to philosophy in the modern world.Trade Review'In this penetrating study, Wood argues that Kant affirms neither traditional theism nor atheism. Rather, Kant interprets the central ideas of Christianity as invaluable symbols of the foundation of morality: that human beings are radically free, that because of their freedom they are capable of evil, but are equally free to undertake a lifelong 'change of heart,' working unremittingly to put morality ahead of self-love. Wood has written a masterpiece.' Paul Guyer, Brown University'Very few scholars are able to write the definitive work in a subject area when they are in their 20's. Even fewer have the chance to do it again 50 years later. This book shows us where the author's views have changed and evolved since Kant's Moral Religion (1970), and also – as importantly – where they have stayed the same. Like their namesake, Kantians tend to age well; this book is vintage Allen Wood.' Andrew Chignell, Princeton University'Kant and Religion, by its topic's foremost living scholar, presents the upshot of Wood's half a century of ground-breaking research on Kant's engagement with religion, not merely as a topic in metaphysics, but as a major factor in the social and individual dimensions of a moral life. Organized around Kant's Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, this book deals insightfully with all three of Kant's Critiques and the major ethical works of his final years. This lively, accessible book combines Wood's engaging passion for his subject with carefully balanced judgment.' Robert Merrihew Adams, Rutgers University'… an original and exciting contribution to the literature on Kant's understanding of religion.' Jacqueline Mariña, Journal of the History of Philosophy'Wood's writing is … snappy, self-assured, and entertainingly bold …' Jessica Tizzard, Journal of the American Academy of ReligionTable of Contents1. Religion and reason; 2. Moral faith in God; 3. The radical evil in human nature; 4. The change of heart; 5. The son of God; 6. Grace and salvation; 7. The ethical community and the Church; 8. Freedom of conscience; Concluding remarks.

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Book SynopsisAre humans naturally predisposed to religion and supernatural beliefs? If so, does this naturalness provide a moral foundation for religious freedom? This volume offers a cross-disciplinary approach to these questions, engaging in a range of contemporary debates at the intersection of religion, cognitive science, sociology, anthropology, political science, epistemology, and moral philosophy. The contributors to this original and important volume present individual, sometimes opposing points of view on the naturalness of religion thesis and its implications for religious freedom. Topics include the epistemological foundations of religion, the relationship between religion and health, and a discussion of the philosophical foundations of religious freedom as a natural, universal right, drawing implications for the normative role of religion in public life. By challenging dominant intellectual paradigms, such as the secularization thesis and the Enlightenment view of religion, the volume oTrade Review'The contributors to this superb, inter-disciplinary collection are leaders in their respective fields. They illuminate a subject that should be of concern to everyone.' Roger Trigg, Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford'In recent years, academic and policy debates over religious freedom have had the unexpected but welcome effect of encouraging researchers to revisit several long-neglected questions: just what we mean by 'religion', whether religion is universal, and the implications of religion's presence in societies for our understanding of human nature. Although these questions are being posed anew in many circles, Timothy Samuel Shah and Jack Friedman's Homo Religiosus? is the first book to bring together a multidisciplinary group of scholars to address the issues in a philosophically sophisticated and comparative manner. The result is a pathbreaking book. The exercise is also bracing: even as its contributors speak in varied voices, their shared effort highlights the most critical epistemological and ethical shifts underway today in the comparative study of religion and human freedom.' Robert W. Hefner, The Pardee School of Global Affairs, Boston UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Jack Friedman and Timothy Samuel Shah; 1. Are human beings naturally religious? Christian Smith; 2. Are human beings naturally religious? A response to Christian Smith Phil Zuckerman; 3. On the naturalness of religion and religious freedom Justin L. Barrett; 4. Sacred versus secular values: cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion and their implications for religious freedom Richard Sosis and Jordan Kiper; 5. Theism, naturalism and rationality Alvin Plantinga; 6. Alvin Plantinga on theism, naturalism and rationality Ernest Sosa; 7. Research on religion and health: time to be born again? Linda K. George; 8. Religion, health and happiness: an epidemiologist's perspective Jeff Levin; 9. Why there is a natural right to religious freedom Nicholas Wolterstorff; 10. Religious liberty, human dignity, and human goods Christopher Tollefsen; 11. Human rights, public reason, and American democracy: a response to Nicholas Wolterstorff Stephen Macedo.

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Book SynopsisNatural law ethics centres on the idea that ethical norms derive from human nature. The field has seen a remarkable revival since the millennium, with new work in Aristotelian metaphysics complementing innovative applied work in bioethics, economics and political theory. Starting with three chapters on the history of natural law ethics, this volume moves on to various twentieth-century theoretical innovations in the tradition, and then to natural law as embedded in the three Abrahamic faiths. It closes with sections on applied natural law ethics and the challenges and prospects for natural law ethics in the twenty-first century. Uniquely interdisciplinary and written without technical jargon, the book will be of great interest to students and researchers in philosophy, theology, political theory and economics. They will find this the go-to resource for cutting-edge thinking in natural law ethics.Trade Review'… all the essays are strong, several merit special attention … This is a superb collection for specialists.' W. P. Haggerty, Choice'This collection of essays makes a solid contribution to studies in natural law ethics. The authors capably cover a wide swath of philosophical, historical, and thematic ground.' Daniel A. Morris, Journal of Moral TheologyTable of ContentsIntroduction Tom Angier; Part I. The History of Natural Law Ethics: 1. The stoics Philipp Brüllmann; 2. Thomas Aquinas Steven Jensen; 3. Grotius and Pufendorf Johan Olsthoorn; Part II. The Revival of Natural Law Ethics: 4. The new natural law theory Patrick Lee; 5. Neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism Jennifer Frey; Part III. Natural Law Ethics and Religion: 6. Natural law in Judaism Tamar Rudavsky; 7. Natural law in Catholic Christianity Tracey Rowland; 8. Natural law in Protestant Christianity Jennifer Herdt; 9. Natural law in Islam Anver Emon; Part IV. Applied Natural Law Ethics: 10. Bioethics and natural law Jacqueline Laing; 11. Economics and natural law Samuel Gregg; 12. Political theory and natural law Christopher Wolfe; Part V. Natural Law Ethics: Challenges and Prospects: 13. Challenges facing natural law ethics Sophie Grace Chappell; 14. Natural law ethics and the revival of Aristotelian metaphysics Edward Feser; 15. Prospects for natural law ethics in the twenty-first century Tom Angier; Works cited; Index.

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Book SynopsisUS citizens perceive their society to be one of the most diverse and religiously tolerant in the world today. Yet seemingly intractable religious intolerance and moral conflict abound throughout contemporary US public life - from abortion law battles, same-sex marriage, post-9/11 Islamophobia, public school curriculum controversies, to moral and religious dimensions of the Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street movements, and Tea Party populism. Healthy Conflict in Contemporary American Society develops an approach to democratic discourse and coalition-building across deep moral and religious divisions. Drawing on conflict transformation in peace studies, recent American pragmatist thought, and models of agonistic democracy, Jason Springs argues that, in circumstances riven with conflict between strong religious identities and deep moral and political commitments, productive engagement may depend on thinking creatively about how to constructively utilize conflict and intolerance. ThTrade Review'Jason A. Springs provides a timely reframing of our contemporary debates that have littered our political, religious, and social landscape with either an eager exclusion of the 'other' as extremist lost cases or through appeals toward some form of tolerant co-existence that mostly avoids any meaningful relationship across the divides. He wades into these broiling waters with the message that deep conflict will remain, in fact contemporary polarization will likely mark our discourse for decades to come, but this reality offers opportunity to practice a core set of basic democratic habits that may guide us away from this descending toward dysfunctional harm. Social health, he argues, depends not on denigrating the other or pursuing echo chambers, but on sustaining relationships that persist in carving qualities of imagination, a dose of empathic patience, and the courage to stay engaged with those who we find remarkably different and even offensive.' John Paul Lederach, author of The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace and Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, Indiana'In a time of seemingly intractable conflicts, Jason A. Springs offers a thought-provoking analysis of what it takes to make headway in transforming those conflicts. That's the good news. The bad news is that it will not be easy or necessarily pleasant. It requires honing our skills for listening, living with dissonance and irresolution, stretching our imaginations, and facing our deepest fears without succumbing to despair or cynicism. Springs gathers these insights from philosophers, activists, sociologists, religious studies, preachers, peace studies, and comedians to construct vital recommendations for how to proceed with the problems we face.' Beth Eddy, author of The Rites of Identity: The Religious Naturalism and Cultural Criticism of Kenneth Burke and Ralph Ellison and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts'Jason A. Springs urges us not to stick our heads in the sand, but to confront unflinchingly, with imagination and courage, the conflicts that threaten to rend our way of life. Liberal tolerance isn't the answer. Instead, 'healthy conflict' can be the basis for enduring social and political change. This is an important and timely book.' Eddie Glaude, Princeton UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Pragmatist Repertoires: 1. The difficulty of imagining other persons, re-imagined: moral imagination as a tool for transforming conflict; 2. Turning the searchlight inward: cultivating the virtues of moral imagination; 3. To let suffering speak: love, justice, and hope against hope; 4. The prophet and the president: prophetic rage in the age of Obama; 5. Testing the spirits: discerning true prophecy from false; 6. 'Dismantling the master's house': using the system to transform the system; Part II. Beyond American Intolerance: 7. Giving religious intolerance its due: agonistic respect in a post-secular society; 8. Looking it up in your gut?: Visceral politics and healthy conflict in the tea party era; 9. Islamophobia, American style: tolerance as American exceptionalism, and the prospects for strenuous pluralism; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first study to focus on the reception of Paul''s link between resurrection and salvation, revealing its profound effect on early Christian theology - not only eschatology, but also anthropology, pneumatology, ethics, and soteriology. Thomas D. McGlothlin traces the roots of the strong tension on the matter in ancient Judaism and then offers deep readings of the topic by key theologians of pre-Nicene Christianity, who argued on both sides of the issue of the fleshliness of the resurrected body. McGlothlin unravels the surprising continuities that emerge between Irenaeus, Origen, and the Valentinians, as well as deep disagreements between allies like Irenaeus and Tertullian.Trade Review'With its unique approach to the topic of resurrection, this monograph serves as a clear contribution to the understanding of the Bible and patristic theology.' Ben C. Blackwell, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Resurrection of all for judgment or of the righteous as salvation?; 2. Irenaeus: resurrection and salvation through the spirit; 3. Tertullian: resurrection and judgment; 4. The Valentinian Treatise on the Resurrection and Gospel of Philip: resurrection and salvation into true reality; 5. Origen: resurrection and moral transformation; 6. Methodius of Olympus: resurrection, salvation from sin, and judgment; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of ancient sources; Index of subjects and names; Index.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Paul K. Moser offers a new approach to religious experience and the kind of evidence it provides. Here, he explains the nature of theistic and non-theistic experience in relation to the meaning of human life and its underlying evidence, with special attention given to the perspectives of Tolstoy, Buddha, Confucius, Krishna, Moses, the apostle Paul, and Muhammad. Among the many topics explored in this timely volume are: religious experience characterized in a unifying conception; religious experience naturalized relative to science; religious experience psychologized in merely psychological phenomena; and religious experience cognized relative to potential defeaters from evil, divine hiddenness, and religious diversity. Understanding Religious Experience will benefit those interested in the nature of religion and can be used in relevant courses in religious studies, philosophy, theology, Biblical studies, and the history of religion.Trade Review'This book is noteworthy for its clarity of expression and systematic approach to the subject of religious experience.' R. Ward, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Religious experience characterized; 2. Religious experience interpreted; 3. Religious experience practiced; 4. Religious experience naturalized; 5. Religious experience psychologized; 6. Religious experience moralized; 7. Religious experience cognized: foundations; 8. Religious experience cognized: defeaters.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Paul K. Moser offers a new approach to religious experience and the kind of evidence it provides. Here, he explains the nature of theistic and non-theistic experience in relation to the meaning of human life and its underlying evidence, with special attention given to the perspectives of Tolstoy, Buddha, Confucius, Krishna, Moses, the apostle Paul, and Muhammad. Among the many topics explored in this timely volume are: religious experience characterized in a unifying conception; religious experience naturalized relative to science; religious experience psychologized in merely psychological phenomena; and religious experience cognized relative to potential defeaters from evil, divine hiddenness, and religious diversity. Understanding Religious Experience will benefit those interested in the nature of religion and can be used in relevant courses in religious studies, philosophy, theology, Biblical studies, and the history of religion.Trade Review'This book is noteworthy for its clarity of expression and systematic approach to the subject of religious experience.' R. Ward, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Religious experience characterized; 2. Religious experience interpreted; 3. Religious experience practiced; 4. Religious experience naturalized; 5. Religious experience psychologized; 6. Religious experience moralized; 7. Religious experience cognized: foundations; 8. Religious experience cognized: defeaters.

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Book SynopsisFor centuries, theologians and philosophers, among others, have examined the nature of religious experience. Students and scholars unfamiliar with the vast literature face a daunting task in grasping the main issues surrounding the topic of religious experience. The Cambridge Companion to Religious Experience offers an original introduction to its topic. Going beyond an introduction, it is a state-of-the-art overview of the topic, with critical analyses of and creative insights into its subject. Religious experience is discussed from various interdisciplinary perspectives, from religious perspectives inside and outside traditional monotheistic religions, and from various topical perspectives. Written by leading scholars in clear and accessible prose, this book is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and scholars across many disciplines.Table of ContentsPart I. Characterizing Religious Experience: Interdisciplinary Approaches: 1. Psychology of religion approaches to the study of religious experience Ann Tayes; 2. Philosophy of religion approaches to the study of religious experience Phillip H. Wiebe; 3. Theology, religious diversity, and religious experience Gwen Griffith-Dickson; Part II. Religious Experience in Traditional Monotheism: 4. Illumined by meaning: religious experience in classical Judaism Howard Wettstein; 5. Religious experience in early Christianity James D. G. Dunn; 6. Religious experience in traditional Islam William Chittick; Part III. Religious Experience Outside Traditional Monotheism: 7. Religious experience in ancient Confucianism and Daoism Xinzhong Yao; 8. Religious experience in Buddhism David Burton; 9. Ramanuja's eleventh century Hindu theology of religious experience: an informative, performative, transformative discourse Francis X. Clooney; Part IV. Prominent Themes and Challenges: 10. Exploring the nature of mystical experience Steven T. Katz; 11. Miraculous and extraordinary events as religious experience Fiona Bowie; 12. Evil, Suffering, and Religious Experience Michael L. Peterson; 13. Naturalism and religious experience William B. Drees; 14. Meaning and social value in religious experience Mark Owen Webb.

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Book SynopsisHow do middle-class Americans become aware of distant social problems and act against them? US colleges, congregations, and seminaries increasingly promote immersion travel as a way to bridge global distance, produce empathy, and increase global awareness. But does it? Drawing from a mixed methods study of a progressive, religious immersion travel organization at the US-Mexico border, Empathy Beyond US Borders provides a broad sociological context for the rise of immersion travel as a form of transnational civic engagement. Gary J. Adler, Jr follows alongside immersion travelers as they meet undocumented immigrants, walk desert trails, and witness deportations. His close observations combine with interviews and surveys to evaluate the potential of this civic action, while developing theory about culture, empathy, and progressive religion in transnational civic life. This timely book describes the moralization of travel, the organizational challenges of transnational engagement, and the difficulty of feeling transformed but not knowing how to help.Trade Review'Written beautifully and with heart, yet rigorously analytical, Adler's book uncovers the destabilizing and transformative complexity of human connection across political borders and, in the process, quietly but firmly dismantles the folly of wall-building delusions.' Peter Stamatov, Santander Endowed Chair Carlos III-Juan March Institute for the Social Sciences and New York University Abu Dhabi'Adler's book richly describes and theoretically analyzes the important case of progressive religious-based immersion trips along the US-Mexico border. He provides significant insight into the practice, structure, and transforming potential of these trips, and addresses the thorny issue of whether change occurs once participants return home. It is a must-read for anyone interested in religion and borders.' Kraig Beyerlein, Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, University of Notre Dame'I can't wait to assign this thoughtful, balanced, beautifully theorized book to my students! Its subtle observations challenge some of our most cherished theories and common sense ideas about a kind of experience that many humanitarian organizations around the world try to produce. Social researchers will savor the book's clear and direct major contributions to social theory, organizational theory, and the sociology of emotions.' Nina Eliasoph, University of Southern California'Adler (Pennsylvania State Univ.) has written a compelling book about immersion travel … an accessible and enlightening analysis of a popular form of civic engagement, with much to say about its possibilities and limits … Highly recommended.' M. M. Franz, Choice'… Adler's work is both methodologically innovative and a great example of how empirics and conceptual abstraction can be brought into dialogue … I highly recommend it for the timeliness of its topic and as an example of what excellent cultural sociology can look like today.' Nicolette Manglos-Weber, Social Forces'… Empathy Beyond US Borders is an important contribution to those interested in the sociology of emotions and morally inspired collective action. Apart from scholars interested in transnational volunteering, civic engagement, philanthropy, and cosmopolitanism, this book offers non-specialized readers the opportunity to understand the reach of immersion travel, as well as the complexities that this alleged transformative experience bring about when it comes to convert concern into action.' Carlos R. Cordourier-Real, Voluntas'Scholars interested in religion, social theory, trasnational politics, and the sociology of culture will find this book immensely valuable.' Chandra Russo, Sociology of Religion'This book is a model piece of scholarship. It advances a number of important theories across the discipline and draws upon a remarkable breadth of literature. The book's empirical basis is meticulously considered. Adler's ethnographic voice is clear and compassionate. Its assessment of immersion travel is nuanced, offering important recommendations for practitioners. Scholars interested in religion, social theory, transnational politics, and the sociology of culture will find this book immensely valuable.' Chandra Russo, Sociology of ReligionTable of Contents1. From distance to concern; Part I. Organizational Roots and Dilemmas: 2. At the border between education and action; 3. The problems of finding truth through travel; Part II. Activities, Emotions, and Empathy: 4. What immersion travelers feel all day; 5. Why it's better to walk than talk; Part III. Patterns of Experience and Transformation: 6. Guided unsettledness: how groups safely shape travel; 7. What changes and why?; 8. The possibilities and problems of immersion travel; Methodological appendix; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, Mark Douglas offers a new vision of the history of Christian pacifism within the context of a warming world. He narrates this story in a way that recognizes the complexities of the tradition and aligns it with a coherent theological vision, one that shapes the tradition to encompass the new causes and types of wars fought during the Anthropocene. Along the way, Douglas draws from research in historical climatology to recover the overlooked role that climate changes have always played in shaping not only the Christian pacifist tradition but also the movement of traditions through western history. Scholars across a range of disciplines - peace studies, Christian theology and history, environmentalism, and environmental conflict studies - will benefit from this model of critical and charitable engagement with the complex history of Christian pacifism, the resources of which will be important for addressing wars in a warming world.Trade Review'Twenty-first century Christians desperately need to understand our tradition's legacies of pacifism in order to respond thoughtfully to the complex violence of the contemporary world, including environmental degradation. Christian Pacifism for an Environmental Age offers the understanding we need, combining careful historical study with insightful interpretation and contemporary analysis to develop informed and constructive ethics. Scholars and students interested in how to think about Christian responses to violence, how to thoughtfully engage tradition, or how to respond to contemporary challenges have much to learn from this is well-written book!' Kevin O'Brien, Pacific Lutheran University, Washington'… Mark Douglas has written an interesting book that addresses important issues … I can recommend that readers interested in those issues give Christian Pacifism for an Environmental Age a look.' Ted Grimsrud, Reading ReligionTable of ContentsIntroduction: climate, conflict, and the conventional narrative of Christian pacifism; Part I. The Church and Nonviolence Before Constantine: 1. The silences of the second century; 2. Mixed motives and conflicts over conflicts in the second and third centuries; 3. Church, state, and a 'Constantinian fall'; Part II. The Church and Nonviolence after Constantine: 4. Christian pacifism and Constantine; 5. Pacifist interpretations of 1500 years of faith, community, and nonviolence; 6. Pacifisms after 1865; Part III. Re-narrating the History of the Church and Nonviolence: 7. Time and tradition in a theological context; 8. Re-narrating the Christian pacifist tradition.

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Book SynopsisThe revival of Aristotelian virtue ethics can be seen as a response to the modern problem of disenchantment, that is, the perceived loss of meaning in modernity. However, in Virtue and Meaning, David McPherson contends that the dominant approach still embraces an overly disenchanted view. In a wide-ranging discussion, McPherson argues for a more fully re-enchanted perspective that gives better recognition to the meanings by which we live and after which we seek, and to the fact that human beings are the meaning-seeking animal. In doing so, he defends distinctive accounts of the relationship between virtue and happiness, other-regarding demands, and the significance of linking neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics with a view of the meaning of life and a spiritual life where contemplation has a central role. This book will be valuable for philosophers and other readers who are interested in virtue ethics and the perennial question of the meaning of life.Trade Review'This book is strikingly excellent. It is beautifully argued, fair-minded, and a pleasure to read. It is also the most authentically neo-Aristotelian account of ethics and the moral life that I have read. In making a case for a higher, more noble, more meaningful form of life, it deserves to be widely considered, and I would not be surprised if people someday spoke of it alongside works by G.E.M. Anscombe, Alasdair MacIntyre, Charles Taylor, and a few others.' Stephen R. Grimm, Fordham University, New York'Like other animals, human beings live lives that can be flourishing or not so flourishing. But they also quest for meaning in their lives and in their world. McPherson's fine new book is both an exploration of the joins and the gaps between these two aspects of human nature, and also itself an example of that quest.' Sophie-Grace Chappell, The Open University'An original and finely crafted study that takes us way beyond the standard agenda of modern virtue ethics. McPherson persuasively and illuminatingly argues that the human search for fulfilment needs to be understood within a much richer and more resonant framework of objective meaning and value than is allowed for by most contemporary moral philosophers.' John Cottingham, University of Reading, University of Roehampton, London, and Honorary Fellow of St John's College, University of Oxford'This book could be read by undergraduates and seasoned academics alike. McPherson does a good job of summarizing the relevant aspects of contemporary virtue theory such that students unfamiliar with this literature should still be able to follow the argument, but not at the expense of nuance.' Sarah Pawlett Jackson, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction: toward re-enchantment; 1. The human form of life; 1.1 Neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism: the disenchanted version; 1.2 The human difference: rationality; 1.3 The standpoint from within our human form of life: the space of meaning; 1.4 Strong evaluative meaning; 1.5 Going further: the way forward; 2. Virtue, happiness, and meaning; 2.1 The instrumentalist account; 2.2 The constitutive account: strong evaluative version; 2.3 The constitutive account: weak evaluative version; 2.4 Virtue apart from happiness?; 2.5 Virtue, loss, and the meaning of life; 3. Other-regarding concern; 3.1 MacIntyre on other-regarding concern; 3.2 Intrinsic worth: dignity and sanctity; 3.3 Fully amongst us: solidarity with the severely afflicted and other marginalized humans; 3.4 Moral absolutes; 3.5 Spheres of other-regarding concern: universal and particular; 4. Cosmic outlooks; 4.1 Hursthouse's three theses and Williams' challenge; 4.2 Identifying what is noblest and best; 4.3 Against quietism: the need for a moral ontology; 4.4 Rival cosmic outlooks; 4.5 A poker-faced universe?; 5. Homo Religiosus; 5.1 What is spirituality?; 5.2 What kind of naturalism?; 5.3 Human beings as Homo Religiosus; 5.4 The contemplative life; 5.5 Theistic spirituality; 5.6 Objections and replies; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe malign figure of the Antichrist endures in modern culture, whether religious or secular; and the spectral shadow he has cast over the ages continues to exert a strong and powerful fascination. Philip C. Almond tells the story of the son of Satan from his early beginnings to the present day, and explores this false Messiah in theology, literature and the history of ideas. Discussing the origins of the malevolent being who at different times was cursed as Belial, Nero or Damien, the author reveals how Christianity in both East and West has imagined this incarnation of absolute evil destined to appear at the end of time. For the better part of the last two thousand years, Almond suggests, the human battle between right and wrong has been envisaged as a mighty cosmic duel between good and its opposite, culminating in an epic final showdown between Christ and his deadly arch-nemesis.Trade Review'An ambitious untangling of a host of different traditions and stories - all super-heated by religious controversy - The Antichrist succeeds triumphantly in reducing them to calm intelligibility. This is a major feat, not only of scholarship, but also of reflection, planning and writing.' Marion Gibson, University of Exeter, and author of Rediscovering Renaissance Witchcraft and of Witchcraft: The Basics'Philip Almond's remarkable new book - a companion piece to his earlier work on the Devil - is clearly and vividly written. Giving full attention to previous ideas about the Antichrist, the author looks at the subject differently and originally in a way that meshes the topical and the chronological. The book is an advance both in theological and popular understanding, and I recommend it warmly.' Jeffrey Burton Russell, University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages and of A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence'This entertaining romp through the subject leads Mr Almond down many obscure paths, peopled by cobwebbed theologians such as Irenaeus and Hippolytus, and deep into the weirdest thickets of medieval fantasy-weaving. He has fun - 'Sexy Beast' is his heading on a section about the Antichrist visions, peculiarly like ink blots, of Hildegard of Bingen - but does not forget that a modern reader also needs to know why the Antichrist was important.' Ann Wroe, The Economist'What makes this biography really thought-provoking is Almond's easy demonstration of how ideas actually percolate and embed over time, and how, paradoxically, the greater the distance we travel from actual facts, the greater our sense of confidence in - and identification with - spurious thought systems becomes.' Nicola Barker, The Spectator'This engaging, often entertaining, and lavishly illustrated book may well be the last word on the subject …' John Saxbee, Church Times'This is a great work of scholarship, impressive in its breadth at the same time that it is clear and succinct in its presentation.' Rodrigo Galiza, Andrews University Seminary Studies'This engaging, often entertaining, and lavishly illustrated book may well be the last word on the subject.' The Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee, Church Times'… Almond's intellectual biography makes comprehensible for the modern reader the complex and obscure world of prophetic scripture interpretation, and that is a massive accomplishment.' Gary K. Waiteu, Journal of Ecclesiastical History'Almond has a flair for presenting complex histories with clarity and wit, and the result here is an engaging narrative well-suited to the perspective of the 2020s.' Sean L. Field, Scottish Journal of TheologyTable of ContentsPrologue; 1. The Origins of the Antichrist Tradition; 2. The Story Begins; 3. The Antichrist, East and West; 4. Antichrists, Present and Future; 5. Of Prophets, Priests, and Kings; 6. The Antichrist Divided; 7. Antichrists – Papal, Philosophical, Imperial; Epilogue: A Brief Meditation on History.

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Book SynopsisIs original sin compatible with evolution? Many today believe the answer is ''No''. Engaging Aquinas''s revolutionary account of the doctrine, Daniel W. Houck argues that there is not necessarily a conflict between this Christian teaching and mainstream biology. He draws on neglected texts outside the Summa Theologiae to show that Aquinas focused on humanity''s loss of friendship with God - not the corruption of nature (or personal guilt). Aquinas''s account is theologically attractive in its own right. Houck proposes, moreover, a new Thomist view of original sin that is consonant with evolution. This account is developed in dialogue with biblical scholarship on Jewish hamartiology and salient modern thinkers (including Kant, Schleiermacher, Barth, and Schoonenberg), and it is systematically connected to debates over nature, grace, the desire for God, and justification. In addition, the book canvasses a number of neglected premodern approaches to original sin, including those of AnselmTrade Review'Daniel Houck's intriguing reconsideration of Aquinas's neglected theory of sin is both timely and illuminating. Not only is he able to show the distinctiveness of Aquinas's position, but also its potential for a fresh alignment with contemporary evolutionary theory. Houck is a ready exegete, a clear-thinking philosopher, and an insightful theologian of considerable learning and breadth. This is an outstanding first book from an emerging theological talent.' Sarah Coakley, FBA, Norris-Hulse Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge'As befits an attempt to marry dogmatic theology and modern science, Daniel Houck brings 'something old, something new' to the task of thinking through the meaning of original sin in light of challenges from evolutionary biology. Both aforementioned somethings pertain to Thomas Aquinas, from whose centuries' old texts Houck derives a new understanding of original sin, one that represents a distinct contribution to a doctrine that otherwise stands as a shocking 'offense to reason' (Pascal).' Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Chicago'Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution stands out among the best works in recent constructive theology. Houck retrieves and carries forward earlier Thomistic debates about original sin, as part of staking out his own position on this crucial topic in light of contemporary scientific evidence. He also explores the development of the doctrine before Aquinas, as well as the more influential contemporary proposals. A profound and timely book.' Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary'[this book] … for anyone interested in Aquinas's soteriology, ecumenical discussions of sin and the Fall, or the theological reception of evolutionary biology.' Brendan Case, Modern Theology'Daniel Houck's book offers a notable contribution to the literature on original sin, especially, but by no means only, in relation to Thomas Aquinas. It is also noteworthy as a work at the interface between theology and science, given that Houck's treatment of each is equally deft, with both given the detailed conceptual and historical attention they deserve … It is a particular delight to come across a work of theology so well versed in science.' Andrew Davison, International Journal of Systematic TheologyTable of Contents1. Augustine and the long twelfth century; 2. Aquinas on original justice; 3. Aquinas on the effects of original sin; 4. Aquinas on original guilt; 5. Original sin and some modern theologians; 6. Original sin and the challenge of evolution; 7. Original sin; 8. A response to some objections.

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, Douglas Yoder uses the tools of modern and postmodern philosophy and biblical criticism to elucidate the epistemology of the Tanakh, the collection of writings that comprise the Hebrew Bible. Despite the conceptual sophistication of the Tanakh, its epistemology has been overlooked in both religious and secular hermeneutics. The concept of revelation, the genre of apocalypse, and critiques of ideology and theory are all found within or derive from epistemic texts of the Tanakh. Yoder examines how philosophers such as Spinoza, Hume, and Kant interacted with such matters. He also explores how the motifs of writing, reading, interpretation, image, and animals, topics that figure prominently in the work of Derrida, Foucault, and Nietzsche, appear also in the Tanakh. An understanding of Tanakh epistemology, he concludes, can lead to new appraisals of religious and secular life throughout the modern world.Trade Review'… Yoder's prose is generally clear and accessible, his explicitly nonlinear approach to his subject matter may challenge nonspecialists.' J. A. Gauthier, Choice'… a wide-ranging study of epistemology in the Tanakh … A very challenging and rewarding book.' Norman S. Wilson, Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of Contents1. Reading epistemology in the Tanakh; 2. Unveiling knowledge/power; 3. Apokalypto, revelation, Imperium; 4. A revelatory observable; 5. Sees hears knows; 6. Qoheleth's critique of wisdom, knowledge, and critical thought; 7. Tanakh epistemology in modernity; 8. Tanakh epistemology and postmodernism; 9. Synthesis; 10. Consequences; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisJesus the Jew is the primary signifier of Christianity''s indebtedness to Judaism. This connection is both historical and continuous. In this book, Barbara Meyer shows how Christian memory, as largely intertwined with Jewish memory, provides a framework to examine the theological dimensions of historical Jesus research. She explores the topics that are central to the Jewishness of Jesus, such as the Christian relationship to law, and otherness as a Christological category. Through the lenses of the otherness of the Jewish Jesus for contemporary Christians, she also discusses circumcision, natality, vulnerability, and suffering in dialogue with thinkers seldom drawn into Jewish-Christian discourse, notably Hannah Arendt, Julia Kristeva, Martha Nussbaum and Adi Ophir. Meyer demonstrates how the memory of Jesus'' Jewishness is a key to reconfiguring contemporary challenges to Christian thought, such as particularity and otherness, law and ethics after the Shoah, human responsibility, and divine vulnerability.Trade Review'Almost magically, some of the hardest and most calcified knots of Christian anti-Jewish polemics resolve into affirmative positions that not only sustain the distinctiveness of Judaism but provide resources to expand this central difference to interreligious dialogue and pluralism.' Katharina Von Kellenbach, St. Mary's College of Maryland'This is a thoughtful, erudite, and well-argued book, which treats of fundamental questions about Christian faith and about the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.' W. Zeev Harvey, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem'Jesus the Jew in Christian Memory is an extraordinary conversation with Jewish thought and life. [This book] … invites us to open our eyes to the halakhic Christ so that we will in turn walk our talk.' Mary C. Boys, Modern TheologyTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. What is Christian memory?; 2. The past; 3. The present; 4. The future; 5. After and against suffering; 6. Between Jesus, the Jew, and the other; Conclusion; Postscript.

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Book SynopsisIn this provocative work, J. L. Schellenberg addresses those who, influenced by science, take a negative view of religion, thinking of it as outmoded if not decadent. He promotes the view that transcendently oriented religion is developmentally immature, showing the consilience of scientific thinking about deep time with his view. From this unique perspective, he responds to a number of influential cultural factors commonly thought to spell ill for religion, showing the changes - changes favorable to religion - that are now called for in how we understand them and their proper impact. Finally, he provides a defense for a new and attractive religious humanism that benefits from, rather than being hindered by, religious immaturity. In Schellenberg''s view, religion can and should become a human project as monumental as science.Trade Review'A lovely book. Schellenberg makes the case that, contrary to common opinion, religion is still in a primitive stage, far from being baroquely overdeveloped. Only with time can it come into its own. As an old-fashioned non-believer, I am excited by the tussle we shall have, until one stands triumphant over the other. Read it yourself and join in the fun.' Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University'Religion after Science challenges the stance held by evangelicals and atheists alike, who often assume they know the 'last word' on religious matters. What if they are both wrong, asks Schellenberg, and these are actually humankind's first, tentative words? Schellenberg is a prophet unlike any that have come before. In this highly original book, he demonstrates how the simple idea that deep time extends into the future, as well as the past, has startling consequences for today's religious debates, with the capacity to transform all of our certainties and doubts alike.' Mark Harris, University of Edinburgh'An impressively thoughtful and stimulating reflection on the possible future of religion, which deserves the attention of humanists and religious believers alike.' Keith Ward, Canon Professor, Christ Church OxfordTable of ContentsPrologue: the 10,000-year test; 1. Development and the divine; 2. The end is not near; 3. Big ambitions; 4. A poor record; 5. Verdict: immature not doomed; 6. A new path for science and religion; 7. The new agnosticism; 8. Naturalism tamed; 9. Agnostic religion?; 10. The new humanism; Epilogue: the religion project.

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Book SynopsisIn the sixteenth century, the saint and scholar Sri Caitanya set in motion a wave of devotion to Krishna that began in eastern India and has now found its way around the world. Caitanya taught that the highest aim of life is to develop selfless love for God Krishna, the blue-hued cowherd boy who spoke the Bhagavad Gita. Although only a handful of poetry is attributed to Caitanya, his devotional theology was expounded and systematized by his followers in a vast array of poetical, philosophical, and ritual literature. This book provides a thematic study of Caitanya Vaishnava philosophy, introducing key thinkers and ideas in the early tradition, using Sanskrit and Bengali sources that have seldom been studied in English. The book addresses major areas of the tradition, including epistemology, ontology, aesthetics, ethics, and history, and every chapter includes relevant readings from primary sources.Table of ContentsIntroduction, Kenneth R.Valpey; Chapter 1 Reading, Kenneth R.Valpey; Chapter 2 Epistemology and Ontology, Ravi M.Gupta; Chapter 3 Reading, KiyokazuOkita; Chapter 4 Epistemology and Ontology II, KiyokazuOkita; Chapter 5 Reading, Ravi M.Gupta; Chapter 6 Ethics and Practice, Joseph T.O’Connell; Chapter 7 Reading, Graham M.Schweig; Chapter 8 Aesthetics, RembertLutjeharms; Chapter 9 Reading, RembertLutjeharms;

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Book SynopsisIn his famous Wager, Blaise Pascal (162362) offers the reader an argument that it is rational to strive to believe in God. Philosophical debates about this classic argument have continued until our own times. This volume provides a comprehensive examination of Pascal''s Wager, including its theological framework, its place in the history of philosophy, and its importance to contemporary decision theory. The volume starts with a valuable primer on infinity and decision theory for students and non-specialists. A sequence of chapters then examines topics including the Wager''s underlying theology, its influence on later philosophical figures, and contemporary analyses of the Wager including Alan Hájek''s challenge to its validity, the many gods objection, and the ethics of belief. The final five chapters explore various ways in which the Wager has inspired contemporary decision theory, including questions related to infinite utility, imprecise probabilities, and infinitesimals.Trade Review'Given the importance of Pascal's wager, both intrinsically and in terms of its historical influence, this book is an important contribution to the literature.' B. T. Harding, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction Paul Bartha and Lawrence Pasternack; Part I. Historical Context and Influence: 1. Pascal's Wager and the origins of decision theory: decision-making by real decision-makers James Franklin; 2. The Wager and Pascal's theology William Wood; 3. Pascal's Wager and the ethics for inquiry about God Paul Moser; 4. Pascal and his Wager in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Adam Buben; 5. The Wager and William James Jeff Jordan; Part II. Assessment: 6. The (in)validity of Pascal's Wager Alan Hájek; 7. The many gods objection to Pascal's Wager: a defeat, then a resurrection Craig Duncan; 8. The Wager as decision under ignorance: decision-theoretic responses to the many gods objection Lawrence Pasternack; 9. Rationality and the Wager Paul Saka; 10. The role of Pascal's Wager in authentic religious commitment Joshua Golding; Part III. Extensions: 11. The arbitrary prudentialism of Pascal's Wager and how to overcome it by using game theory Elliott Sober; 12. Pascal's Wager and the dynamics of rational deliberation Paul Bartha; 13. Infinity in Pascal's Wager Graham Oppy; 14. Pascal's Wager and imprecise probability Susanna Rinard; 15. Do infinitesimal probabilities neutralize the infinite utility in Pascal's Wager? Sylvia Wenmackers.

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Book SynopsisFrom the dawn of time, Man has cherished the hope he could achieve a greater freedom. That hope, articulated by the greatest religious leaders across the centuries, has time and again renewed his strength to face the future. But with no practical means to convert hope to reality, the goal of a greater freedom remained, for most if not all, a distant and unattainable dream. Then, with the onset of the twentieth century, came the rapid and unprecedented advance of the physical sciences. Yet, at the same time, these sciences limited their research to the material world, ignoring or even denying the existence of the human soul. Such was the backdrop of L. Ron Hubbard''s 25-year quest to solve the riddle of Man. Applying the tools and methodology of twentieth-century science to the accumulated knowledge from thousands of years of religious teachings, Ron sought an understanding of exactly who and what Man is. Then, in 1952, he arrived at a historic discovery. With demonstrable proofs, rathe

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Book SynopsisThis is a straightforward introduction to the philosophy of religion examining the arguments for an against belief in a clear, structured way.

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Book SynopsisImagine an age where the predictability of science and the wisdom of religion combine. Scientology is called a spiritual technology for a reason. Scientology provides tools to assist you to find your own answers to your questions about existence, your own truth about your life and you. The word Scientology comes from: Scio (Latin) 'knowing, in the fullest sense of the word', logos (Greek) 'study of'. Thus Scientology means 'knowing how to know'. Although modern life seems to pose an infinitely complex array of problems, Scientology maintains that the solutions to those problems are basically simple and within every man's reach. Difficulties with communication and interpersonal relationships, nagging insecurities, self-doubt and despair each man innately possesses the potential to be free of these and many other concerns. This film is based on the book of the same title and illustrates it with amazing graphics, helping a full and clear understanding of it. It gives the basic philosophic

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Book SynopsisIn 1901, William James was appointed as Gifford Lecturer on Natural Religion at the University of Edinburgh. This book is composed of the lectures he gave during that time.

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Book SynopsisThe System of Nature is a 2 volume book on philosophy written by Paul-Henri Thiry in 1770 and published in French. Most importantly, the author denies the existence of God, arguing that belief in a higher being is the product of fear, lack of understanding, and anthropomorphism. It is the most comprehensive description of Atheism in the history of philosophy.Table of ContentsPrefaceThe origin of man's ideas upon the DivinityOf mythology -- Of theologyOf the confused and contradictory ideas of theologyExamination of the proofs of the existence of the Divinity, as given by ClarkeExamination of the proofs offered by Descartes, Malebranche, Newton, &cOf Pantheismor of the natural ideas of the DivinityOf Theism -- Of the System of Optimism -- Of Final CausesExamination of the Advantages which result from Man's Notions on the Divinity-- of their Influence upon Morals-- upon Politics-- upon Science-- upon the Happiness of Nations, and that of individualsTheological Notions cannot be the Basis of Morality -- Comparison between Theological Ethics and Natural Morality -- Theology prejudicial to the Human MindMan can form no Conclusion from the Ideas which are offered him of the Divinity -- Of their want of just Inference -- Of the Inutility of his ConductDefence of the Sentiments contained in this Work -- Of Impiety -- Do there exist Atheists?Is what is termed Atheism, compatible with Morality?Of the motives which lead to what is falsely called Atheism -- Can this System be dangerous? -- Can it be embraced by the Illiterate?A summary of the Code of Nature. A Brief Sketch of the Life and Writings of M. de MirabaudIndex.

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Book SynopsisThe System of Nature is a 2 volume book on philosophy written by Paul-Henri Thiry in 1770 and published in French. Most importantly, the author denies the existence of God, arguing that belief in a higher being is the product of fear, lack of understanding, and anthropomorphism. It is the most comprehensive description of Atheism in the history of philosophy.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionNature and her lawsOf motion and its originOf matter -- of its various combinations -- of its diversified motion -- or of the course of NatureLaws of motion common to every being of Nature -- attraction and repulsion -- inert force-necessityOrder and confusion -- intelligence -- chanceMoral and physical distinctions of man -- his originThe soul and the spiritual systemThe intellectual faculties derived from the faculty of feelingThe diversity of the intellectual facultiesthey depend on physical causes, as do their moral qualities -- The natural principles of society -- morals -- politicsThe soul does not derive its ideas from itself -- it has no innate ideasOf the system of man's free-agencyAn examination of the opinion which pretends that the system of fatalism is dangerousOf the immortality of the soul -- of the doctrine of a future state -- of the fear of deathEducation, morals, and the laws suffice to restrain man -- of the desire of immortality -- of suicideOf man's true interest, or of the ideas he forms to himself of happiness -- Man cannot be happy without virtueThe errors of man -- Upon what constitutes happiness -- The true source of his evils -- Remedies that may be appliedThose ideas which are true, or founded upon Nature, are the only remedies for the evil of man -- Recapitulation -- Conclusions of the First PartIndex.

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Book SynopsisChristianity Today 2024 Book Award Finalist (Apologetics/Evangelism) Southwestern Journal of Theology 2023 Book Award (Honorable Mention, Worldview and Apologetics) What can we learn from Augustine about apologetics? This book shows how Augustine defended the faith in late antiquity and how his approach to engaging the culture has great significance for the apologetic task today. Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen, coauthors of the award-winning Apologetics at the Cross (an Outreach magazine and Gospel Coalition Resource of the Year), recover Augustine's mature apologetic voice to address the challenges facing today's church. The Augustine Way offers a compelling argument for Christian witness that is rooted in tradition and engaged with contemporary culture. It focuses on Augustine's best-known works, Confessions and The City of God, to retrieve his scriptural and ecclesial approach for a holistic apologetic witness. This book will be useful for students as well as for pastors, church leaders, and practitioners of Christian apologetics. It puts pastors and churches back at the center of apologetics, transcending popular contemporary methods with a view to a more effective witness in post-Christendom.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Time to Make Room at the TablePart 1: Going Back for the Future1. A Prodigal Son Returns Home . . . as an Apologist2. An Augustinian Assessment of Contemporary ApologeticsPart 2: An Augustinian Vision for Today3. A Renewed Posture4. An Ecclesial Pilgrimage of Hope5. A Therapeutic ApproachConclusion: The Return of the BishopIndex

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Book SynopsisPhilosophical Conversations is a light, informal, and contemporary introduction to the study of philosophy. Using a dialogue format, Robert M. Martin delves into the traditional questions of philosophy in a manner that readers will find engaging.These substantive yet entertaining conversations emphasize that philosophical questions are contested and open-ended. The characters in each dialogue advocate different answers to questions on religion, ethics, personal identity, and other topics equitably and without naming any clear winners. Philosophic positions are presented with maximum clarity and persuasiveness, so that readers can appreciate all sides of an issue and make their own choices. An excellent tool for newcomers to philosophy, Philosophical Conversations provides the necessary background for further study while vividly portraying the back-and-forth argument that is essential to the philosophical method.Trade Review“Robert M. Martin’s book will be invaluable for undergraduate teaching. The dialogues present a wide range of philosophical debates clearly and interestingly, quickly clearing up common but uninteresting mistakes, while exploring the issues and leaving them open for further discussion.” — Peter J. King, Pembroke College, Oxford University“An excellent introduction to philosophy. Packed with key ideas and theories; clear and engaging; well-organised. Its conversations succeed as conceptual interplay, showing how philosophical debates arise and develop.” — Stephen Hetherington, University of New South Wales“The best new introductory philosophy text in decades! It covers the central issues in both analytic and continental philosophy, presenting arguments and counter-arguments so that readers can see why philosophic debate can be so thrilling.” — Sheldon Wein, St. Mary’s UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction Philosophy How to Study Philosophy Arguments Notes on “Suggested Readings” Sections Conversation I: Philosophy of ReligionParticipants: RATIONALIST · ATHEIST · COSMOLOGIST · BIOLOGIST · PRAGMATIST · PSYCHOLOGIST · FIDEIST · SYMBOLIST · MYSTIC The First-Cause Argument The Argument from Design The Ontological Argument The Argument from Morality The Pragmatic Argument Pascal’s Wager The Burden of Proof The Argument from History The Argument from Psychology The Argument from the Existence of Evil Life After Death Fideism Symbolism MysticismSuggested Readings Conversation II: Social PhilosophyParticipants: SCEPTIC · LEGALIST · CONTRACTARIAN · MORALIST · BIOLOGIST · COMMUNITARIAN · INDIVIDUALIST · COMMUNIST · LIBERTARIAN · INTERVENTIONIST · FEMINIST · EGALITARIAN The Question The Tragedy of the Commons and the Prisoner’s Dilemma The Social Contract Enforcement of the Contract A Moral Answer A Biological Answer Communitarianism Communism Socialism, Fascism, Nazism Libertarianism Interventionism Equality JusticeSuggested Readings Conversation III: EthicsParticipants: SCEPTIC · UTILITARIAN · DEONTOLOGIST · RIGHTS-THEORIST · KANTIAN · SUBJECTIVIST · RELATIVIST A Question Hedonism Utilitarianism Objections to Utilitarianism Doing and Not Doing Admiral Byng Rights Using People The Categorical Imperative The Motivation Question Ethical Knowledge Ethical Subjectivism The Weirdness of Ethical Characteristics RelativismSuggested Readings Conversation IV: Mind and BodyParticipants: SCEPTIC · DUALIST · IDENTITY THEORIST · ELIMINATIVIST · BEHAVIOURIST Materialism The Science Argument Is Dualism Obvious? The Differences Between the Mental and the Physical Introspection and Infallibility Recognizing the Mental vs. Recognizing the Physical Interaction Eliminative Materialism The Problem of Other Minds Behaviourism Could a Machine Think? Instinct and Learning; Unpredictability Creativity The Turing Test Deep Blue and the Sphex Wasp The Chinese RoomSuggested Readings Conversation V: Determinism, Free Will, and PunishmentParticipants: IDENTITY THEORIST · SCEPTIC · DETERMINIST · FATALIST · MATHEMATICIAN · PHYSICIST · INDETERMINIST · HARD DETERMINIST · SOFT DETERMINIST · UTILITARIAN · RETRIBUTIVIST · PSYCHOLOGIST Determinism Cause Fatalism Predictability Is there Evidence for Determinism? Quantum Indeterminacy Free Will The Incompatibility of Responsibility and Determinism Soft Determinism The Function of Praise and Blame Randomness and Freedom Utilitarian Justifications of Punishment RetributivismSuggested Readings Conversation VI: KnowledgeParticipants: SCEPTIC · DEFINER · CARTESIAN · FALLIBILIST · EMPIRICIST · RATIONALIST The Definition of ‘Knowledge’ Certainty and Fallibility Certainty and Probability Probable Beliefs and the Lottery Paradox Gettier Problems Empiricism and Rationalism: Concepts Innateness and Language Empiricism and Rationalism: Judgements Analytic and Synthetic Judgements Synthetic A Priori Judgements Scepticism: Perception The Brain in the Vat Scepticism: The Five-Minute Hypothesis Scepticism: The Problem of InductionSuggested Readings Conversation VII: Identity; MeaningParticipants: SCEPTIC · CARTESIAN · EMPIRICIST · RATIONALIST · ANTIREALIST · INTERNALIST · REFERENTIALIST · SPEECH-ACT THEORIST Life After Death Again Continuing Mental Substance Criticisms of the Substance Theories The Mysterious Boat Relationism Some Strange Cases The Real Route 22 Meaning Empiricism Meaning Internalism Meaning as Reference Meaning as Use Meanings and Intentions Meanings and ConventionsSuggested Readings Epilogue: Quotations from Bertrand RussellGlossary Workbook

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Book SynopsisThe Age of Reason is one of the most influential defences of Deism (the idea that God can be known without organized religion) ever written. This edition presents Part 1, Paine’s controversial philosophical argument against revealed religion, with representative excerpts of his biblical analysis from Parts 2 and 3.Appendices include numerous selections from Paine’s other religious writing, his Deist influences, and his contemporary opposition. Trade Review“There are many editions of The Age of Reason available for students and modern readers. Kerry Walters’ Broadview Edition is the best. It combines an astute introduction with up-to-the-moment bibliographic material. Walters also illuminates crucial aspects of the book and its arguments with hard-to-find contemporary documents that put Paine’s work in an international context.” — Bruce Kuklick, University of Pennsylvania“Kerry Walters’ new edition of Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason, along with its collection of pre- and post-publication material, is an invaluable addition to the Paine library. Most impressive is Walters’s eloquent and lucid introduction, which concisely places Paine’s Deism in the greater context of the British and French Enlightenment. It is an indispensable edition for undergraduate and graduate students studying history, philosophy, the history of religion, and the psychology of social ideas.” — Jack Fruchtman Jr., Towson UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionThomas Paine: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Age of ReasonPart 1Selections from Part 2Selections from Part 3Appendix A: Additional Writings on Religion by Thomas Paine A Letter, Being an Answer to a Friend on the Publication of The Age of Reason (1797) “The Existence of God.” A Discourse Delivered at the Society of Theophilanthropists (1797) “An Answer to the Bishop of Llandaff” (1797-1800) “Worship and Church Bells: A Letter to Camille Jordan” (1797) Exchange of Letters with Samuel Adams (1802-03) “Of the Word Religion, and Other Words of Uncertain Signification” (1804) “My Private Thoughts on a Future State” (1807) Appendix B: The Religious Context of The Age of Reason From Anthony Collins, A Discourse of Free-Thinking (1713) From David Hume, “Of Miracles” (1748) From Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d’Holbach, Of the Confused and Contradictory Ideas of Theology (1770) Thomas Jefferson, An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779) and A Letter to Peter Carr (1787) From William Paley, Natural Theology (1802) Appendix C: Responses to The Age of Reason From “A Layman” [Thomas Williams], The Age of Infidelity: In Answer to Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason (1794) From Gilbert Wakefield, An Examination of The Age of Reason (1794) From “Anonymous” [Elihu Palmer], The Examiners Examined: Being a Defense of The Age of Reason(1794) From Joseph Priestley, An Answer to Mr. Paine’s Age of Reason (1794) From Uzal Ogden, An Antidote to Deism (1795) From Richard Watson, An Apology for the Bible (1796) Suggestions for Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThis anthology contains the best of both classical and contemporary sources, offering a balanced historical approach to the philosophy of religion while reflecting the latest developments in the field. The included readings grapple with issues that are existentially compelling and provocative regardless of one’s religious leanings. Topics are covered in a point-counterpoint manner designed to foster deep reflection. This third edition contains an entirely new section on early Chinese religion as well as new essays on religious language, feminism, and the cognitive science of religion.Trade Review“This wide-ranging collection covers an abundance of influential topics in Anglo-American philosophy of religion, and it represents a number of classic arguments for and against God’s existence. This new, third edition contains a substantial section on Chinese philosophy of religion, including some of the ancient texts. Teachers and students alike will benefit from the breadth of this well-organized collection.” — Paul K. Moser, Loyola University Chicago“Kelly James Clark’s Readings in the Philosophy of Religion contains an ideal balance between classic texts and the best of contemporary analytic philosophy. Clark places special emphasis on issues certain to resonate with students’ practical and existential concerns. The final section on Chinese religion introduces readers to state-of-the-art debates about the religious and metaphysical commitments of the Confucian and Taoist tradition and provides opportunities for cross-cultural comparisons.” — Robert C. Koons, University of Texas at AustinComments on Previous Editions“This is an excellent collection, combining the best of the classical treatments of these venerable topics with fine contemporary readings (some of them unique to this volume). It also contains a judicious mixture of arguments in favor of theism and arguments against. Finally, the book is to be commended for including a larger number of pieces by women than these volumes usually do.” — John Hare, Yale University“Clark’s judicious selections are accessible to undergraduates; nevertheless, the anthology thoroughly covers the important topics and covers them in professionally fine style.” — Alvin Plantinga, University of Notre DameTable of ContentsPart One: Arguments for the Existence of GodIntroductionChapter 1: The Ontological ArgumentSt. Anselm and Gaunilo, “The Ontological Argument”Laura Garcia, “Ontological Arguments for God’s Existence”Chapter 2: The Cosmological ArgumentThomas Aquinas, “The Five Ways”Gottfried Willhelm Leibniz, “On the Ultimate Origination of Things”William Lane Craig, “The Kalaam Version of the Cosmological Argument”Chapter 3: The Argument from DesignWilliam Paley, “The Watch and the Watchmaker”David Hume, “Critique of the Argument from Design”Robin Collins, “A Scientific Argument for the Existence of God: The Fine-Tuning Design Argument””Chapter 4: Moral ArgumentsPlato, “Euthyphro”Robert Merrihew Adams, “Moral Arguments for Theistic Belief”Linda Zagzebski, “Does Ethics Need God?”Chapter 5: Religious ExperienceWilliam P. Alston, “The Experiential Basis of Theism”Chapter 6: Naturalism Refuted?Alvin Plantinga, “The Self-Refutation of Naturalism”Chapter 7: The Balance of ProbabilitiesRichard Swinburne, “A Cumulative Case for the Existence of God”J.L. Mackie, “The Balance of Probabilities”Chapter 8: Reflections on Arguments for the Existence of GodAlvin Plantinga, “Arguing for God”William J. Wainwright, “The Nature of Reason”Suggestions for Further StudyPart Two: Reason and Belief in GodIntroductionChapter 9: The Need for EvidenceW.K. Clifford, “The Ethics of Belief ”Chapter 10: Reformed EpistemologyKelly James Clark, “Without Evidence or Argument”Chapter 11: Wittgensteinian FideismNorman Malcolm, “The Groundlessness of Belief”Chapter 12: Pragmatic Justification of Religious BeliefBlaise Pascal, “The Wager”William James, “The Will to Believe”Chapter 13: Debunking Religious BeliefPaul Bloom, “Is God an Accident?”Aku Visala and David Leach, “Naturalistic Explanations of Belief in God”Chapter 14: Reflections on Reason and Belief in GodRaymond J. VanArragon, “Reconciling Reason and Religious Belief”Suggestions for Further StudyPart Three: Critiques of GodIntroductionChapter 15: The Hermeneutics of SuspicionKarl Marx, “The Opium of the Masses”Friedrich Nietzsche, “Religion as Resentment”Sigmund Freud, “The Future of an Illusion”Chapter 16: Reflections on the Hermeneutics of SuspicionMerold Westphal, “Taking Suspicion Seriously: The Religious Uses of Modern Atheism”Suggestions for Further StudyPart Four: God and Human SufferingIntroductionChapter 17: The Problem of EvilDavid Hume, “God and Evil”Chapter 18: Plantinga’s Free Will DefensePaul Tidman, “The Free Will Defense”Chapter 19: TheodicyJohn Hick, “The Soul-Making Theodicy”Marilyn McCord Adams, “Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God”Daniel Howard-Snyder, “Theodicy”Chapter 20: The Evidential Problem of EvilWilliam Rowe, “The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism”Daniel Howard-Snyder, “Rowe’s Argument from Particular Horrors”Chapter 21: Reflections on God and Human SufferingNicholas Wolterstorff, “The Silence of the God Who Speaks”Suggestions for Further StudyPart Five: Divine Language and AttributesIntroductionChapter 22: Speaking of GodThomas Aquinas, “Speaking of God”Dan R. Stiver, “‘The Greatest Thing by Far’: Metaphor as the Hermeneutical Key to Hermeneutics”Elizabeth Burns, “Classical and Revisionary Theism on the Divine as Personal”Chapter 23: Does God Suffer?Johannes Scotus Eriugena, “Divine Impassibility”Nicholas Wolterstorff, “Suffering Love”Chapter 24: PrayerThomas Aquinas, “Whether It Is Becoming to Pray”Eleonore Stump, “Petitionary Prayer”Chapter 25: Is There a Hell?Stephen T. Davis, “Universalism, Hell, and the Fate of the Ignorant”Marilyn McCord Adams, “The Problem of Hell: A Problem of Evil For Christians”Chapter 26: Religious PluralismJohn Hick, “The Philosophy of Religious Pluralism”Peter van Inwagen, “Non Est Hick”Jeanine Diller, “Multiple Religious Orientation”Chapter 27: Feminist TheologyPatricia Altenbernd Johnson, “Feminist Christian Philosophy?”Harriet Baber, “Why Feminist Epistemology Sells”Chapter 28: Reflections on Divine Language & AttributesStephen T. Davis, “Three Conceptions of God in Contemporary Christian Philosophy”Suggestions for Further StudyPart Six: Chinese Philosophy of ReligionIntroductionChapter 29: The Ancient Texts“The Announcement to the Prince of Kang”The Book of RitesThe Book of OdesThe Analects The Daode Jing of LaoziChapter 30: “Confucian” ReligionKelly James Clark and Justin Winslett, “The Evolutionary Psychology of Chinese Religion”Robert B. Louden, “‘What Does Heaven Say?’: Tian 天 in the Analects”Ronnie Littlejohn, “Confucius on Religious Experience”Chapter 31: Reflections in the Daode JingFranklin Perkins, “Divergences within the Lǎozǐ”Chapter 32: Ritual, Religion and NaturalismEdward J. Machle, “Xunzi as a Religious Philosopher”Sor-Hoon Tan, “Li (Ritual/Rite) and Tian (Heaven/Nature) in the Xunzi: Does Confucian Li Need Metaphysics?”Suggestions for Further Study

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Book SynopsisThe heart in the Islamic understanding is the expression of a human being's spiritual existence. It is a Divine gift and Divine subtle faculty bestowed upon humanity. It is a polished mirror reflecting God. Like a general, the heart commands all other bodily organs and faculties, which are its troops, Everything that comes from a human being, whether good or bad, is a product of the heart. Mehmet Y. Seker, a scholar of Sufism and tasawwuf, studies the concept of the heart in the Islamic tradition looking at how it is approached by three prominent scholars and thinkers of Islam: Ghazali, Said Nursi, and Fethullah Gulen. Being the first in English to take as its focus the human heart from an Islamic spiritual, this book comparatively analyzes classical and modern age interpretations and evaluations on the concept and adds to the rich literature of spirituality in the Islamic tradition.

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Book SynopsisReprint. Journey of Self-Discovery is a collection of transcribed conversations and lectures by Srila Prabhupada on a variety of subjects, including the means for achieving global unity, the myth of scarcity, spiritual economics, superior evolutionary models, and predictions of the future state of the world.Many of these pieces previously appeared in Back to Godhead magazine, and helpfully address the doubts that inevitably arise for those new to the Vedic view of reality.While Srila Prabhupada published definitive, scholarly translations and commentaries on some of the world''s most important ancient textsBhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Chaitanya Charitamritahis printed talks found here in Journey of Self-Discovery capture the humorous, refreshing flavor of his lively debating style. With 8 col. illustrations.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis book is about all the suffering and death produced by natural processes like tsunamis, genetic disorders, extreme weather events, even before climate change, and the whole evolutionary process leading to all living things on the planet. (The book is not about the violence men and women wilfully do to each other and to the planet.) Many people find all this suffering and death due to natural processes hard to reconcile with the belief that these natural processes are created by a God who is all powerful, all knowing and wholly good. They expect such a God to create a different kind of universe without such suffering and death. The actual universe contradicts the universe expected. This is good enough reason for many people to decide to give up believing in God who is the creator of these natural processes. The book is an invitation for people to revisit that decision. The book comes from the author co-designing and co-lecturing with his atheist colleagues in History and Philosop

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Book SynopsisClaudio Moreschini focuses on selected and as yet still understudied aspects of Boethius' life and works. He presents Boethius in the culture of the sixth century in Italy, outlines his great cultural project and discusses the problem of his Christian faith. The Consolatio Philosophiae is examined from the point of view of Latin Platonism, highlighting the aims of its poetry and its philosophical tenets. Moreschini also shows how Boethius combined Christian faith and philosophy in order to solve theological issues, most notably the Christological debates of his times or the question of the Trinity.

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Book SynopsisBennie H. Reynolds analyzes of the language (poetics) of ancient Jewish historical apocalypses. He investigates how the dramatis personae, i.e., deities, angels/demons, and humans are described in the Book of Daniel (chapters 2, 7, 8, and 10-12) the Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85-90), 4QFourKingdoms(a-b) ar, the Book of the Words of Noah (1QapGen 5 29-18?), the Apocryphon of Jeremiah C, and 4QPseudo-Daniel(a-b) ar. The primary methodologies for this study are linguistic- and motif-historical analysis and the theoretical framework is informed by a wide range of ancient and modern thinkers including Artemidorus of Daldis, Ferdinand de Saussure, Charles Peirce, Leo Oppenheim, Claude Levi-Strauss, and Umberto Eco. The most basic contention of this study is that the data now available from the Dead Sea Scrolls significantly alter how one should conceive of the genre apocalypse in the Hellenistic Period. This basic contention is borne out by five primary conclusions. For example, while some apocalypses employ symbolic language to describe the actors in their historical reviews, others use non-symbolic language. Some texts, especially from the Book of Daniel, are mixed cases. Among the apocalypses that use symbolic language, a limited and stable repertoire of symbols obtain across the genre and bear witness to a series of conventional associations. While several apocalypses do not use symbolic ciphers to encode their historical actors, they often use cryptic language that may have functioned as a group-specific language. The language of apocalypses indicates that these texts were not the domain of only one social group or even one type or size of social group.

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Book SynopsisIn democracies of advanced plurality, religion is a contested and powerful part of public discussions and practices. Today, religious difference is articulated and negotiated controversially in interaction with other spheres of society. While there are clear tendencies of increasing polarization, we also encounter moments of acknowledgement and appreciation of plurality. Facing these complexities and challenges of our time, this volume scrutinizes contested practices where religious difference matters.Committed to an interdisciplinary exchange between theology, the study of religion and political philosophy, this volume is grounded in the attention for concrete practices and phenomena as well as the conviction that difference is both a productive concept and an enriching experience. Exploring practices of shared places, sexuality, justice and the commitment to the human being in education, migration and violent conflicts, the volume as a whole contributes to the analysis of contested social and political practices in order to investigate the significance and role of religion in contemporary societies, and thus it further develops theoretical reflection about religion in contemporary research.

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Book SynopsisIn this thesis, the phenomenon of fundamental hope is understood as atmosphere. As a metaphor, hope as atmosphere finds a new expression of hope other than the light-metaphor that dominates the discourse of hope. Hope is not only the light that illuminates the dark moments of life, but also, more fundamentally, in the air, it lies in the sphere in-between and saturates each life experience and every living moment. As an existential reality, hope as atmosphere reveals our hopeful way of atmospheric co-existence. Communal love constitutes the ground of this hopeful co-existence, it keeps the hopeful co-existence constantly refreshed and open, guaranteeing more possibilities of hope. On the basis of communal love, hopeful co-existence shows its ontological meaning as a way towards life. The thesis of hope as atmosphere finds resonance and expression not only in Christian trinitarianly based understanding of hope, but also in the most central doctrine of co-humanity in Confucianism.

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Book SynopsisThis wide-ranging collection of academic essays examines the various undertakings by modern intellectuals and ideologues in the process of propaganda and political debate. Matthew Feldman calls attention to the substantial role played in post-Great War Europe and the US by religionsboth familiar monotheisms like Christianity and secular political faiths -- over the last century of upheaval and revolutionary change. While the first part considers Ezra Pound as a case study in fascist ʼconversion in Mussolinis Italy, leading to extensive propaganda, the second half examines other fascist ideologues like Martin Heidegger to fascist murderer Anders Behring Breivik, before turning to other leading ideologies in modern Europe and the US, communism and liberalism, covering key figures from Thomas Merton and Albert Camus to the Russian Constructionists and Samuel Beckett, with especial focus on the subjects of modern warfare, political terrorism, and genocide, ranging from Stalinist gulags to the war in Iraq. With thought-provoking discussion of the interplay between belief and modern politics as understood by familiar intellectual voices, this volume will be of interest to scholars and general readers alike.Trade Review"We all know Kafkas letter about the effect books should exert: 'If the book we're reading doesn't wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for?' This question underpins Matthew Feldmans ethical rigor. With a slap in the face or a blow to the head,Politics, Ideology, and Faithreminds us of the need to reopen old and new archives so as to assess key texts of modernism and recent acts of terrorism. One needs to examine to what degree they have been tainted by fascism, denial, totalitarianism, and intolerance. There is a lot to learn from these courageous explorations of the darker sides of our modern and contemporary culture." Professor Jean-Michel Rabaté, University of Pennsylvania, American Academy of the Arts and Sciences

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