Philosophy of Religion

St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument

Understanding the concept of God logically requires accepting God’s existence

St. Aquinas

The world needs an ultimate cause/intelligence

Hume for God

everything needs a cause

Hume Against God

we can imagine things that exist or don’t exist

Pascal’s Wager

Reason alone cannot prove God, and individuals require betting. It is smarter to believe because the rewards outweigh the risks

Plantinga’s Basic Belief

believing in God is natural, and that God created humans with a divine sense. Doubt is a defect

Hume’s Epicurus Riddle

If God is all-powerful and good, why is there evil?

Mackie’s Logical Problem of Evil

Pointless suffering should not exist if God exists

Plantinga's free will defense

God values freedom, and so evil can exist without disproving his goodness

Hick’s Soul-making theodicy

Life is a journey about developing virtues through struggle. Evil is used in character development

Divine Hiddenness

God does not want to force us to believe. Faith must remain a free and genuine choice