7. Philosophy of Religion II

Chapter 7 Philosophy of Religion II: Faith, Reason and Belief; The Implications of God's Existence

Faith, Reason and Belief

  • Reason:

    • Human intellect abilities.

    • Capacity to form beliefs based on evidence (empirical or rational).

  • Faith:

    • A set of beliefs not supported by evidence; extends beyond available evidence.

    • Considered a gift from God—supernatural in nature.

Pascal’s Wager

  • Blaise Pascal's Pensees:

    • If God exists, He is beyond human comprehension, making rational arguments for belief unreliable.

    • Asserts it is reasonable to assume God exists.

    • Choice must be made: either believe in God or reject Him.

    • Wager:

      • If you believe in God and He exists, you gain everything; if He does not exist, you lose nothing.

  • Inability to Believe:

    • Derives from emotional conditions that must be changed to accept God's existence.

  • Objections to Pascal's Wager:

    • Appeals to self-interest suggest belief is not genuine.

    • Consideration of multiple paths to belief—what of other options?

Reformed Epistemology

  • Religious beliefs accepted based on personal experience of God.

  • Opposes the notion that faith only relies on pure reason.

  • Plantinga:

    • A proponent of Reformed Epistemology, influenced by Herman Bavinck.

    • Claims people believe in God based on experience, not only through arguments.

    • Emphasizes Scriptures as foundation for belief rather than reason or faith.

  • Existence of Self & External World:

    • Belief in existence affirmed without arguments.

Plantinga's Insights

  • John Calvin's View:

    • Everyone has an inherent "sense of deity"; sin obstructs our awareness of God.

    • Daily revelations of God can be perceived through our experiences.

    • The existence of God is innately known—arguments are unnecessary.

  • Objection to Reformed Epistemology:

    • Variability of God experience across different contexts (Robert Pargetter).

Fideism

  • Definition:

    • Religious beliefs cannot be rationally assessed.

  • Radical Fideism (Soren Kierkegaard):

    • Discussed in Concluding Unscientific Postscript under pseudonym Johannes Climacus.

    • The search for God is time-wasting, as one may die without belief before finding.

    • Instead, one should accept God at any cost.

  • Objections:

    • Question of criteria for belief commitment without reason.

    • Unexamined beliefs can lead to disastrous consequences (e.g., Jim Jones and mass suicide).

The Implications of God’s Existence: The Problem of Evil

  • Challenge to Faith:

    • The problem of evil presents the greatest challenge to belief in God.

  • Types of Evil:

    • Moral evil (resulting from human actions).

    • Natural evil (e.g., natural disasters).

  • Coexistence of two statements:

    • Evil exists in the world.

    • God exists (Omniscient, Omnipotent, Good).

  • Theodicy:

    • Technical term for addressing the problem of evil.

  • Free Will Defense (Plantinga):

    • Some evils are inevitable for the greater goods that exist.

Complexity of the Problem of Evil

  • Theistic view states God is omnipotent and benevolent—why, then, is there evil?

  • Observations about world conditions—pain, suffering, and arbitrary destruction.

  • Questions arise regarding God's allowance of such evil occurrences.

Miracles

  • Definition of a Miracle:

    • Acts of God that violate natural laws and lack rational explanation.

    • Hume's definition: as a "Violation of the Law of Nature by a Divine Agent (God)."

  • Hume's Objections:

    • Miracles are improbable and unreasonable to believe due to their definition as violations of natural laws.

Religion and Morality: Divine Command Ethics

  • Concept:

    • What God commands is inherently morally good.

  • Example of Divine Command:

    • God's command to sacrifice His son as a moral directive.