Introduction to the Philosophy of Western Religion

What will you learn. How the God of the Abrahamic faiths is defined and possible tensions or contradictions in that definition, including the problem of evil. The three classical arguments for the existence of God: the ontological, teleological and cosmological, and some problems with these.

The level of meaning on which religious language might be said to operate as either making claims about the world or as simply expressing a worldview and how religious language should be evaluated. Who is this course for. This course gives an introduction to the Philosophy of (Western) Religion and can be studied by those who have never studied Philosophy before.

It focuses on the God of the Abrahamic religions - that is the God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam - how he might be defined and how his existence might be argued for. It does not cover any Eastern religions. It will appeal to those who are simply interested in the topic; those teaching the topic who want fresh ideas on how to explain the Philosophy of Religion, or those wanting to take an A level qualification in Philosophy.

What does the course cover. Theology looks at debates within a religion, often assessing the meaning of particular passages in religious texts; the inclusion or disqualification of certain documents from the main text, and discussing the doctrine advanced by leading clergy. Philosophy of Religion, by contrast asks broader questions which sit outside these concerns, such as the way God might be defined, whether religious language has a special status or operates on the same level as everyday language, and what arguments might be made for and against God's existence.