Questions tagged [philosophy-of-religion]

Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship of religion and science. Note that term is somewhat ambiguous as questions regarding atheism, secular humanism and agnosticism is included in the discipline.

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Why should I seek to determine the ultimate nature of reality (i.e. whether God exists or not)?

Here is my argument: Until recently, I considered the pursuit (and eventual determination) of the ultimate nature of reality to be one of the most (if not the most) important goals for me. This is ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
171 views

Decades ago Dr. Eugene Scott said, "God's knowledge is a function of his power. He can know whatever he wants to know." Is this coherent?

Dr. Eugene Scott said, "God's knowledge is a function of his power. He can know whatever he wants to know." Is this coherent? I thought this was a noncontroversial statement, but I was told ...
Steve Busby's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
21 views

Does super-essentiality preclude compatibility with Anaxagoras?

On the one hand, God as superessential implies: Part of God's divine nature is to be found in humans, and indeed all things This seems to be consonant with the view of the cosmos held by Anaxagoras: ...
Arash Howaida's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
124 views

A Case of Scheler vs. Skepticism: Religious Experience

This concerns a problem I myself have with Scheler, and am not sure where to go with it. Scheler argues in On the Eternal in Man that one cannot dismiss religious experience (or as he calls it, "...
Hokon's user avatar
  • 502
2 votes
7 answers
228 views

If we can't know whether a divine being exists, would that being be unimportant even if it did exist?

This is what I thought at first (by "objectively important," we mean this in the sense of naive moral realism, at least): If there were an ultimately powerful, knowledgeable, and good being,...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
-1 votes
3 answers
138 views

Is american libertarianism a religion?

It seems to fit definition of religion a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith Which would make it like idol worship, the idol being the market. One could dispute that ...
user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
164 views

Is religious authority justified?

Is religious authority justified? I mean religious broadly thought, as something that may be a mystic non-inferential claim (and I'm especially interesting in these). An inference is the process of ...
prof_post's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
40 views

Who wrote this uncited quote?

The following uncited quotation appears in The Early Modern European Catachism by Joshua Gibbs. He includes many quotes from philosophy and literature but does not cite any of his sources. Would ...
Phineas Greene's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
47 views

Which future cyber religion do you think would appeal more to contemporary society and why? [closed]

Let's consider a hypothetical scenario where in future people organize new forms of religion or pseudoreligion if you wish based on an advanced AI development. Church of Digital Ascendancy The Church ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
61 views

Reconciling Parmenides with the Kabbalist notion of Ein Sof

While contrasting the ontological systems of Parmenides and Kabbalists may seem arbitrary, I hope it will not be fruitless. For now, I'm aiming to examine one specific concept: Ein Sof. As wiki puts ...
Arash Howaida's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

Is mysticism a confusion of language?

Is mysticism a confusion of language, in Wittgenstein's sense? You'd have thought it was, especially if it makes any positive claims. But does it not ever "show" things, ever?
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2 votes
6 answers
255 views

Is a miracle the only possible evidence for the supernatural?

Is a literal violation of a current law of nature the only way we can point to a potential divine explanation? This is not to say that a violation of a current law of nature necessarily implies a ...
thinkingman's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
105 views

Secrets/Esotericism in Mysticism

Some Western mystical traditions have an element of esotericism or secrecy, restrictions on who can learn the mysteries and how. For example, Judaism traditionally restricts the Kabbalah to men above ...
Unaffiliated Research's user avatar
3 votes
6 answers
150 views

Which philosophical ethics frameworks are compatible/incompatible with a literal, eternal Hell?

In Judeo-Christian religions it is usually taught that those who commit sin i.e. evil will suffer some sort of eternal damnation like burning for eternity in hell. My concern is to understand the ...
Ogweno Emmanuel's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
109 views

Doesn't fallibilism complexify Pascal's wager further?

We can never know whether we have accumulated all the knowledge in the world or not. This is a general statement. For example, a powerful counterargument against the contingency argument might exist ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

How do adherents to Plantinga's "free-will defense" against the problem of evil explain that God is free and immune to moral evil at the same time?

The free-will defense is an argument commonly attributed to Alvin Plantinga, who developed it as a response to the logical problem of evil. However, in developing this argument Plantinga unwittingly ...
Mark's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
96 views

Under what conceptions of God does it follow that we necessarily are in "the best of all possible worlds"?

My personal take on this question is that it would follow that we are living in "the best of all possible worlds" if God were a utilitarian, that is, if we viewed God as an agent making ...
Mark's user avatar
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14 votes
9 answers
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Should I trust my own thoughts when studying philosophy?

I sometimes find myself disagreeing with Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy or other seasoned philosophers. However, I am scared to trust my own thoughts lest my ideas are erroneous. I do not know ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
160 views

Can the Christian God be a Utilitarian?

I've been entertaining the idea that the Christian God might be utilitarian, after noticing many correlations between things that the Christian God commands or desires and things that promote ...
Mark's user avatar
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4 votes
5 answers
766 views

How should one treat probability in taking a decision?

Suppose, I have a machine that accurately gives me the probability of any event occuring. It's obvious what to do when The probabilities are 0.5 and 0.5 (Do nothing) The probabilities are 0 and 1 (...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
1 vote
5 answers
185 views

Is there something a little artificial about 'miracles'?

A miracle is something that is currently inexplicable by the laws of nature: statues crying blood; the resurrection of the dead; turning water into wine; etc.. Suppose I can accurately guess the ...
user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
124 views

The Ethics of Finding Comfort in Religion: Balancing Personal Benefits and Societal Harm

Is it morally justifiable for individuals to continue practicing a religion solely for the psychological comfort it provides, while turning a blind eye to the potential dangers of the religion's power ...
Mersault stephan's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
144 views

Identification of light with existence and darkness with non-existence [closed]

Is it true that in ancient times many thinkers identified light with existence (essence), and darkness with non-existence? Examples include Pythagoreanism, Neoplatonism, the ontology of light as-...
ggk hj's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
2 answers
162 views

"We will never have the answers to everything, and God could be an answer to something, so a God may exist" as an argument against anti-theism?

"We will never have the answers to every question and every unexplained occurrence, and a God may be involved in the explanation to the unexplained answer(s), so we cannot completely assert its ...
creamedcheese83's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
126 views

What have philosophers said or what stances are there on what religion is? [closed]

Religion has a relation to the individual and society, and it gets into the way of thinking of many people from the past and at present times. What is religion from the point of view of philosophy?
Emile.'s user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
165 views

I'm a new polytheist. What does it mean for me to believe in a god?

Please pardon me about that I'm concealing my religious background to prevent a flame-war. Though I've never lost my faith, the faith has been changing for recent times. For now, I seem to be ...
Dannyu NDos's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Voltaire "if god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" what does it mean?

Voltaire said "if god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him". What is the context or meaning of that quotation? Religion(or existence of god) gives us many advantages? Or, is he ...
Vito's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
4 answers
135 views

What is the correct counter argument, if there is one, to a uniqueness argument for design?

I have a friend who argued that Islam is true because the Qur'an is a unique piece of literature. Apparently, the textual styles of the book are unique in such a way that no other book can be ...
thinkingman's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
191 views

Request for a philosopher/mathematician that arrives at a wicked God as the only solution to the problem of evil using formal logic

I was reading the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and stumbled upon this paragraph on Chapter 12 (translation is mine because the book is in spanish): And thus, monotheism explains order, but is ...
user avatar
5 votes
10 answers
1k views

Tension Between Absolutism and Relativism: How to Choose?

When making decisions where one option imposes an importance on itself, it becomes paradoxical to try and decide between them. To summarize my thought process with an analogy: You are at a crossroads,...
Mustafa's user avatar
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0 votes
4 answers
147 views

If we accept that living things have a soul, when and where does that happen?

I identify myself as a Christian, but I'm not posting this on Christianity because almost all religions have a definition for soul. The Latin word "anima" was "something" they ...
Bogdan Floareș's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

Is Religion Necessary for Communism? [closed]

For example, Karl Marx wasn't anti religion, but he was irreligious, as such a fan of Communism I wondered how this is, as the ideas of communism fall in line with the teachings of Jesus. I'm just ...
Exenri's user avatar
  • 39
1 vote
2 answers
176 views

Is there a term that indicates disbelief in human "soul" or "spirit"?

Most Atheists, I think, would deny the existence of a human "soul" in the Cartesian sense. However, the defining characteristic of Atheism is disbelief in God or gods. As per Wikipedia: ...
Him's user avatar
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-1 votes
2 answers
83 views

How can I optimize the attributes of God?

The Problem The three traditional attributes of God (in whichever tradition it is) are omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. Under the assumption that reasonable discussion of God is possible,...
R. Burton's user avatar
  • 135
12 votes
17 answers
8k views

Is Andalusi/Rasmussen's proof for the existence of God correct?

Summary of his argument: Every limited thing's existence has a cause. The universe is limited. Therefore, the universe's existence must have a cause. Now, naturally, the question arises: what caused ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
90 views

Comprehensive list of philosophical categories regarding God in history

I might be wrong about some definitions, but to give some examples: Some people beleive that God does not exist (atheists) While some say they don't know about it (Agnostics) Yet others say God ...
Saeed Neamati's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

What is the distinction between Ancient Philosophy and Religion?

I'm currently reading Pierre Hadot book What is "Ancient Philosophy?" (Qu'est-ce que la philosophie antique?) and as I reach the third part of the book i can't stop thinking about, how ...
ArielK's user avatar
  • 43
2 votes
1 answer
182 views

Lumen naturale, Lumen gratiae, Lumen fidei, what are they?

Unfortunately, I'm unable to locate a good source to cite on these terms you see in the question title. Below is a short abstract based on Google. Natural light (lumen naturale), equivalent to lumen ...
Agent Smith's user avatar
  • 2,860
2 votes
4 answers
276 views

What is a person who believes in a creator but does not accept that organized religion describes the creator's attributes?

I hope this is the right stack exchange: there is no "religion" only "christianity" that I can see. It seems very reasonable to me that many scientists accept that the creation of ...
releseabe's user avatar
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14 votes
10 answers
2k views

Do all religions summarise into the same principle?

I have read, a highly revered mystic and ascetic of Hinduism -- Lord Ramakrishna, the Guru of Swami Vivekananda, had a worldview that every religion is true and every religion eventually leads to God. ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
111 views

How does methodological naturalism deal with appeals to abstract objects like logical truths, mathematical truths, or natural kinds?

A core component of the modern scientific worldview and the beliefs of people and governments in western liberal democracies is that methodological naturalism is true. It is essential to scientific ...
Kenneth Goetz's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
109 views

Is realism an integral part of Classical Theism?

Classical Theism is one of the main forms of monotheism, and dominant in at least Christianity. It says that God has aseity and also is immanent, transcendent, simple, immutable, impassable, and ...
curiousdannii's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
115 views

If we assume there is something of my mental life after death, what means, without authority, do we have to decide what? [closed]

If we assume there is something of my mental life after death, what means, without authority, do we have to decide what? So, in effect, how do we decide about who's vision of an "afterlife" ...
user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
573 views

Is incest morally wrong if it is between only consenting adults, and there is no chance of offspring? [duplicate]

If two fully consenting adults engage in incest, and one or both of them are most definitely infertile, and neither of them are in any other romantic or sexual relationship requiring loyalty, is it ...
Someone's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
131 views

Mixing of people and peace [closed]

I would like to know people's opinions on the following philosophical question. Is It necessary for people belonging to different populations to mix in order to ensure peace among them? What is ...
Joselin Jocklingson's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
41 views

Free will and determinism [duplicate]

If God knows everything including the future, then we have no free will and if he doesn't, it’s a flaw of him and it's in contradiction with God's definition. How can we get away from this conflict?
mehrdad's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
34 views

In the Doctrine of Virtue, does Kant accidentally encode a solution to the redemption problem from his theory of radical evil?

The set-up. Having identified original sin as an inversion of our maxims vs. their intended order of priority, Kant goes on to note that the nature of radical evil makes it empirically impossible to ...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
271 views

Belief, in 'divine madness'

Theia mania (Ancient Greek: θεία μανία) is a term used by Plato in his dialogue Phaedrus to describe a condition of divine madness (unusual behavior attributed to the intervention of a God). Do ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
62 views

Which philosophers, if any, have claimed that a limited amount of evil is possible? [closed]

In Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves, there is a footnote somewhere that quotes an unidentified source as saying something like, "The Messiah will not come until the Tears of Esau have ceased ...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
97 views

What is a word that categories and subsumes religion, philosophy, and spirituality?

I saw the question What is the difference between philosophy and religion? which is interesting, but I am wondering what is a concept or term which categorizes/bundles all the meanings of philosophy, ...
Lance's user avatar
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