BL51.E97

Preface; Introduction; PART I: THE CONCEPT OF GOD; 1. God and Goodness - James Rachels; 2. God's Omnipotence - George Mavrodes; 3. God's Foreknowledge and Free Will - Augustine; 4. God's Omniscience and Contingent Events - Levi Gersonides; 5. Does God Know the Future? - Steven M. Cahn; 6. Does God Change? - William Hacker; 7. God and Forgiveness - Anne C. Minas; 8. God and the Concept of Worship - James Rachels; PART II: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD; 9. The Ontological Argument - Anselm and Gaunilo; 10. The Ontological Argument : A Restatement - Rene Descartes; 11. The Ontological Argument: A Critique - Immanuel Kant; 12. The Ontological Argument: An Assessment - John H. Hick; 13. The Five Ways - Thomas Aquinas; 14. The Cosmological Argument - Richard Taylor; 15. The Cosmological Argument: An Assessment - John H. Hick; 16. The Argument to Design - William Paley; 17. The Argument to Design and the Problem of Evil - David Hume; 18. The Problem of Evil - John H. Hick; 19. A Defense of Atheism - Ernest Nagel; 20. Why God Allows Evil - Richard Swinburne; 21. Suffering and Evil - George Schlesinger; 22. A Reply to Schlesinger - Jeremy Gwiazda; 23. Theism and Modern Science - Nicholas Everitt; PART III: RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE; 24. Negative Attributes - Moses Maimonides; 25. The Use of Analogy - Thomas Aquinas; 26. The Inadequacy of Analogy - F. C. Copleston; 27. Positive Attributes - Levi Gersonides; 28. Experience and Metaphor - Janet Martin Soskice; 29. Metaphors Without Meaning - Paul Edwards; PART IV: MIRACLES AND MYSTICISM; 30. Of Miracles - David Hume; 31. On Miracles - Paul J. Dietl; 32. Mysticism - William James; 33. Perceiving God - William Alston; 34. Perceiving God: A Critique - William L. Rowe; PART V: BELIEF IN GOD; 35. The Wager - Blaise Pascal; 36. Pascal's Wager: A Critique - Simon Blackburn; 37. The Ethics of Belief - W. K. Clifford; 38. The Will to Believe - William James; 39. The Will to Believe: A Critique - Nicholas Everitt; 40. Belief Without Argument - Alvin Plantinga; 41. Belief Without Argument: A Critique - Michael Martin; 42. Faith - Richard Taylor; 43. Faith and Reason - Michael Scriven; 44. Theology and Falsification - Anthony Flew, R. M. Hare, and Basil Mitchell; 45. The Hiddenness of God - Robert McKim; PART VI: RESURRECTION AND IMMORTALITY; 46. Resurrection - John H. Hick; 47. Life After Death - Terence Penelhum; 48. Do We Need Immortality? - Grace M. Jantzen; PART VII: RELIGIOUS PLURALISM; 49. The Dimensions of Religion - Ninian Smart; 50. Religious Pluralism and Salvation - John H. Hick; 51. A Defense of Religious Exclusivism - Alvin Plantinga; 52. Religion Versus the Religious - John Dewey; Conclusion; Appendix: God, Reason, and Religion - Steven M. Cahn

In this remarkably accessible, concise, and engaging introduction to the philosophy of religion, Steven M. Cahn brings together a rich and balanced collection of fifty-two classic and contemporary readings. Most importantly, he has carefully edited the articles to ensure that they will be understandable to undergraduate students. Organized topically, the volume covers seven major areas: the concept of God, the existence of God, religious language, miracles and mysticism, belief in God, resurrection and immortality, and religious pluralism. Ideal for basic courses in the philosophy of religion, Exploring Philosophy of Religion: An Introductory Anthology features selections from Augustine, Anselm, Maimonides, Thomas Aquinas, David Hume, William James, John H. Hick, Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, Richard Swinburne, and many others. Each reading is preceded by a detailed introduction and enhanced by explanatory notes. In addition, the text includes as an appendix Cahn's provocative and illuminating overview of the field--"God, Reason, and Religion"--which provides a synthesis and interpretation of the key issues raised in the readings.