Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 College Catalog 
    
2022-2023 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PHI 140 - Philosophy of Religion

3 Credits, 3 Contact Hours
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Introduction to Western philosophical methods as applied to religion. Includes philosophical method, nature and meaning of religion and God, classical arguments, faith and reason, theodicy, mysticism, and the impact of religion on ethics, psychology, and law.

Information: Same as REL 140 .
Gen-Ed: Meets AGEC - HUM or SBS; Meets CTE - A&H or SBS.




Course Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of philosophical method.
  2. Examine the meaning of the terms “religion” and “God.”
  3. Review the classical arguments for and against the existence of God.
  4. Explain the impact of religion on ethics, psychology, and law.
  5. Examine faith and reason.
  6. Summarize the impact of theodicy.
  7. Analyze mysticism.

Outline:
  1. Philosophical Method
    1. Logic
      1. Deductive and inductive reasoning
      2. Formal and informal fallacies
    2. Analytic versus synthetic
    3. A priori versus a posteriori
    4. The problem of truth
  2. Nature and Meaning of Religion and God
    1. Religion and Theism
    2. Religion and Spirituality
    3. Anthropological, legal, philosophical, and traditional meanings of religion
    4. Possible meanings for “God”
      1. Monism
      2. Monotheism
      3. Pantheism
      4. Panetheism
      5. Polytheism
  3. Classical Arguments
    1. Anselm’s ontological argument
    2. Thomas Aquinas’ “Five Ways”
    3. Cosmological argument
    4. Teleological argument
    5. Descartes’ ontological argument
    6. Replies of Hume and Kant
  4. Impact of Religion on Ethics, Psychology, and Law
    1. Divine command theory in ethics (Good and God)
    2. Psychology
      1. Freud
      2. Jung
      3. William James
      4. Ken Wilbur
    3. Law
      1. Theocracy
      2. Constitutional issues
  5. Faith and Reason
    1. Faith as truth
    2. Rational vs. irrational
    3. Existentialism
      1. Kierkegaard
      2. Nietzsche
      3. Sartre
  6. Theodicy
    1. Definitions of evil
    2. Problem of evil
    3. God and evil
  7. Mysticism and Philosophy
    1. States and stages of consciousness
    2. Multiple intelligences
    3. Meditation and philosophy
    4. Mysticism and truth