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.

This course is structured so these questions are posed and answered in the most logical order. It begins by discussing the nature of the God, outlining the various qualities God is said to have by the Abrahamic religions, without getting into any theological debates such as the existence of the trinity. After outlining those qualities it discusses whether God's definition is coherent and whether it is consistent with the state of the world. The problem of evil for instance, is given particular attention. This is the issue of how it is possible for a wholly benevolent, all-knowing and all-powerful God to allow evil to exist in the world. The next section covers the three classical arguments for the existence of God. These are the ontological, the teleological and the cosmological. A few variations of each as well as criticisms of them are discussed, including Paley's famous divine watchmaker argument and St Aquinas' assertion that God is the unmoved mover who set the events of the universe in train. The last section of the course looks at the debates of Philosophy of Religion from another angle, asking whether religious language ought to be be taken as expressing factual claims about the world or as metaphorical and so simply expressing values and emotions. The course explores the views of those who believe that religious statements should be treated in the same way as scientific claims and of those who assert religious language operates on a different level of meaning. It also probes the limits of our knowledge, exploring the eschatological verification principle and the problem of induction.

The course is structured to be interactive, with activities spread throughout and a multiple choice quiz after each section. Information is delivered mainly through narrated slideshows. Each slide includes images that have been paired with the ideas and concepts discussed to help make the material easier to understand and remember. There is also a transcript of each video to help you follow the material and know how to spell new terms. If any topic particularly takes your interest then you can access the additional resources section of each lecture, which will enable you to explore further. There is also a discussion group where you can discuss the ideas and concepts you will be studying.

The syllabus covered in this course is that listed in the AQA's 7172 A Level Philosophy syllabus for the 'Metaphysics of God' module. Further information on how this qualification is structured and assessed are attached to the introductory lecture. I have covered material from the 'Metaphysics of Mind' module in my Udemy course 'Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind'. The A Level's 2 other modules are covered in my  courses Introduction to Epistemology (Philosophy of Knowledge) and Introduction to Moral Philosophy.