Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion (Contemporary Debates in Philosophy)

Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion features newly commissioned debates on some of the most controversial issues in the field. Is evil evidence against belief in God? Does science discredit religion? Is God’s existence the best explanation of the universe? Is morality based on God’s commands? Is eternal damnation compatible with the Christian concept of God? Features debates focusing on each of twelve of the most controversial issues in the field. Includes essays, replies, and rejoinders especially commissioned for this volume. Contributors include William Alston, Lynne Rudder Baker, Peter Byrne, Richard Gale, William Hasker, Janine Marie Idziak, Michael Martin, Del Ratzsch, William Rowe, John Worrall, Keith Yandell, Dean Zimmerman, and many others. Preface Part 1 Attacks on Religious Belief: 1 Is Evil Evidence against Belief in God? Evil Is Evidence against Theistic Belief (Purdue University) William L. Rowe Evil Does Not Make Atheism More Reasonable than Theism (Western Washington University) (Purdue University) Daniel Howard-Snyder and Michael Bergmann Reply to Howard-Snyder and BergmannReply to Rowe 2 Does Divine Hiddenness Justify Atheism? Divine Hiddenness Justifies Atheism (Mount Saint Vincent University) J.L. Schellenberg Divine Hiddenness Does Not Justify Atheism (Loyola University, Chicago) Paul K. Moser Reply to MoserReply to Schellenberg 3 Does Science Discredit Religion? Science Discredits Religion (London School of Economics) John Worrall The Demise of Religion: Greatly Exaggerated Reports from the Science/Religion Wars (Calvin College) Del Ratzsch Reply to Ratzsch Replay to Worrall Part 2 Arguments for Religious Belief 4 Is God 's Existence the Best Explanation of the Universe? Explanation and the Cosmological Argument (Augsburg College) Bruce R. Reichenbach Why Traditional Cosmological Arguments Don 't Work, and a Sketch of a New One that Does (University of Pittsburgh) Richard Gale Reply to GaleReply to Reichenbach 5 Does Religious Experience Justify Religious Belief? Religious Experience Justifies Religious Belief (Syracuse University) William P. Alston Do Mystics See God? (University of Iowa) Evan Fales Reply to FalesReply to Alston 6 Is It Rational for Christians to Believe in the Resurrection? It Is Rational to Believe in the Resurrection (Claremont McKenna College) Stephen T. Davis It Is Not Rational to Believer in the Resurrection (Boston University) Michael Martin Reply to MartinReply to Davis Part 3 Issues within Religion 7 Can Only One Religion Be True? How to Sink in Cognitive Quicksand: Nuancing Religious Pluralism (University of Wisconsin) Keith E. Yandell It Is Not Reasonable to Believer that Only One Religion is True (King 's College, University of London) Peter Byrne Reply to Byrne Reply to Yandell 8 Does God Take Risks in Governing the World? God Takes Risks (Huntington College) William Hasker God Does Not Take Risks (Regent College) Paul Helm Reply to HelmReply to Hasker 9 Does God Respond to Petitionary Prayer? God Responds to Prayer (Franklin and Marshall College) Michael J. Murray God Does Not Necessarily Respond to Prayer (Roberts Wesleyan College) David Basinger Reply to Basinger Reply to Murray 10 Is Eternal Damnation Compatible with the Christian Concept of God? Eternal Hell and the Christian Concept of God (Asbury Theological Seminary) Jerry Walls No Hell (Willamette University) Thomas Talbott Reply to TalbottReply to Walls 11 Is Morality Based on God 's Commands? Divine Commands Are the Foundation of Morality (Loras College) Janine Marie Idziak Ethics Is Based on Natural Law (Greenville College)| (Asbury College) Craig A. BoydcRaymond J. VanArragon Reply to Boyd and VanArragon Reply to Idziak 12 Should a Christian Be a Mind -Body Dualist? Christians Should Affirm Mind -Body Dualism (Rutgers University) Dean W. Zimmerman Christians Should Reject Mind -Body Dualism (University of Massachusetts) Lynne Rudder Baker Reply to Baker Reply to Zimmerman Index Is Evil Evidence Against Belief In God? -- A Affirmative Position / William Rowe -- Negative Position / Dan Howard-snyder And Michael Bergmann -- Does Divine Hiddenness Justify Atheism? -- Affirmative Position / John Schellenberg -- Negative Position / Paul Moser -- Does Science Discredit Religion? -- Affirmative Position / John Worrall -- Negative Position / Del Ratzsch -- Arguments For Religious Belief -- Is God's Existence The Best Explanation Of The Universe? -- Affirmative Position / Bruce Reichenbach -- Negative Position / Richard Gale -- Does Religious Experience Justify Religious Belief? -- Affirmative Position / William Alston -- Negative Position / Evan Fales -- Is It Rational For Christians To Believe In The Resurrection? -- Affirmative Position / Stephen T. Davis -- Negative Position / Michael Martin -- Issues Within Religion -- Can Only One Religion Be True? -- Affirmative Position / Keith Yandell -- Negative Position / Peter Byrne -- Does God Take Risks In Governing The World? -- Affirmative Position / William Hasker -- Negative Position / Paul Helm -- Does God Respond To Petitionary Prayer? -- Affirmative Position / Michael Murray -- Negative Position / David Basinger -- Is Eternal Damnation Compatible With The Christian Concept Of God? -- Affirmative Position / Jerry Walls -- Negative Position / Thomas Talbott -- Is Morality Based On God's Commands? -- Affirmative Position / Craig Boyd And Raymond J. Vanarragon -- Negative Position / Janine Marie Iidziak -- Should A Christian Be A Mind-body Dualist? -- Affirmative Position / Dean Zimmerman -- Negative Position / Lynne Rudder Baker. Edited By Michael L. Peterson And Raymond J. Vanarragon. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion features newly commissioned debates on some of the most controversial issues in the field. For example: Is evil evidence against belief in God? Does science discredit religion? Is God's existence the best explanation of the universe? Is eternal damnation compatible with the Christian concept of God? Is morality based on God's commands? This first title in Blackwell's Contemporary Debates in Philosophy series presents important philosophical issues in a stimulating and engaging manner. Twelve central questions are posed, with each question addressed by a pair of opposing essays. The debates range from vigorous disagreements between theists and their critics to arguments between theists of different philosophical and theological persuasions. Both students and scholars in the philosophy of religion will readily sense the value of rigorous debate for sharply defining the issues and paving the way for further progress. "This first title in Blackwell's Contemporary Debates in Philosophy series presents important philosophical issues in a stimulating and engaging manner. Twelve central questions are posed, with each question addressed by a pair of opposing essays. The debates range from vigorous disagreements between theists and their critics to arguments between theists of different philosophical and theological persuasions. Both students and scholars in the philosophy of religion will readily sense the value of rigorous debate for sharply defining the issues and paving the way for further progress."--Jacket This text offers not only an analysis of spirituality and theology in the eras of their united activity, but also a hermeneutic for the theological appropriation of spirituality and a sustained argument for the renewal of mystical theology In his essay, William Rowe claims that the existence of pervasive and horrendous evil provides strong evidence that God does not exist.