Reason & Religious Belief

"I believe that Reason and Religious Belief is the best text available for an introductory philosophy of religion course. One of the greatest strengths is its fair representation of differing positions and approaches to problems. The level is just right for my purposes--introducing students to philosophy of religion in a way that challenges them."--Gordon Pettit, Western Illinois University"The treatments of opposing viewpoints are fair and well balanced. The writing style is superb: consistently economical, engaging, and clear."--Gary Rosenkrantz, University of North Carolina at Greensboro"This is an excellent book, in my view the best available for use in philosophy of religion survey courses. It covers all the general topics likely to be covered in such courses, and then some."--Clyde P. Ragland, Saint Louis University"I would recommend this book to anyone teaching philosophy of religion."--Kevin Carnahan, Central Methodist University

• 1. THINKING ABOUT GOD: THE SEARCH FOR THE DIVINE; 2. THE NATURE OF RELIGION: WHAT ARE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ABOUT?; 3. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ENCOUNTER THE DIVINE?; 4. FAITH AND REASON: HOW ARE THEY RELATED?; 5. THEISTIC ARGUMENTS: WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR GOD'S EXISTENCE?; 6. KNOWING GOD WITHOUT ARGUMENTS: DOES THEISM NEED A BASIS?; 7. THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES: WHAT IS GOD LIKE?; 8. DIVINE ACTION: HOW DOES GOD RELATE TO THE WORLD?; 9. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE AGAINST GOD'S EXISTENCE?; 10. MIRACLES: DOES GOD INTERVENE IN EARTHLY AFFAIRS?; 11. LIFE AFTER DEATH: ARE THERE REASONS FOR HOPE?; 12. RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE: HOW CAN WE SPEAK MEANINGFULLY OF GOD?; 13. RELIGION AND SCIENCE: ARE THEY COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE?; 14. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY: HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND DIFFERENCES AMONG RELIGIONS?; 15. RELIGIOUS ETHICS: HOW IS GOD RELATED TO MORALITY?; 16. THE CONTINUING QUEST: GOD AND THE HUMAN VENTURE