Global Philosophy of Religion: A Short Introduction

Be the first to write a review

Overview

The author is abundantly successful in showing the importance of argument in matters of religion. I don't know of another book that does this with as much success over such a range of materials. —Professor Paul Griffiths, University of Chicago

Read More Show Less
... See more details below
Paperback
$22.50
BN.com price
(Save 9%)$24.95 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (20) from $1.99   
  • New (8) from $14.91   
  • Used (12) from $1.99   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

The author is abundantly successful in showing the importance of argument in matters of religion. I don't know of another book that does this with as much success over such a range of materials. —Professor Paul Griffiths, University of Chicago

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
Oneworld's strong presence in today's religious book market includes a series of short histories and introductions to religions and religious questions, to which these two recent volumes are welcome additions. An authority on Hinduism and comparative religion, Coward (Univ. of Victoria) here revises his 1985 survey of the great religions' approaches to pluralism by updating chapters, adding the Baha'i faith, and revising his conclusions. He examines the response of six religions to pluralism and the future of religious dialog. The only criticism of this work is that it oversimplifies complexities and, in the Baha'i case, may not have understood the underlying worldview that permits both respectful dialog and the search for converts. Runzo (Chapman Univ. & Cambridge Univ.), who is widely published on religious pluralism, reviews the major arguments and issues in religious philosophy from a global perspective. He covers the various approaches that religions take toward each other and toward arguments for and against God's existence, theodicy, life after death, science, morality, and love. Helpful text boxes present the main philosophical arguments. Both authors succeed admirably in conveying to the student and educated lay reader the philosophical and practical issues raised by the interconnected world in which many religions coexist. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries of all sizes. William P. Collins, Library of Congress Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

Table of Contents

List of figures, tables and boxes xi
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction 1
The problem of religious commitment 2
Religious epistemology 4
The World Religions 5
The relation of scientific to philosophical approaches to religion 6
Against global theology or a global philosophy of religion 8
The way of knowledge versus the way of love 9
1 Religion and Philosophy 13
What is religion? 13
What is philosophy? 21
Doing philosophy and using philosophy 23
Are philosophy and religion enemies? 24
Why religion needs philosophy 26
2 Worldviews and Religion 29
The problem of religious plurality 30
Can different worldviews be compared? 31
Exclusivism and Antipathy 34
Subjectivism and Pluralism 35
Inclusivism and Henofideism 37
A road map of world religiosity 41
3 Religious Metaphysics Without God 44
The material world versus the Transcendent 45
Buddhism and metaphysics 46
Theological realism versus religious non-realism 53
The advantages of non-theism 57
4 Religious Metaphysics with God 60
God and monotheism 60
Hindu theistic Vedanta 61
Hindu henotheism 65
YHWH, the Trinity, and Allah 68
An ontological argument for God's existence 70
The advantages of theism 76
5 A Posteriori Arguments for God's Existence 79
The nature of proofs 80
Cosmological arguments 81
Teleological arguments 85
The value of theistic "proofs" and cumulative arguments 92
6 Evil: An Argument Against Monotheism 94
The problem of evil 94
The strong formulation of the problem of evil 95
The weak formulation of the problem of evil 98
Theodicies and the free will defense 99
The Augustinian theodicy and hell 103
Soul-making theodicies 105
The best possible world 107
7 Embodiment, Gender, and God 110
Incarnation and embodiment 111
Feminine divine metaphors 112
The problem of reference and representation 115
Sexual metaphors 115
Symbols, sexuality, and God 118
8 Life After Death 124
The religious importance of life after death 124
The problem of death 125
Conceptions of the self 126
Buddhist reincarnation 133
The evolving soul 136
Will you be there? 140
9 Religious Experience 143
Religious experience and scriptural authority 143
Justification and religious knowledge 146
Ineffability and mystical experiences 148
The problem of privacy 150
Kant's attempted solution 152
Historicity, pluralism, and faith 156
10 Using Science to Argue Against Religion 159
Does physics explain everything? 160
What does evolutionary biology tell us about religion? 162
Is religion just a cultural phenomenon? 165
Is religion just a psychological phenomenon? 167
The compatibility of science and religion 169
11 Morality, Ethics, and Religion 172
Morality and ethics 172
Secular ethics 174
Moral duty and religion 178
Are morality and religion logically connected? 183
The moral point of view and the religious point of view 187
12 Prudential Arguments for Religious Belief 192
Pascal's Wager 193
Religion as a live option 197
Karma and samsara 197
Is religion cost-effective? 200
13 Faith and Justified Believers 204
Evidentialism and religious belief 205
Why religious beliefs are properly basic 207
Faith commitments, worldviews, and conversion 210
Religion as a genuine option 212
14 Love and the Meaning of Life 216
Values and the religious dimension of meaning 217
Science and religion revisited 220
Seraphic love 222
Six characteristics of eros 223
The argument from love 226
Faith, love, and religion 229
Glossary 232
Notes 247
Index 259
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)