The God Debates: A 21st Century Guide for Atheists and Believers (and Everyone in Between)

by John R. Shook

Overview

The God Debates presents a comprehensive, non-technical survey of the quest for knowledge of God, allowing readers to participate in a debate about the existence of God and gain understanding and appreciation of religion?s conceptual foundations.

• Explains key arguments for and against God's existence in clear ways for readers at all levels
• Brings theological debates up to the present with current ideas from modernism, postmodernism, fideism, evidentialism, presuppositionalism, and mysticism
• Updates criticism of theology by dealing with the latest terms of the God debates instead of outdated caricatures of religion
• Helps nonbelievers to learn important theological standpoints while noting their shortcomings
• Encourages believers and nonbelievers to enjoy informed dialogue with each other
• Concludes with an overview of religious and nonreligious worldviews and predictions about the future of faith and reason

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118146736
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/02/2011
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	252
File size:	946 KB

About the Author

John R. Shook is Vice President for Education and Research and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York. He also is Research Associate in Philosophy at the University at Buffalo. His recent books include The Future of Naturalism (2009) and Dewey's Philosophy of Spirit (2010).

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Table of Contents

Preface.

1. Debating Religion.

1.1. Religion under Scrutiny.

1.2. Debating Dogma.

1.3. Theology and Atheology.

1.4. Could Atheism Prove God Doesn’t Exist?.

1.5. Could Religion Disprove Atheism?.

2. Five Types of Theologies.

2.1. Categorizing Theologies.

2.2. Theology From The Scripture.

2.3. Theology From The World.

2.4. Theology Beyond The World.

2.5. Theology In The Know.

2.6. Theology Into The Myst.

3. Theology From The Scripture.

3.1. Scientific History.

3.2. Scientific History and Scripture.

3.3. The Argument from Divine Signs.

3.4. The Argument from Apostolic Faith.

3.5. The Argument from Divine Character.

3.6. The Argument from Pseudo-history.

4. Theology From The World.

4.1. Theology and Science.

4.2. Arguments from Nature.

4.3. Arguments from Design.

4.4. Arguments from Religious Experience.

4.5. Arguments from Morality.

4.6. Explanations for Reason.

4.7. The Ontological Argument for God.

4.8. The Argument from Pseudo-science.

5. Theology Beyond The World.

5.1. The Existence of Nature Argument for God.

5.2. The Fine-tuning Argument for God.

5.3. Why Would God Create?.

5.4. The Problem of Evil.

5.5. The Argument from Pseudo-cosmology.

6. Theology In The Know.

6.1. Arguments from Ignorance.

6.2. Religious Epistemologies.

6.3. Knowledge, Justification, and Truth.

6.4. The Religious Community.

6.5. The Arguments from Pseudo-theology.

7. Theology Into The Myst.

7.1. Believing in God without Knowledge of God.

7.2. Believing in God without Concepts of God.

7.3. Belief, Faith, and Pseudo-faith.

7.4. The Argument from Pseudo-faith.

8. Faith and Reason.

8.1. Liberal Modernism and Its Rivals.

8.2. Twelve Worldviews.

8.3. Faith and Reason Realigned.

References.

Further Reading.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"If you've been puzzled by the complexity of the recent debates for and against God, this is the place to start. Shook lays out the questions, controversies, and schools of thought with amazing clarity, gradually building his case for a "staunchly naturalistic yet faithfully ethical humanism" ... Clear and blunt, with a light touch of irony."
—Philip Clayton, author of In Quest of Freedom and the Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science

"Knowing for sure is not necessarily a virtue. By mapping scriptural, intellectual, and mystical theologies as well as naturalistic ethical worldviews, John Shook helps us to understand the rich range of human ideas and arguments, and hence ourselves and our neighbours. Shook invites us all to become winners when he writes in the preface "real winners are those who think about the questions, reflect on proposed answers, and come up with new questions." A most interesting and valuable book."
—Willem B. Drees, professor of philosophy of religion, Leiden University; editor of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science; author of Religion and Science in Context: A Guide to the Debates

Editorial Reviews

"I do, however, think that the book will enable readers to enter into debates about God in a fully rational way, and with an awareness of the complexities of theistic arguments. It is one for students of the philosophy of religion to study, and they will do so with profit." (Church Times, 20 May 2011)

"The book reminds us, also, of how many of the current debates about God at best beg the question and at worst take the form of ranting dogmatism." (Network, 2011)

"As a philosophy instructor (who frequently teaches philosophy of religion), I find Shook's book to be comprehensive in its coverage. The theological arguments, as well as the atheological responses to them, are presented in accessible terms, and analyzed perspicuously." (Metapsychology, February 2011)

"The God Debates is a clear, accessible, up-to-date account of philosophical wrangles about the existence of God. Shook re-organizes the arguments in an interesting way ... [and] takes on more esoteric arguments such as the claim that we must presuppose the existence of God if we are to engage in reasoning and scientific inquiry. In all, this is a lucid, concise, up-to-date, yet comprehensive account of intellectual debates about the existence of God. It is easy enough to be used by senior high school students, and could certainly be useful in undergraduate courses in philosophy of religion." (Metamagician and the Hellfire Club, October 2010)

"John Shook, author of The God Debates, will discuss effective ways for nonbelievers to engage believers over that very question: 'Does a god exist?' Maybe it's not the old, familiar arguments themselves, but new strategies and tactics that make the atheist message get heard and produce results." (Science in the City, February 2011)

From the Publisher