Philosophy of religion according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is, “the philosophical inspection of the central refrains and concepts involved in religious traditions.” It is an ancient discipline, being found in the earliest known manuscripts concerning philosophy, and relates to many other branches of philosophy and general thought, including history.
The philosophy of religion differs from in that it seeks to discuss questions regarding the nature of religion as a whole, rather than examining the problems brought forth by a particular belief system. It is designed such that it can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as I often say, Religion is the Philosophy of people and philosophy is the religion of wise men.
Actually I want to justify the gap between common people and philosophers. He who has the capacity to understand new things, believe unbelievable things can easily perceive the realities of the heaps of straw dusts of philosophy, but there are still men to whom it is impossible to assimilate such unbelievable realities like earth is round or stars are dust.
That’s why I say philosophy is the religion of wise men. And when I say that religion is the philosophy of mosses I actually mean the people who can compromise with those dogmas of religion that apparently doesn’t make sense but they can justify them for themselves much sufficient.
1. What is philosophy of religion?
2. Arguments for the Existence of God
3. Divine Attributes: Eternity and Changelessness, Omnipotence, Omniscience.
4. Modern Challenges to Religious Relief (Psychoanalysis, Logical Positivism, Marxism)
5. Faith and Reason
6. Nature and Function of Religious Language.
7. Religious Experience
8. Problem of Evil
9. Life after Death.
Books Recommended
1. Davies, Brian, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford University, Press, 1982.
2. Flew & McIntyre, New Essays in Philosophical Theology. New York: MacMilllan, 1966.
3. Helm, Paul, The Varieties of Belief. London: George Allan and Unwin, 1973.
4. Mitchell, B. (ed.), The Philosophy of Religion. Oxford University Press, 1976.
5. O’Hear, Anthony, Experience, Explanation and faith. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984
6. Pike, Nelson, God and Timelessness. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
7. Cadir, C. A., Logical Positivism. Lahore: Pakistan Philosophical Congress, 1965.
8. Swinburne, Richard, The Coherence of Theism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.