The Philosophy of Religion

Thinking philosophically about the nature of religion raises a variety of major questions: What is God? Is it possible to prove that God exists? Does philosophical inquiry contradict religious belief? Or are there ways of understanding divine attributes, such as perfect knowledge, power, goodness, and freedom, that are both coherent and not subject to decisive objection? These and other fundamental questions are critically examined in Wierenga's Philosophy of Religion, a thorough and thought-provoking introduction to the study of philosophy and religious belief. This distinctive book covers a range of core topics in the philosophy of religion, and develops a rigorous, yet accessible approach to evaluating various canonical positions and contemporary treatments of the issues. An ideal text for those new to the field, Philosophy of Religion deftly guides readers through the stable of standard philosophical and theological concepts--including necessity and possibility, knowledge and belief--before Wierenga uses them in application to argue original and challenging points. Replete with examples and profoundly analytical, Philosophy of Religion offers a concise overview of topics old and new in this indispensable and appealing resource. von Wierenga, Edward R