Philosophy of Religion as Way to Skepticism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v10i1.1873Keywords:
philosophy of religion, religion, God, rationalityAbstract
The article aims to answer the question whether philosophy of religion can fulfil its research goals, that is discover the essence of religion, find out if any one of them (and, if need be, which one) is true and if faith and religious behavior are rational. In the face of a multitude of religions it is difficult to point to any common elements which makes it harder (if not impossible) to discover the essence of religion. Trying to prove the consistency of the concept of God as an object of religion and either His/Her existence or non-existence faces similar problems; this makes it impossible to conclusively decide whether religion is true or not. Therefore, it is also difficult to settle whether religious faith (or lack thereof) is rational or irrational. However, this failure does not deny the cognitive value of philosophy of religion, which can analyze various religious doctrines as it relates to their consistency, truthfulness, or the rationality of following them.
References
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Oppy, Graham, Ontological Arguments and Belief in God, (New York: Cambridge University Press 1995)
Swinburne, Richard, Providence and the Problem of Evil, (Oxford: Oxford University Press 1998)
van Inwagen, Peter, The Problem of Evil, (Oxford: Clarendon Press 2006)
