Religious leaders and philosophers have long been engaged in an ancient battle of who is primary in terms of understanding reality - theologians or philosophers.  The battle has often been referred to as Athens (philosophy) versus Jerusalem (theology/religion).  Theologians have historically had significant disdain for philosophers.  Why?  Because Theologians were people who put faith as primary and reason as secondary, while Philosophers took just the opposite approach, insisting that theological claims pass the test of reason before faith should be considered or applied.

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If you look at the world today, it is an accurate statement to say that the practice of philosophy has been waning over the last century while religion and theological beliefs have remained somewhat constant in terms of the percentage of people holding some theological beliefs.  Does this mean that theology is winning?  That would depend upon your view of reality - a question best answered by philosophy : )

 

However, in that overall all global view, certainly some religions and associated theology are on the rise while others are in decline.  Christian theology has changed significantly over the past century being deeply influence by materialism and relativism.  Islam is growing and less influenced by materialism and relativism.  Judaism is fairly steady but is also heavily influenced by relativism.  Other non-monotheistic religions are waxing and waning. Atheism and agnosticism are held by many in positions of power and influence, and the number of people having these views are increasing.

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This class will expose students to the major 'philosophy of religion' topics such as what is the nature of God; what are the major arguments for the existence of God; what is the nature of faith; what are some of the main problems with popular theological concepts like why does God allow evil in the world.

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However, unlike other philosophy of religion courses, this course will critically explore the three major monotheistic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.  This critical exploration will endeavor to be as objective as possible, but the goal will be to identify the best thing/person/concept in which to place our faith.

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Students will be expected to participate in the discussions we have, and to apply what they have learned.  It is recommended that a student take The Art of Arguing course before this one.  Homework is optional.  The lessons are designed for high school-aged students or very advanced 8th graders, but many adults would benefit from this course as well.  Classes are generally structured for up to 10 students in six, one-hour lessons delivered using Zoom, an online meeting application.  Click here to go to the page where you can find out how to enroll in this course.

 

For more information on how the course and classes are run or answers to other questions, please see our FAQ page.

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This class will be very loosely based on the book, “Philosophy of Religion: A Very Short Introduction” by Tim Bayne.

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This is a six-week class held once a week for one hour per week for a total of six hours of instruction.

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For a full description of this course, please click the Full Course Syllabus to view or download that PDF document.