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Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion (Contemporary Debates in Philosophy)
by Raymond J. VanArragon

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31918.Contemporary_Debates_in_the_Philosophy_of_Religion?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion (Contemporary Debates in Philosophy)" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1168287002m/31918.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31918.Contemporary_Debates_in_the_Philosophy_of_Religion?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Religion</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17963.Raymond_J_VanArragon">Raymond J. VanArragon</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/21591109?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is part of the excellent Contemporary Debates in Philosophy series by Blackwell Publishing.
 
 A wide variety of issues are debated here. Most of the articles are written at an accessible level, a couple are fairly technical.
 
 The format the book takes is that each topic has an opening argument pro and con. Then the authors of the articles write short rejoinders to thir opponents' main essay. Below are the debates and my picks:
 
 ***************
 
 Part I Attacks on Religious Belief
 
 1. Is Evil Evidence Against Belief in God?
 
 Evil is Evidence Against Theistic Belief - William Rowe
 
 Evil Does Not Make Atheism More Reasonable Than Theism - Daniel Howard-Snyder and Michael Bergmann
 
 I give it to Howard-Snyder and Bergmann
 
 2. Does Divine Hiddenness Justify Atheism
 
 Divine Hiddenness Justifies Atheism - J.L. Schellenberg
 
 Divine Hiddenness Does Not Justify Atheism - Paul K. Moser
 
 I give it to Moser.
 
 3. Does Science Discredit Religion?
 
 Science Discredits Religion - John Worrall
 
 The Demise of Religion: Greatly Exaggerated Reports from the Science/Religion "Wars" - Del Ratzsch
 
 I give it to Ratzsch
 
 Part II Arguments for Religious Belief
 
 4. Is God's Existence the Best Explanation of the Universe?
 
 Explanation and the Cosmological Argument - Bruce R. Reichenbach
 
 Why Traditional Cosmological Arguments Don't Work, and a Sketch of a New One that Does - Richard M. Gale
 
 Undecided.
 
 5. Does religious Experience Justify Religious Belief?
 
 Religious Experience Justifies Religious Belief - William P. Alston
 
 Do Mystics See God? - Evan Fales
 
 I give it to Alston
 
 6. Is It Rational to Believe in the Resurrection?
 
 It is Rational to Believe in the Resurrection - Stephen T. Davis
 
 It is Not Rational to Believe in the Resurrection - Michael Martin
 
 I give it to Davis.
 
 Part III Issues Within Religion
 
 7. Can Only One Religion Be True?
 
 How to Sink in Cognitive Quicksand: Nuancing Religious Pluralism - Keith Yandell
 
 It is Not Reasonable to Believe that Only One Religion is True
 
 I give it to Yandell.
 
 8. Does God Take Risks in Governing the World?
 
 God Takes Risks - William Hasker
 
 God Does Not Take Risks - Paul Helm
 
 I give it to Helm.
 
 9. Does God respond to Petitionary Prayer?
 
 God Responds to Prayer - Michael J. Murray
 
 God Does Not Necessarily Respond to Prayer - David Basinger
 
 I give it to Murray
 
 10. Is Eternal Damnation Compatible with the Christian Conception of God?
 
 Eternal Hell and the Christian Concept of God - Jerry Walls
 
 No Hell - Thomas Talbott
 
 I give it to Talbott
 
 11. Is Morality Based on God's Commands?
 
 Divine Commands Are the Foundation of Morality - Janine Marie Idziak
 
 Ethics is Based on Natural Law - Craig A. Boyd and Raymond J. VanArragon
 
 I give it to Boyd and VanArragon
 
 12. Should a Christian Be a Mind-Body Dualist?
 
 Christians Should Affirm Mind-Body Dualism - Dean W. Zimmerman
 
 Christians Should Reject Mind-Body Dualism - Lynne Rudder Baker
 
 I give it to Zimmerman
 
 ***************
 
 My picks do not necessarily mean that I agree with the position. For example, I wasn't a fan Davis' watered-down defense of the rationality of the resurrection.
 
 I am definitely not a universalist, but still gave the edge to Talbott (ch. 10).
 
 Though I am attracted to Natural Law, I'm not sure I'd follow all of Boyd's views on the matter.
 
 And, besides Helm, the theism represented by many of the theists is no where near where I stand doctrinally. 
 
 I'm also not a fan of the armchair, theoretical approach to the topics of debate that many took. This is justified by the fact that the book was about debates in the Philosophy of Religion. I guess that’s supposed to mean that invoking any theology, or exegetical considerations of the text of the Bible, is out of the question. This bifurcation is common. Invoking an inerrant text as the standard kind of ruins the fun of autonomously debating a position, I suppose. But it seems odd, for instance, to see two Christians debate whether Christianity holds that there is an eternal hell and not invoke the Bible on the matter. If they are committed to the Bible, and take its teachings to be inerrant, then if the Bible does, or does not, teach the existence of an eternal hell, your philosophical speculations are kind of beside the point.
 
 Anyway, I can set all of this aside when I work through these kinds of books. And to an extent I see its usefulness. Especially if you want to answer unbelievers (or theological rationalists) on their own terms. So, I still recommend the book. Seeing positions debated by experts is an excellent way to learn about some of the opposing positions on the matter, in my opinion.
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/743812?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Paul's review
rating:
bookshelves: debates, philosophy-of-religion, philosophy-resource

This book is part of the excellent Contemporary Debates in Philosophy series by Blackwell Publishing.

A wide variety of issues are debated here. Most of the articles are written at an accessible level, a couple are fairly technical.

The format the book takes is that each topic has an opening argument pro and con. Then the authors of the articles write short rejoinders to thir opponents' main essay. Below are the debates and my picks:

***************

Part I Attacks on Religious Belief

1. Is Evil Evidence Against Belief in God?

Evil is Evidence Against Theistic Belief - William Rowe

Evil Does Not Make Atheism More Reasonable Than Theism - Daniel Howard-Snyder and Michael Bergmann

I give it to Howard-Snyder and Bergmann

2. Does Divine Hiddenness Justify Atheism

Divine Hiddenness Justifies Atheism - J.L. Schellenberg

Divine Hiddenness Does Not Justify Atheism - Paul K. Moser

I give it to Moser.

3. Does Science Discredit Religion? ...more

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