In his article “On Being an Atheist‚” H. J. McCloskey makes an entertaining‚ but in the end inadequate‚ explanation as to why the arguments for God’s existence fail (limiting himself to the only two he cared to deal with)‚ and why Atheism provides more comfort to the hurting person than Theism. Unfortunately his article is riddled with straw men and fails to address the question of God’s existence at the level that the Theist presents it. Twice in the article he makes reference to the theist’s
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Response Paper McCloskey Article (278.205 Kb) Having completed the unit of philosophy of religion‚ you are now ready to respond to an article written by an actual atheist. This article‚ titled “On Being an Atheist‚” was written by H. J. McCloskey in 1968 for the journal Question. McCloskey is an Australian philosopher who wrote a number of atheistic works in the 1960s and 70s including the book God and Evil (Nijhoff‚ 1974). In this article‚ McCloskey is both critical of the classical arguments
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The New Science * Beginning to see the appearance of the individual of the self. New methods were revealing a completely secular universe to this new man and showing him how he could satisfy his new desires. * Science and scientific method * Empirical and deductive * Emphasis on empirical or deductive methods lead to radically different metaphysical and epistemological (what we can know/how we know that we know) theories and to different conceptions of the implications of scientific
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Defining the world ‘religion’ is not an easy process‚ fraught with difficulties. Throughout the ages‚ many attempts have been made. Often time’s people tend to focus on a very narrow definition that matches the person’s own beliefs but not others. One of the reasons it’s notoriously difficult to define because it crosses so many different boundaries in human experience. According to the Miriam Webster dictionary‚ religion could be identified as ‘a set of ideas concerning the cause‚ nature‚ and purpose
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rative religin Agnosticism Literally meaning "not know"; a position asserting that the existence of God cannot be proven. Animism From the Latin anima‚ meaning "spirit‚" "soul‚" "life force"; a worldview common among oral religions (religions with no written scriptures) that sees all elements of nature as being filled with spirit or spirits. Atheism Literally meaning "not God"; a position asserting that there is no God or gods. Deconstruction A technique‚ pioneered by Jacques Derrida‚
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the play: the use of the word ‘gods’ implies a pagan understanding of the world‚ contrasting pagan emphasis on gods’ whim with the Christian concept of justice and retribution. Some critics‚ such as G. Wilson and Roy Battenhouse interpret it as a theodicy‚ projecting Christian values on to the Pagan world. The king chooses the course of action that the play does take. He puts himself in the role of God. Lear subverts
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A Critical Analysis on the Problem of Evil (Theistic Approach) Thesis Statement: The problem of evil is inadequate to disprove the existence of God. The Problem of Evil coined by Epicurus states that: “Either God wants to eradicate evil‚ and cannot; or he can‚ but does not want to. If he wants to‚ but cannot‚ he is impotent. If he can but does not want to he is wicked. If God can eradicate evil‚ and He wants to do it‚ why is there evil in the world?” This problem has long bothered many theologians
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possibility. I then review Adams’ arguments about its impact on the problem of evil and‚ having concluded‚ as he does‚ that‚ middle knowledge being available or not‚ permitting some evil in order to allow creatures to have free will may contribute to a theodicy but not complete it‚ I consider how this situation might be improved by accepting that the future is at least partly open. The problem The problem of evil has been the subject of theological dispute for centuries. If God is‚ as the traditional
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in Knowledge and social structure: An introduction to the classical argument in the sociology of knowledge (by) Peter Hamilton. London‚ England: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Pinnock‚ Sarah. K. 2002. “PostHolocaust Faith in God.” Pp. 53-59 in Beyond theodicy: Jewish and Christian continental thinkers respond to the Holocaust. New York: State University of New York Press. Lien-Te‚ H. 1984. The Hegelian and Feuerbachian Origins of Marx’s Concept of Man. Singapore: Singapore University Press. Collier‚ A
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Sociology of Religion / Sociology 3040-001 Monday‚ Wednesday‚ Friday‚ 2:00 pm to 2:50 pm. Fall Semester‚ 2007‚ University of Utah Dr. Frank J. Page Office Hours: 9:00 am till noon. Tuesday and Thursday‚ or by appointment. Office Phone: (801) 531-3075 Home Phone: (801) 278-6413 Email: frank.page@soc.utah.edu I. Goals: The primary goal of this class is to afford students a historical‚ comparative‚ and critical understanding of religious institutions and practices that will
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