This document contains a syllabus and review questions covering various topics related to the philosophy of religion. The topics include definitions of key terms like "God", arguments for and against God's existence, problems of evil and suffering, religious language and experiences. The review questions probe ideas around defining divinity, the diversity of views on God, atheism/agnosticism, philosophical arguments regarding God, theodicies, analyzing religious language, and assessing religious experiences.

1.
This
can
be
used
as
a
concept
checking
exercise.
Syllabus
topic:
A1-­‐
What
does
the
word
‘God’
mean?
The
diversity
of
conceptions
of
the
divine.
Questions
for
review:
1. What
is
a
deductive
argument?
2. What
is
the
difference
between
an
argument
being
philosophically
sound
and
logical?
3. How
can
God
be
defined?
4. What
is
your
understanding
of
the
term
theism?
5. Religious
philosophers
throughout
the
ages
have
sought
to
define
the
being
known
as
God-­‐
what
attributes
are
commonly
associated
with
the
classical
monotheistic
traditions?
List
and
define
at
least
6.
6. Consider
the
statement,
‘Many
have
argued
that
the
God’s
omnipotence
is
self-­‐contradictory’.
Do
you
agree
or
disagree
with
this
statement?
Give
reasons
to
support
your
response.
7. Are
the
attributes
consistent
with
one
another?
Syllabus
topic:
A2-­‐
Atheism,
agnosticism,
humanism,
Nihilism
Questions
for
review:
1. Define
the
terms
atheism,
agnosticism
and
humanism.
2. Where
does
each
sit
on
the
spectrum
of
Non-­‐Religious
belief?
3. Which
of
the
positions
do
you
consider
the
most
formed?
(philosophically
strong)

2. 4. How
does
Nihilism
differ
from
the
terms
discussed
above?
Outline
the
Nihilistic
argument
and
its
position
on
meaning.
Syllabus
topic:
A3-­‐
Arguments
for
and
against
the
existence
of
God
Questions
for
review:
1. Outline
the
Cosmological
Argument
and
the
counter
criticisms
to
it.
2. Outline
the
Ontological
Argument
for
the
existence
of
God
and
consider
the
view
that,
while
it
may
strengthen
a
believer’s
faith,
it
has
no
value
for
the
non-­‐believer.
3.
Examine
and
assess
the
view
that
the
Ontological
Argument
for
the
existence
of
God
is
convincing.
4. Outline
the
Ontological,
Cosmological
and
Teleological
Arguments
for
the
existence
of
God.
Choose
one
of
these
arguments
and
examine
criticisms
that
have
been
made
of
its
form,
content
and
conclusions.
5. ‘The
moral
argument
does
not
prove
that
God
exists,
but
it
does
make
it
probable
that
God
exists’
Discuss
this
assertion.
Syllabus
topic:
A4-­‐
Problems
of
Evil
and
Suffering
Questions
for
review:
1. What
is
a
theodicy?
2. Define
the
terms
natural
and
moral
evil.
Which
do
you
consider
the
‘easier’
to
explain?
3. Outline
the
two
classical
theodicies.
4. ‘If
God
were
the
omnipotent,
wholly
good,
creator
of
all
things,
then
evil
would
not
exist.
Evil
exists.
Therefore,
God
is
not
the
omnipotent,
wholly
good,
creator
of
all
things’.
Examine
this
argument.
5. ‘The
problem
of
evil
can
never
be
satisfactorily
resolved’.
Discuss.

3.
Syllabus
topic:
A5-­‐
Religious
language,
ritual
and
symbol
Questions
for
review:
1. Define
the
following
terms:
Realism,
anti-­‐realism,
equivocal,
univocal,
empiricism,
analytic
and
synthetic.
2. Outline
the
verification
principle-­‐
how
does
this
relate
to
the
topic
of
religious
language?
3. Outline
the
falsification
principle-­‐
how
does
this
relate
to
the
topic
of
religious
language?
4. What
purpose
does
analogy
play
in
religious
texts?
5. ‘All
talk
about
God
is
both
without
meaning
and
purpose’
Discuss.
6. a)
What
is
meant
by
‘language
games’?
b)
Why
have
some
scholars
claimed
that
religious
language
is
a
language
game?
7.
In
what
ways
has
the
meaningfulness
of
religious
language
been
challenged
by
the
twentieth-­‐century
empiricism?
8. ‘Once
we
acknowledge
the
symbolic
character
of
religious
language;
can
we
be
sure
we
are
talking
about
anything
at
all’?
Discuss.
Religious
Experience
and
Behaviour
B1-­‐
The
nature
and
value
of
religious
experiences:
from
social
conformity
to
personal
commitment
Reading-­‐
Pages
46-­‐60
of
Questions
for
review:
1. Should
we
trust
our
own
religious
experiences
and
the
experiences
of
others?
2. What
are
the
features
of
a
religious
experience?

4. text.
3. Outline
the
different
types
of
religious
experiences.
4. How
might
religious
experience
influence
ideas
about
the
meaning
of
the
word
‘God’?
5. Describe
what
is
meant
by
‘numinous’?
To
what
extent
does
this
match
the
traditional
theistic
ideas
of
God?
6. Discuss
the
view
that
mystical
experience
cannot
give
factual
knowledge
about
God.
7. Outline
the
main
criticisms
to
the
argument
from
religious
experience.
How
valid
are
these
criticisms?
B2-­‐
The
pragmatic
view
of
faith:
indoctrination,
illusion,
projection
Reading-­‐
Pages
65-­‐72
of
the
text.
Questions
for
review:
1. What
is
faith?
2. To
what
extent
is
evidence
needed
for
one
to
have
faith?
3.
Why
does
religion
exist?
4. Do
you
believe
that
psychology
and
sociology
have
given
a
sufficient
explanation
of
religion,
thereby
rendering
God
redundant?
5. From
a
psychological/sociological
position
is
religion
harmful?
6. Should
religion
regard
Jung
as
a
friend
or
foe?
7. Is
Jung’s
view
compatible
with
traditional
Christian
beliefs?
8. Does
religion
give
society
its
moral
sense,
or
does
society’s
moral
sense
create

5. religion?
(Durkheim
says
the
latter)
9. What
did
Marx
mean
by
describing
religion
as
the
opium
of
the
masses?
10. Do
you
consider
this
to
be
a
positive
or
negative
view
of
religion’s
role
in
life?
11. Explain
what
Freud
meant
by
a
‘universal
obsessional
neurosis’?
To
what
extent
is
this
an
adequate
view
of
religion?
B3-­‐
Faith
and
motivation
for
belief
and
the
postmodern
view
of
faith
Reading-­‐
Pages
65-­‐72
of
the
text.
Questions
for
review:
1. What
is
the
relationship
of
reason
and
evidence
to
religious
faith
and
belief?
2. Can
we
prove
the
existence
of
a
higher
being
through
reasoning
or
experience?
3. What
motivates
people
to
believe
in
God?
4. What
does
the
word
fideism
mean?
5. Describe
Pascal’s
wager.
6. What
does
Plantinga
mean
by
the
statement
‘religious
beliefs
are
properly
basic?’
7. Why
does
Plantinga
reject
classical
foundationalism?
8. Kierkegaard
states
that
‘religion
is
a
form
of
life’-­‐
what
does
he
mean
by
this?
9. Describe
what
is
meant
by
the
term
postmodernism?
10. What
is
the
postmodern
view
of
faith?

6.
B4-­‐
The
human
experience
of
evil:
moral
evil,
natural
evil
Reading-­‐
Pages
61-­‐64
of
the
text.
Questions
for
review:
1. How
can
evil
be
explained?
2. What
is
the
distinction
between
moral
and
natural
evil?
3. Is
one
evil
easier
to
comprehend
than
the
other?
4. Has
the
notion
of
evil
changed
in
the
post-­‐holocaust
world?
5. What
is
the
difference
between
Augustine
and
Irenaeus?
B5-­‐
Sin,
alienation
and
salvation
Questions
for
review:
1. What
is
the
human
condition
in
relation
to
sin?
2. Is
there
a
need
for
human
beings
to
be
saved?
3. What
are
the
different
religious
traditions
teachings
on
sin
and
salvation?