Examines the nature and variety of religious knowledge and practice.
Key questions:
Do theistic beliefs count as knowledge?
Is there value in thinking about issues without definitive answers?
What are the roles of authority and personal experience in creating religious
knowledge?
Is there conflict between religious and scientific knowledge? Or are they answering
different questions?
Who has religious knowledge, and what is it about?
Does religion address problems that cannot be resolved by other disciplines and fields? Does religious knowledge create meaning and purpose?
Are religious beliefs rational? Does it matter? Is reason enough? Is certainty any more or less attainable in religion than it is in the arts or human sciences? Where should the burden of proof lie – on those proving, or disproving an idea?
GCSE: This argument points to evidence that suggests our world works well - ie that it was designed in a specific way. The argument follows that if it was designed like this, then someone or something must have designed it.
It is argued that if someone feels they have experienced God, this will be the most convincing proof of God’s existence because they have personally experienced or felt God for themselves.
The argument claims that because all people have a sense of what is right and wrong, such a sense must have come from someone or something outside ourselves.
Pascal Boyer explains a slew of cognitive traits predispose us to faith.
Does religion provide a way to systematise concepts of right and wrong?
Should we expect those with religious knowledge to act more ethically than those without it?
By William T. Cavanaugh, 2013, America Magazine.
What role do analogy and metaphor play in the production and communication of religious ideas?
From Myth to Science: Can we make sense of the origins of all things?
Leeming says that the importance of myths is metaphorical, and they were not meant to be taken literally.
What counts as religious evidence?
What is the role of culture in religious belief?
Is there a relationship between religion and morality?
Why do we believe?
Should religion ever condone violence / unethical beliefs? How might this occur?
Does doubt have a role in religious belief? Does Art?
How do we decide between competing belief systems?
fantastic collection exploring various aspects of religion and societies.
How and why did religion evolve?
is religion instinctual?
Do those who reject science merely belong to a different faith community?
How can we evaluate the quality of religious knowledge claims?
clickable examination of Bosch's painting exploring morality and life's temptations.
To what extent do scientific developments have the power to influence thinking about religion?
Is it ever OK to mock religion?