INTRODUCTION

The fi eld of philosophy of religion is fl ourishing, and interest in it is growing internationally. This widespread appeal is manifested in the large and rapidly increasing number of monographs and articles which engage in the philosophical refl ection of religion and religious ideas. This volume is designed to be a companion and guide for those interested in this burgeoning fi eld, whether neophytes or students or even scholars looking for a general overview of the relevant topics. It includes an international body of contributors who are not only leaders in their respective areas but also broad in their backgrounds and in their religious and philosophical perspectives. We aim to achieve a number of goals through the inclusion of the various themes and essays. We wish to offer students and scholars a cutting-edge overview of the central topics in the philosophy of religion among the major world religions. The religions of the world are multifarious, and signifi cant philosophical issues that have arisen within them are not limited to the western traditions. Furthermore, as the plurality of religious beliefs expands globally, the importance of philosophical refl ection on them – both as distinct belief systems in their own right and as each relates to the other traditions – continues to increase. Part I, then, surveys seven of the major religious traditions, both eastern and western, and unfolds the broad array of philosophical topics central to those traditions. In the next Part, we focus on some of the key fi gures in the history of philosophy of religion from the various religious traditions. There have been a number of signifi cant philosophers throughout the centuries whose insights regarding religion both marked their own times and have transcended the ages. Part II, then, includes ten such fi gures from differing traditions and perspectives. Most of the world’s religions, and the central historical philosophers within the religious traditions, either imply or affi rm that their claims are objectively true – true in the propositional sense – and thus should be accepted by everyone. But how would one go about an analysis of religious truth claims? Is such a pursuit even warranted, or is religion, at least in part, the joint product of the divine as well as culturally created concepts through which we structure and interpret religious experience, thus being removed from rational objectifi cation? Furthermore, for many religious adherents, their conceptions and experiences of the divine are not understood in western, theistic terms. A more thorough appreciation of religious diversity and pluralism must take into consideration these global realities. Part III centers on such questions and

issues, for they are fundamental to understanding current discussions in both religious studies and philosophy of religion. Philosophers of religion have spent centuries refl ecting on a variety of religious concepts, but none has been more dominant than the concept of God. So it is important to examine the principal topics relevant to the nature of the divine. Regarding the theistic concept, the emphasis has traditionally been upon the divine attributes: properties such as omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. More recently, scholarly exploration has included issues such as God’s relation to time, the hiddenness of God, and divine action. Part IV covers these traditional and contemporary discussions, and whether the divine attributes are coherent and mutually compatible. Historically, philosophers of religion have been interested in knowing not only whether the concept of God is coherent, but also whether such a concept is true, that is, whether God actually exists. In Part V, then, we expound on six of the major arguments for the existence of God, an activity known as ‘natural theology.’ Although most of them are quite old in nature, none of them is a philosophical relic; each one has undergone much evolution and advancement in recent decades. Not all philosophers of religion, however, are agreed that the arguments for God’s existence are persuasive or even that the concept of God makes sense. To the contrary, there is a variety of responses to such claims, and there are also a number of positive arguments against belief in God. So Part VI offers six different challenges to theistic belief. Theology proper – the study of the nature of God – has greatly benefi ted from the work of philosophers, and such philosophical refl ection has been developing through the centuries about doctrines within the various theistic religious traditions (known as ‘philosophical theology,’ as opposed to the more general category of ‘philosophy of religion’). Part VII, then, includes six chapters on philosophical theology, the fi rst three on the major Christian traditions and the latter three on recent movements and themes. Much of the work on religion and religious ideas has historically been on theistic concerns broadly construed, but more recently many philosophers of religion have concentrated on Christian theism. It is commonplace, for example, to see feature articles in leading philosophy of religion journals dealing with such themes as the Trinity, the Incarnation, miracles, and prayer. In Part VIII, we focus on these topics, which are the synthesis of recent scholarship on distinctively Christian themes. Unlike a common caricature of the study of religion, the philosophy of religion is dynamic, and both old and new currents continue to develop and expand in new and interesting directions. In Part IX, the fi nal section of the volume, we offer an overview of some of these recent and important topics and trends. This Companion is comprehensive and up to date, covering a plethora of signifi cant themes in the growing fi eld of philosophy of religion. While there are some topics that simply could not be addressed, we believe that we have captured the essence of current discussions. We have provided further reading sections at the end of each chapter in order to provide some of the most important works on the topics discussed. It is our wish that this volume encourages you in your exploration of these important themes, many of which have spanned the centuries of human refl ection and dialogue.