ABSTRACT
Philosophy of religion in the Western tradition uses reason to engage with central areas of religious belief – it is primarily concerned with religious truth claims and less concerned with the cultural or sociological understanding of religions, which are a matter for religious studies departments. For many people today, philosophy of religion provides a route to thinking deeply about questions of ultimate meaning and value without having to first adopt the faith assumptions of a particular religious group. However, it can also be disturbing and challenging for religious believers as it forces them to engage with issues they may not previously have considered in any depth. At the least, philosophy of religion keeps alive the great religious questions in a secular and post-modern age. The questions about whether there is a God or not, how language about God can be understood, what is means to claim truth and how the claimed existence of an all powerful and good God can be reconciled with a world full of suffering and evil are, arguably, the most important questions any individual can face and it is all too easy to neglect them.
