Is Religion Reasonable

1
Is Religion Reasonable?

• Are religious beliefs (about the universes
  relation to the supernatural) reasonable?
• Faith seeking understanding ontological,
  cosmological, teleological arguments for the
  existence of God (monotheism) pantheism
  (Goduniverse) panentheism (all is in God)
• Are religious experiences (about ones personal
  relation to divinity) reasonable?

2
The Ontological Argument

• St. Anselm (1033-1109)

• God means the greatest conceivable being
• A being that exists in ones mind and in reality
  (outside of ones mind) is greater than one that
  exists only in ones mind
• Therefore, God must exist in reality

3
Kants Objections to the Ontological Argument

• If there is a greatest conceivable being, then he
  exists. But we cannot conclude from the sheer
  possibility of such a being that he exists
• A concept of God a concept of his existing may
  be greater than a concept of God alone but these
  are still only concepts, not proofs of Gods
  existence outside our concepts

4
The Cosmological Argument St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-74)

• The universe, like all things in it, is
  contingent (i.e., depends on something else as
  the cause of its existence) otherwise, it is
  unintelligible

• If there is no ultimate cause of the universe
  (that is, if the causal sequence is infinite),
  then nothing would ever have happened or be
  intelligible here and now. But things do exist
  here and now, so God exists here and now

5
Humes Criticisms of the Cosmological Argument

• Perhaps the universe has always existed if
  this can be said of God, why cant it be said of
  the universe?

• Fallacy of composition parts ? whole
• Why should we think that everything has a cause
  or reason for its existence?
• Besides, the argument does not prove that God is
  anything other than a cause of things who might
  not care at all about his creation

6
The Teleological Argument Argument from
Design/Purpose
Wm. Paley (1743-1805)

• The order and intricacy of things in the universe
  make sense only if an ordering and purposive mind
  is their cause

• Analogy watch . . universe
• watchmaker . . universe-maker

7
Criticisms of the Teleological Argument David
Hume

• Even the claim that the universe exhibits order
  is doubtful it is a human imposition
• We cannot use analogy in discussing the universe
  we do not experience universes or know that
  intelligent beings produce them
• Even if we argue analogously, we cannot conclude
  that its creator is one, wise, or good

8
Criticisms of the Teleological ArgumentCharles
Darwin
(1809-82)

• Things in nature exhibit order, but that is not
  the result of design or purpose
• Things appear orderly because random variations
  produce adaptive individuals