Editorial

6 pages, 159 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Two Types of Philosophy of Religion: Neutral Cognition versus Lived Experience

by Joseph Rivera

Religions 2024, 15(4), 503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel15040503 - 19 Apr 2024

Viewed by 268

As a discipline taught and debated in universities and seminaries, philosophy of religion has traditionally been understood as a form of apologetics: that is, it pursues with concentrated effort what proof for the existence of God the human mind can mobilize with recourse [...] Read more.

As a discipline taught and debated in universities and seminaries, philosophy of religion has traditionally been understood as a form of apologetics: that is, it pursues with concentrated effort what proof for the existence of God the human mind can mobilize with recourse strictly to reason and logic [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

Research

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17 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Standing Invitation to the Gods: Philosophy of Religion and the Phenomenology of the Sacred

by Andreas Nordlander

Religions 2024, 15(1), 137; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel15010137 - 22 Jan 2024

Viewed by 991

Abstract

Does philosophy of religion, specifically, have anything to contribute to the cultural debate about the modern crisis of meaning, and particularly to attempts at retrieving a sense of enchantment beyond human construction? Suggesting a methodological rapprochement between philosophy of religion and phenomenology, I [...] Read more.

Does philosophy of religion, specifically, have anything to contribute to the cultural debate about the modern crisis of meaning, and particularly to attempts at retrieving a sense of enchantment beyond human construction? Suggesting a methodological rapprochement between philosophy of religion and phenomenology, I explore a recent popular attempt to reenchant the world through a retrieval of the sacred: All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age (2011) by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly. Using their work as a foil, I discuss the relation between phenomenology and metaphysics in the experience of the sacred, specifically the possibility of a pluralism that is nonetheless realist; the necessity of social embeddedness and pedagogy in the constitution of sacred meaning; and finally, the problem of moral discrimination within this sphere. Through this critical discussion a constructive argument emerges: philosophy of religion done in a phenomenological mode has resources to address these difficult issues, and thus to explore experiences of the sacred in ways that are metaphysically sophisticated, attentive to historical tradition and pedagogy in the constitution of meaning, as well as to the need of communal moral deliberation in the sphere of the sacred. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

10 pages, 2313 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two Mediterranean Church Mothers: Their Presence and Importance in Patristic Philosophy

by Ekin Kaynak Iltar, Rabia Akçoru, Emine Atmaca, Nihal Kubilay Pınar and Ali Bilge Öztürk

Religions 2023, 14(10), 1220; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14101220 - 22 Sep 2023

Viewed by 711

Abstract

There are many debates concerning the existence and possibility of Christian philosophy, as well as Jewish and Islamic philosophy. Starting from the debates in France in the 1930s, some philosophers, such as Bréhier, have argued that Christian philosophy, especially in the patristic era, [...] Read more.

There are many debates concerning the existence and possibility of Christian philosophy, as well as Jewish and Islamic philosophy. Starting from the debates in France in the 1930s, some philosophers, such as Bréhier, have argued that Christian philosophy, especially in the patristic era, did not operate through reason, as philosophy requires, for religion is a system full of dogmas, interpretations based on strict approaches and alleged facts. However, patristic philosophers, especially some pro-philosophy apologetic writers, suggested that pagan philosophy, which is assumed to operate through reason, took its doctrines from Christianity and distorted them. Thus, for them, Christianity was the true philosophy. If one takes the patristic philosophers’ view and considers Christianity a philosophy through their writings, one should acknowledge that, at the basis of their views, lies the meaning of φιλοσοφία, that is, the love of wisdom. Our consideration of early Christian philosophy as a way of life is best understood through the lens of the Church mothers since they are portrayed as the best examples among Christians. In this study, we aim to discuss patristic philosophy as the basic form of philosophizing and then go on to specify prominent female Christian philosophers from the Mediterranean Region, the crucible for many long-lasting civilizations, and finally examine the ways they were philosophizing. Our method of research is mainly based on document and content analysis since it is qualitative research in the philosophical literature. Based on the findings of this research, we demonstrate the core endeavor of philosophy as the love of wisdom through the ideas of two of the prominent women in early Christian philosophy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

12 pages, 230 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Myth of Secular Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion’s Origin and Fate

by Samuel Loncar

Religions 2023, 14(3), 356; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14030356 - 08 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1269

Abstract

Philosophy of religion (PoR) embodies the crisis and contradiction of the modern separation of reason and religion. The false assumption that reason is linked to the secular, and that religion is inferior to science or philosophy, creates a challenging situation for the field [...] Read more.

Philosophy of religion (PoR) embodies the crisis and contradiction of the modern separation of reason and religion. The false assumption that reason is linked to the secular, and that religion is inferior to science or philosophy, creates a challenging situation for the field of PoR. This article shows how the split of reason and religion takes life in a secularization story, the myth of secular philosophy, that PoR implicitly challenges by its very existence. By making explicit the institutional uniqueness of PoR and showing how it challenges the myth of secular philosophy, the article argues that PoR embodies an alternative, and truer, vision of philosophy in which global diversity and inclusion is part of the very essence of the philosophical project. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

16 pages, 441 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theology of Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers as a Specific Way of Philosophical Thinking in an Epistemological Context

by Olga Chistyakova and Denis Chistyakov

Religions 2023, 14(3), 355; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14030355 - 07 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1537

Abstract

The article presents the theological ideas and mystical–religious teachings of the Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, which, at the same time, are philosophical because Byzantine theologians also reflected on human and their life, on the relationship between man and God, on the possibilities of God-cognition [...] Read more.

The article presents the theological ideas and mystical–religious teachings of the Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, which, at the same time, are philosophical because Byzantine theologians also reflected on human and their life, on the relationship between man and God, on the possibilities of God-cognition and obtaining higher sacred knowledge. Based on the analysis of the anthropological and epistemological ideas of the Greek Church Fathers, we highlight that philosophizing was always at the heart of Byzantine theology. Therefore, the Byzantine tradition of the Church Fathers is considered a unique type of philosophy of religion, which originated in the historical formation of the Christian faith in the era of the Triadic and Christological theological debates of the 4th to 7th centuries. This article reflects the teachings of three of the brightest thinkers-theologians of Byzantium—John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor, and Symeon the New Theologian. Their teachings are the foundation and main source of the mystical–religious tradition of Byzantine theology and philosophy. John Climacus’s conception of human self-improvement and self-cognition on the path of theosis is revealed as one of the first philosophical and moral systems of early Byzantium and the source of subsequent Christian concepts of Eastern Christianity. Maximus the Confessor’s conception of the logoi—or energies—of God is presented as a system of symbols with profound philosophical and anthropological meaning. The human being in St. Maximus’s doctrine is the main and self-sufficient symbol of the universe, connecting the two worlds—the Divine and the earthly ones. The doctrine of Symeon the New Theologian on uncreated light is revealed as a personal comprehension of God in the perception of Divine Light. The transforming power of the Light is demonstrated, which changes the nature of a human being and raises an individual to the height of spiritual unity with God. Finally, conclusions are made about the beginning and formation of the philosophy of religion as a special type of philosophical–religious thinking found already in the period of early Christianity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

16 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Is the Philosophy of Religion?: A Thomistic Account

by Michael D. Torre

Religions 2023, 14(2), 253; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14020253 - 14 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1186

Abstract

The article seeks to address and answer two questions: “What is Religion?” and “What is the Philosophy of Religion”? It gives a definition of the first and defends it. It places its arguments on the second in relation to a number of current [...] Read more.

The article seeks to address and answer two questions: “What is Religion?” and “What is the Philosophy of Religion”? It gives a definition of the first and defends it. It places its arguments on the second in relation to a number of current textbooks on the subject, indicating that its views accord with commonly-recognized concerns, but that these deserve to be ordered a certain way. Specifically, it argues that the whole subject should rightly be divided into two parts (each with proper sub-sections): “Natural Theology” (or God as the Fullness and First Cause of Being) and the “Philosophy of Religion” (or God as Final End and Blessedness). This latter part deals with questions such as the relation of morality and religion, the definition of religion, and religious diversity, and ends with the study of the credibility of religion. For, it argues, the end of metaphysics as classically presented itself requires going beyond it to ask whether there is any credible Way to the natural human goal of being entirely happy or perfected. By rights, then, philosophy ends in seeking whether there is a credible true faith (or several), although committing to any one takes one beyond philosophy’s proper limits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

16 pages, 418 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Searching for a Life beyond Law: Agamben, Henry, and a Coming Christianity

by Max Schaefer

Religions 2023, 14(2), 234; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel14020234 - 09 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1551

Abstract

This paper addresses the claim that the social orders of Western civilization operate on the basis of the law’s presumed sovereignty over life. I demonstrate how the respective works of Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben and French phenomenologist Michel Henry are joined in their [...] Read more.

This paper addresses the claim that the social orders of Western civilization operate on the basis of the law’s presumed sovereignty over life. I demonstrate how the respective works of Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben and French phenomenologist Michel Henry are joined in their concern over this issue, and in their shared belief that life can be made sovereign over the law through a communal life based upon habit. At the same time, I argue that their respective conceptions of this communal life are flawed, and that they would benefit from being brought into a productive dialogue with one another. More specifically, I show that Henry’s account of a Christian communal life based upon the habitual practice of love moves at least some way toward addressing Agamben’s account of a coming community that is decidedly abstract and lacking in a substantial ethic. However, I maintain that Henry’s own account of this community is founded upon a problematic conception of potentiality that would benefit from Agamben’s study of the matter. By bringing these two figures together and drawing out the lessons that can be learnt from each of them, this work provides a more concrete and substantial account of how a coming Christian community can play a role in making life sovereign over the force of the law. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

18 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Search of Justice and Peace: Benedict XVI’s Questions to the Cultures and Religions of the World

by Mary Frances McKenna

Religions 2022, 13(10), 910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel13100910 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1889

Abstract

In a series of addresses, commencing with the Regensburg address in 2006, Benedict XVI engaged the cultures and religions of the world with perennial questions concerning the rationality of reason, the catalyst for culture, the ethical foundations of political decisions, and the legality [...] Read more.

In a series of addresses, commencing with the Regensburg address in 2006, Benedict XVI engaged the cultures and religions of the world with perennial questions concerning the rationality of reason, the catalyst for culture, the ethical foundations of political decisions, and the legality of law. In the answers he provided, which emanate from the Christian tradition’s equation of the God of Jesus Christ, the God of love, with the God of the philosophers—the logos (λόγος)—Benedict invited his audiences to reassess the rationality and reasonableness of reason. Illustrating the interlinked nature of reason and truth, Benedict details the horizon of reality opened by an expansive understanding of reason, that of creative eternal reason. He challenges others to reflect on the presuppositions and implications of their own understanding of reason. On what basis is reason rational? What makes an argument reasonable? Benedict forthrightly acknowledges that religions have been a source of violence which he sees as resulting from the absence of reason. He insists that it is a reason informed by the great religious traditions that forms the basis for dialogue among the cultures and religions of the world. In those dialogues, Benedict maintains that freedom of conscience and freedom of religion play an essential and indispensable role. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue What Is Philosophy of Religion? Definitions, Motifs, New Directions)

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