What do we mean by God?

Philosophy of religion is concerned mostly with western ideas of God - and therefore mostly with the idea of God in the Christian religion. This is primarily because the early Christian theologians relied upon the ideas of Plato and Aristotle when developing their theology, and so the two - especially Aristotle - became tied in to philosophical discussion of religious issues.

Therefore, when we refer to God in the following sections, we shall be referring to a being with the following characteristics:

• He is masculine
• He is the only god
• He is immaterial (not made of matter but spirit)
• He is omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing)
• He is omnipotent (all-powerful)
• He is omnibenevolent (perfectly good)
• He does not rely upon something else for His existence (he is self-creating)
• He is not subject to change or alteration

There are other qualities that are linked to these but they can be discussed later on.

 

 

What is Philosophy of Religion?

Philosophy of religion is very different to theology. Whereas theology assumes the existence of God - or one or more supreme beings - and attempts to "justify the ways of God to man", philosophy of religion asks such questions as "Is there a God?", "Does religious belief make sense?" and "Are there any proofs for God's existence?"

So, although it is possible to be a religious believer and a philosopher, when a philosopher thinks about the problems of religion it is from the standpoint of someone outside religious practice. This, however, has not always been the case, and many philosophers have used philosophy to justify and explain their religious beliefs.