Meeting 5: 26 October 2022

Meeting 05 topic: Philosophy of Religion (vid 3 of 11) by Roy Clouser
Objections to the Definition of Religious Belief:

Related book here: [used] [amzn] [w&s]

full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu_XWQBwDFvjTk0Au0-6un3D

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNy_lJJ-y20

 
Objections to the definition of religious belief, answered: 

1. Ob: Not all gods/deities are viewed as self-existent.
A: Right. Such gods are not what is taken as the Divine per se. 

2. Ob: Some beliefs about what is self-existent occur in context of scientific theories.
A: Right. That's irrelevant to it, nevertheless, being a belief in something taken as Divine. 

3. Ob: Some beliefs about what is self-existent are not accompanied by worship or ritual.
A: Right. That's irrelevant to whether something is, nevertheless, taken as Divine. 

4. Ob: Some beliefs about what is self-existent are 'rational' and not taken on 'blind faith'.
A: No belief about what is taken to be Divine is based on inferential 'proof', nor is any viewed as 'blind faith'. Rather, all such beliefs are experienced as self-evidently true (to be explained further). 

5. Ob: Some beliefs about what is self-existent are not accompanied by ethics, or by views of human nature or destiny.
A: Right. However, all beliefs about what is self-existent have implications for such matters, even if one does not consider them. 

Considering the totality of reality, either all or some part must necessarily be Divine/self-existent, since there is nothing else for it to depend on.

 

Meeting 04: 19 October 2022

Meeting 04 topic: Philosophy of Religion (vid 2 of 11) by Roy Clouser
Definitions and Defining Religious Belief

Related book here: [used] [amzn] [w&s]

Main question/s for discussion:

1. Initial responses?
2. What are the kinds of definitions he presents?
3. What kind of definition for "religion/religious belief" is he seeking?
4. How does he define religion and religious belief?

full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu_XWQBwDFvjTk0Au0-6un3D

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YweBHMhHuAk

 

Different kinds of definitions:
- archetypal (classic example of the object)
- nominal (how a word is being used in a given case)
- operational (how something behaves under given conditions)
- real/essential (characteristics true of all and only the given object)

The Divine is a self-existent reality (unconditionally non-dependent) upon which all else depends (however else further characterized). [So, we might say religion is inevitable human awareness of and relation to the Divine, whether known truly or falsely.]

What is religious belief?
A belief is religious iff it is about:
1. something taken as Divine, or
2. how non-Divine relates to (or depends on) the Divine, or
3. how humans can stand in proper relation to the Divine

Meeting 03: 12 October 2022

Meeting 03 topic: Philosophy of Religion (vid 1 of 11) by Roy Clouser
What Is Philosophy?

Related book here: [used] [amzn] [w&s]

Main question/s for discussion:

1. Before listening, how would you define "philosophy"?
2. Initial responses?
3. How is he going to focus on "philosophy of religion"?
4. Any thoughts on how philosophy might be viewed from a Reformed Christian perspective?

full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu_XWQBwDFvjTk0Au0-6un3D

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhZ5G7Vt-2E

What is philosophy? The study of reality (and knowledge), generally. A matter of how all the various sides of reality relate and 'hang together'; and how we know it.

Meeting 02 : 5 October 2022

Meeting 02 topic: The Myth of Religious Violence by William T. Cavanaugh

The book is here, and here.

Main question/s for discussion:

1. Initial responses?
2. How would you put his main point/s?
3. When and why were the separate categories of "religious" vs "secular" created?
4. Do any of his illustrations and arguments stand out to you?
5. Does this topic relate to other ideas we've considered?

Thought for future discussion: we're going to consider a way to define "religion" that is distinct and yet does not leave any area of life non-religious, and is universal (something everyone, always, everywhere has).

2016 Richard John Lecture: The Myth of Religious Violence from CPX on Vimeo.

 

Meeting 01 : Wednesday 28 September 2022

Current club location and time is Rees house, Wednesdays 3:10pm - 4:10pm

Prospective schedule for academic year: see sidebar link

Meeting 01 topic: This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

The full transcript is here.

Main question/s for discussion:

1. Initial responses?
2. How would you put his main point/s?
3. What is he saying about life and humanities education we can affirm as Reformed Christians?
4. How do we view it differently, especially in the light of "capital T truth" and inevitability of worship?

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xoblutORPNA

club proposal

Proposal for academic year Fall 2022 - Spring 2023:
meet after school for 1 hour (3:30pm - 4:30pm?) once a week (Mondays?) to explore a Reformed Christian perspective on various academic subjects and topics.

We'll discuss important ideas related to philosophy, theology, history, culture, society, arts, and maybe even math and natural sciences.

The format will be something like listening to or reading some informative material, and then I'll guide us in a group discussion.

My hope is that what we discuss in this club will expand your capacity for and shape your ways of thinking about this life and the world created by Christ for His glory.

[My guess is that there are 18? weeks in the Fall semester, and about 20? weeks in the Spring semester]