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