Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology

by Louis P. Pojman

Pojman's PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION offers a comprehensive sampling of newly emerging scholarship and also includes many essays that traditionally have proved successful in p[hilosophy of religion classrooms. The editor's lucid introductions preface articles by such important contemporary writers as Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, Robert Merrihew Adams, William Alston, Gary Gutting, and Stephen T. Davis.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Spirituality, 20th Century, Reference

582 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Michael Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

After more than two decades of being told emphatically that a.) reading my scriptures b.) praying and c.) going to church would fulfill all of my spiritual needs, I had come to feel a deep hollowness within me. That space would occasionally be filled with fear, anger, despair, and pain, but always it would return to being empty.

I saw so many others my age beaming at church and talking openly at the pulpit about how much they speak to God and can hear his voice and feel his presence, and I would lean forward nearly with tears in my eyes wanting to join them, and then they’d go on about how God helped them find their car keys and that’s how they knew this denomination was the only arbiter of truth and that their grasp of spiritual reality was rock solid. Even on my worst days, I just couldn’t get myself to honestly believe that. I felt like I was too smart to believe, but too stupid to figure out how to reach beyond the fringes and get past the wall. Am I just broken? Do I think I’m better than other people? Maybe I’m just not trying hard enough.

This book completely transformed all of that. It was like putting on glasses for the first time and almost not being able to move because of how fast everything snapped into focus and you’re transfixed by newly revealed patterns and colors that had long since become distant memories. I realized that I’m not better than anyone else, but I am different. Where other people prayed to know if God approves of their fiancée, I wanted to know how a person is both able to legitimize prayer as a means of securing spiritual authority and how that can be philosophically challenged when placed beside parallel truth claims from other similarly begotten sources. I realized I wanted to know things I’d never even realized I’d wanted to know, or that I had always felt, but couldn’t put into words. I remember after finishing the book, I clutched it to my chest and just let the feeling of knowing that I wasn’t the only person who thinks like this wash over me.

For the first time in years I feel free, not because I know everything, but because now when I hear other people talk about how much they know (and feel, and experience, etc.) I don’t feel my chest tighten up so much anymore. There’s a space between them and me where a border now resides, and when their claims drive up and try to enter, I have checkpoints that they have to pass through. They’re constantly under construction and not always perfectly maintained, but they keep the crazies out and let the good ones in. And if God comes driving along one day and finds that he can’t get through, I can only hope that he’ll forgive me; a lot of other people before him tried to get in using the same name.

[Breanna Kretzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

[russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent primer to the philosophy of religion, it’s the kind of philosophy book you can read cover to cover. It should be noted that Pojman is religious, so the book tilts in favor of philosophies that support that position. This doesn’t become obvious until the last few chapters, but it should be noted that it’s not a strictly neutral introduction to the philosophy of religion, although he does a good job of that for most of the book.

He does an excellent job throughout of adhering to the principles of what an introduction should do: presenting both sides (mostly) fairly, asking thought provoking questions in favor and opposition of both viewpoints, presenting enough breadth and depth to inform the reader of the landscape, but not to bore the reader with details (except for maybe the Plantinga section), yet to dangle the carrot for more interesting, deeper stuff one can pursue on one’s own. Loved it!

[Martin Lau · Rating 2 out of 5]

religion has as much value to modern life as Kanye West

[Neil White · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a textbook and like many textbooks they are short collections of readings and so the quality of the readings and the capacity of the writers varies greatly. There are many selections in this anthology that are a cure for insomnia and there are some that are very good and insightful. Overall, the format of the collection is fine, but most of the readings seemed like they were more effort than to read than the insight gained from them.

[Adrien Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is starting to collect dust on my shelf. I pick it up from time-to-time, but I'm convinced I'll never finish it. So here's my review. I bought Pojman's anthology because it's flat-out the most content-rich, well-balanced presentation on the subject of the existence of God, or lack thereof. Pojman includes compelling arguments for both sides. This is a thinking person's read. Since it's an anthology, it's easy to jump around, as Pojman has arranged the works in a very logical manner.

[Sanjana Rajagopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first three sections of this during the month of October. My professor lent the book to me and I enjoyed it as an introductory survey of different directions one could go with the God debate. I'm counting it towards my challenge bc I got through approximately 400 of the 700 pages straight, and the remaining sections were not in my area of interest--though I'm sure they would have been interesting had I picked them up when not working on non-concurrent schoolwork!

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a great job of presenting both sides of religious arguments such as "Does God exist?" "Why is there evil if God exists?" "What are the attributes of God?" etc. Full of articles, essays, and lectures. I really enjoyed reading the book - it was informative, easy to read, and had good evidence for both sides of the arguments.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible, but analytically rigorous. The reader should probably work through this book with a group, or at least a teacher. Subjects start getting a little exhaustive in Ch.4 with the Ontological arguments.

[Tylor Lovins]

Terrible book. Pojman would have us ignore the many important advances Wittgensteinians have made in the philosophy of religion, really never acknowledging them. He would keep us at astrology when we can study astronomy.

[Darryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great collection of essays. It was the text for my philosophy of religion class at BYU (a fantastic class.) It acted as a sort of taster for each of the authors of the different essays, so I think it's a great jumping off point for the subject.

[sr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made some very strong cases for his views on religion. His alternative for belief (i.e. hope) is a very interesting idea and perhaps a better alternative than atheism for those that cannot find themselves believing. Makes a generous defence of religion as an aid to ethics.

[Rob Durham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An a excellent compilation of arguments and counter-arguments over some of the most subjects in philosophy of religion.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introductory text on topics like cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments, problem of evil and other ideas. Very basic stuff, however.

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was an interesting reading material for our philosophy or religion class!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of two books being used in my Advanced Seminar.