Course Syllabus for PHI 1003-01: Philosophy of Religion

Fall 2017 MWF 11:00-11:50 A331

Instructor: Jason A. Beyer
E-mail: jason_beyer@ivcc.edu
Homepage: www2.ivcc.edu/jbeyer/
Office: A309 Office phone: 224-0583
Office hours: MWF 10-11 & 1-2 pm; TR 11-12:30; R 6:00-6:30; other office hours by appointment

Texts
Michael Peterson et al, Reason and Religious Belief, 5th ed. [abbr. RRB]
Michael Peterson et al, eds.; Philosophy of Religion, 5th ed. [abbr. PR]
There will also be some required reading material on reserve in the library

Course Description
A rational examination of the nature and content of religious belief through an examination of such issues
as the relation of reason to faith, the existence and nature of God, religious experience, and the
occurrence of evil.
This course counts toward I.V.C.C.’s Global Appreciation requirement, as well as the Global Studies
Emphasis. If you are interested in learning more about the Global Studies Emphasis, please contact
Amanda Cook-Fesperman at amanda_cookfesperman@ivcc.edu or visit the International Education
website at http://www.ivcc.edu/internationaleducation.aspx?id=7456.

Course Objectives
The end goal of the course is to foster deeper and more critical thinking about the nature and content of
religious beliefs. By the end of the course, students will (1) have a deeper understanding of the
complexities of the issues addressed in class, (2) be able to identify multiple positions on these issues,
recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, (3) appreciate the impact our presuppositions have on
evaluating the truth of religious beliefs, and (4) be developing critical thinking skills and applying them
to the evaluation of religious beliefs.

Course Requirements
There are two main requirements for the course: up to 9 take-home writing assignments, and up to 9
reading quizzes, depending on the amount of material we end up covering.
The writing assignments will typically involve addressing, in about 3 pages (typed), two or three
issues about the topic just completed. The questions used will primarily be drawn from the study
questions in the text and the anthology. These will be due one week from the date they are handed out.
Late work will be penalized one grade for each class period past the due date, and will not be accepted
more than two weeks past the due date without my prior approval. These can be turned in as a joint
project; though keep in mind that each person whose work it is will receive the same grade, regardless of
the strength of individual contributions. The combined average of the writing assignments will be worth
90% of the final grade.
The reading quizzes will consist of one short answer essay question based on the assigned
reading material. These will not be announced in advance; though since they are there to check for
completion and comprehension of the assigned reading material, they will be done near the beginning of
topic coverage. These will be done in class, and cannot be made up unless I know in advance that you
will not be present. The combined average of the mini-exams will comprise 10% of your final grade.
Attendance is required. More than 5 absences may result in a grade being docked off of one’s
final grade. More than 10 absences may result in withdrawal from the course.
Anyone who has not attended since the first week or has less than half of the assigned
coursework completed by the time I need to do the mid-term verification form may be withdrawn from
the course. If you need to withdraw for any other reason, please see me. Please keep in mind that
withdrawing from the course may affect any financial aid you receive.

Grading
All assignments will receive a traditional letter grade; each grade will be treated as its numerical
equivalent (A=4.0, A-=3.67, B+=3.33, B=3.0, etc.). Your final grade will be given on the following
scale (note that IVCC does not allow + or – on final grades): 3.51-4.00=A; 2.67-3.50=B; 1.67-2.66=C;
1.00-1.66=D; below 1.00=F.

Extra Credit
I allow good class participation as an extra credit possibility. Students that have earned this extra credit
will receive up to 5 extra credit points. I will also allow additional extra credit points for attending
certain IVCC events. I will notify you of these as they come up and post information about them on my
homepage. Typically they will be those events and programs relevant to the course objectives and
material. Each EC point adds .05 to your final calculated average. For example, suppose your final
average is 3.44, which is a B. If you had 3 EC points, this would add .15 to this, for a total of 3.59,
which is an A. In general, 4 or 5 extra credit points will typically make a full grade difference.

Classroom Behavior
I am exercising my right to ban cell phones and like technology from my classroom. Texting, cell
phones ringing and iPods playing during class are distracting and disrespectful to me and to your
classmates. If you have some special need that requires you to make use of some piece of technology,
please see me about it right away. I am fine with recording class sessions. You may also bring a laptop
for taking notes if you wish. However, it is expected that laptops will be used in class for course
purposes only. We are in college, and I and your classmates expect all of us to act like it by adhering to
IVCC’s core values of responsibility, caring, honesty, fairness and respect. If I need to ask you to leave
because you are disrupting class, you will be counted as absent for that day. Continued disruption will be
handed over to the V.P. of Student Services for further action.
If you have any special needs, please feel free to contact me. If these involve assistance due to disability,
please also see the Special Populations office in C211 or call Tina Hardy at 224-0284.

Tentative Course Outline

I. Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

Readings: RRB; Chs. 1, 2 & 16
Buddha; “Buddhist Nonrealism”; in PR
Trigg; “A Defense of Religious Realism”; in PR
Assignment 1
II. Differing Models of ‘God’
Readings: RRB; Chs. 7 & 8
Aquinas; “God is Omnipotent”; in PR
Mavrodes; “Some Puzzles Concerning Omnipotence”; in PR
Pike; “Divine Omniscience and Voluntary Action”; in PR
Boethius; “God is Timeless”; in PR
Wolterstorff; “God is Everlasting”; in PR
Maimonides; “Negative Theology”; in PR
Martin; “Conflicts between the Divine Attributes”; in PR
Assignment 2
III. Differing Models of ‘Faith’
Readings: Beyer; “Two Models of Faith”; on reserve
IV. The Relationship between Religious Faith and the Search for Evidence
Readings: RRB; Chs. 4 & 6
Clifford; “The Ethics of Belief”; in PR
James; “The Will to Believe”; in PR
Kierkegaard; “Truth is Subjectivity”; in PR
Evans; “Critical Dialog in Phil. Or Religion”; in PR
Plantinga; “The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology”; in PR
Pargetter; “Experience, Proper Basicality, and Belief in God”; in PR
Flew; “The Presumption of Atheism”; on reserve
Schellenberg & Moser; “Does Divine Hiddenness Justify Atheism?”; on reserve
 Pascal; “The Wager”; in PR
Peterson; “The Encounter between Naturalistic Atheism and Christian Theism”; in PR
Assignments 3 and 4
V. Religion and Science
Readings: RRB; Ch. 13
Dawkins; “Science Discredits Religion”; in PR
Gould; “Two Separate Domains”; in PR
Assignment 5
VI. Rational Arguments for the Existence of God
Readings: RRB; Ch. 5
Anselm; “The Classical Ontological Argument”; in PR
Guanilo; “Critique of Anselm’s Argument”; in PR
Reichenbach; “The Cosmological Argument”; in PR
Mackie; “Critique of the Cosmological Argument”; in PR
Paley; “The Analogical Teleological Argument”; in PR
Hume; “Critique of the Analogical Teleological Argument”; in PR
Craig; “The Kalam Cosmological Argument”; in PR
Collins; “The Anthropic Teleological Argument”; in PR
Polkinghorne; “The Universe as Creation”; in PR
Beyer; “The Order of the Physical World”; on reserve
Assignment 6
VII. Making Sense of Miracle Reports
Readings: RRB; Ch. 10
Hume; “The Evidence for Miracles is Weak”; in PR
Mackie; “Miracles and Testimony”; in PR
Swinburne; “Miracles and Historical Evidence”; in PR
Davis; “Is It Possible to Know that Jesus Was Raised from the Dead?”; in PR
VIII Making Sense of Religious Experience
Readings: RRB; Ch. 3
James; “Religious Experiences as Feelings Forming the Root of Religion”; in PR
Teresa of Avila, “Religious Experiences”; in PR
Alston; “Religious Experience as Perception of God”; in PR
Westphal; “A Phenomenological Account of Religious Experience”; in PR
Proudfoot; “Religious Experiences as Interpretive Accounts”; in PR
Martin; “A Critique of Religious Experience”; in PR
Assignment 7
IX. The Challenges Posed by Religious Diversity
Readings: RRB; Ch. 14
Kitcher; “Doubt Delineated”; on reserve
Hick; “Religious Pluralism”; in PR
Dalai Lama XIV; “Buddhism and Other Religions”; in PR
Griffiths; “The Universality and Uniqueness of Religious Doctrines” in PR
Rahner; “Religious Inclusivism”; in PR
Assignment 8
X. The Challenges Posed by Evil
Readings: RRB; Ch. 9
Mackie; “Evil and Omnipotence”; in PR
Plantinga; “The Free Will Defense”; in PR
Rowe; “The Evidential Argument from Evil”; in PR
Hick; “Soul-Making Theodicy”; in PR
Beyer; “Explaining Evil”; on reserve
Adams; “Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God”; in PR
Zizek; “Defenders of the Faith”; on reserve
Assignment 9