CHAPTER SIX: Philosophy of Religion

Many of us were brought up with religious beliefs. Even if we were not, I suspect we all began to wonder at an early age about questions of where we came from, how did the world come into being, what is the best way to live life fully, and what will happen to us after death. Most religious traditions attempt to address these questions, just as philosophy has for centuries. The Philosophy of Religion is a branch of philosophy that attempts to explore these questions carefully, often looking at answers found in many different religious traditions.  A key difference between the philosophical approach to these questions and the religious approach is that philosophy does not begin its investigations from scriptures, from “revelation,” but instead examines what can be known about religious claims solely by reason alone.