Question 1

What,precisely,is the problem of evil? 
Give two examples of events (real or fictional)that might raise this problem for religious believers.One should involve nonmoral evil,and the other should involve moral evil.
Be careful to explain how these two kinds of evil are different.
Draw on three of the theodicies,or solutions to the problem of evil,developed in this chapter,and show how they address this problem.
How does each solution meet,or fail to meet,the challenge of explaining both kinds of evil?
Which of these theodicies is the most convincing,and which is the least convincing,and why?

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Give two...

Question 2

Many people have commented on how many of our conceptions and images of God are anthropomorphic.One version of this is the image of God as an old man.
Why can't this image be literally true?
Feminist theologians focus on masculine and patriarchal images of God that involve more subtle patriarchal biases.
Some have argued that the conception of God as totally transcendent,all-powerful,unchanging,and all-knowing,is especially masculinist/patriarchal and,as a result,exclusionary.
Do you agree? 
Why or why not?
How might conceptions of God as immanent,pantheistic and in process,escape this charge? 
Are they (in your estimate)superior to the masculinist conceptions?

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Question 3

Explain the cosmological,ontological,design arguments,and the moral proof for God's existence.
Do these arguments share any points in common? 
How do they differ?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each kind of argument?
Develop one objection to each of the arguments.
Which of the arguments seems the strongest and why?

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Question 4

Write an essay showing the relationship between morality and religious belief.
Begin with Immanuel Kant's moral proof for belief in God.
What is this moral proof? 
Do you agree with Kant that one needs to believe in God to be moral?
What's your conception of the relationship of religious belief and morality?

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Question 5

Write an essay developing a philosophy of religious tolerance.
Your essay should start with the discussion of tolerance in chapter three.
How is tolerance linked with the fact that we can't know whether our religious conceptions are true?
Why doesn't this imply giving up our beliefs in the truth of these conceptions? 
How is tolerance possible,if not on the basis of belief?
What is your personal philosophy of tolerance? 
How do experience and deal with different religious faiths in your life?

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Question 6

Although the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions emphasize the existence of one God,there are,in fact,a rich variety of conceptions of this one God throughout our long history.
Write an essay describing four of the conceptions of God developed in this chapter.
Explain each conception and determine if there are any points of agreement between them.
How do they differ from one another? 
Raise one philosophical question for each of these conceptions.
From your point of view,explain which conception is the strongest,and which is the weakest,and why?

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Question 7

Write a dialogue between two characters who are debating about whether it is possible to prove or disprove that God exists.
The characters can be theists,atheists or agnostics.
The substance of the dialogue should be a critical discussion arguing over at least three lines of argument for and/or against God's existence.
These can be from the text,but are not limited to the text.
The dialogue can end in the two characters agreeing,in their agreeing to disagree,or in their arriving at a new viewpoint that synthesizes both points of view.

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Question 8

Write a fictional dialogue featuring two characters who are attempting to grapple with evil,as they witness it in the world.
The substance of the dialogue should be a critical discussion in which the characters describe the problem of evil,as they understand it,and then argue about how the problem is best resolved.
As the dialogue unfolds,the traditional problem of evil should be described,and three of the theodicies from chapter three should be discussed-although the characters are not limited to these viewpoints.
The dialogue can end in the two characters agreeing,in their agreeing to disagree,or in their arriving at a new viewpoint that synthesizes both points of view.

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Question 9

Many people say that they are "spiritual" but not "religious"?
What does it mean to be spiritual,and how is this different from being religious?
What beliefs does it involve?
Is it grounded in some type experience?
If religious believers maintain their faith through particular rituals and traditions,and not merely beliefs,what rituals and traditions do you draw on to maintain your spirituality?

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Question 10

The theologian Paul Tillich defines faith as "ultimate concern." 
Write an essay developing your philosophy of religious faith.
What is the object of your ultimate concern? 
Is it a god-or something else?
What's the basis of,or grounds for,your commitment to this object of faith? 
The way you were raised?
Some philosophical argument?
A mystical experience?
Is your faith rational-or irrational,as Freud,Marx,or Kierkegaard claim?
Have you made anything resembling Pascal's "Wager," or Kierkegaard's "Leap of Faith?" 
How do you understand the fact that other people have different objects of faith?

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Quiz 3: God