Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions." Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning philosophy. The field is related to many branches of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.

The philosophy of religion differs from religious philosophy in that it seeks to discuss questions regarding the nature of religion as a whole, rather than examining the problems brought forth by a particular belief system. It can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as believers or non-believers.

Philosopher William L. Rowe characterized philosophy of religion as "the critical examination of basic religious beliefs and concepts." Philosophy of religion covers alternative beliefs about God (or gods), the varieties of religious experience, the interplay between science and religion, the nature and scope of good and evil, and religious treatments of birth, history, and death. The field also includes the ethical implications of religious commitments, the relation among faith, reason, experience and tradition, concept of the miraculous, the sacred revelation, mysticism, power, and salvation.

The philosophy of religion differs from theology by pointing out that, for theology, "its critical reflections are based on religious convictions." Also, "theology is responsible to an authority that initiates its thinking, speaking, and witnessing... [while] philosophy bases its arguments on the ground of timeless evidence."

Some aspects of philosophy of religion have classically been regarded as part of metaphysics. In Aristotle's Metaphysics, the necessary prior cause of eternal motion was an unmoved mover, who, like the object of desire, or of thought, inspires motion without itself been moved. Today, however, philosophers have adopted the term "philosophy of religion" for the subject, and typically it is regarded as a separate field of specialization, although it is treated by some, particularly by Catholic philosophers, as part of metaphysics.

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