Why is philosophy of religion very important in the study of religion?
Philosophy of religion can play an important role in helping persons understand and evaluate different religious traditions and their alternatives. Second: Philosophy of religion as a field may be popular because of the overlapping interests found in both religious and philosophical traditions.
Can philosophers be atheists in safety without persecution?
So, philosophers can be atheists in safety without fear of persecution. Philosophy is ultimately about the study of ideas. Unfortunately, many people fear ideas because of where they might lead. Philosophy allows us to make that journey and it encourages us to follow the ideas wherever they lead.
Is it possible to be an atheist without reading philosophy?
The answer would of course be no and the issue of evidence immediately raised, as if the question concerned a hypothesized planet in a neighboring galaxy. It has been said that an atheist is someone who has not read enough philosophy. That would not be a universal truth, but I believe there is some truth in it.
Is there an answer to the question “is there such a thing as atheism?
There are only two possible direct answers to this question: “yes”, which is theism, and “no”, which is atheism. Answers like “I don’t know”, “no one knows”, “I don’t care”, “an affirmative answer has never been established”, or “the question is meaningless” are not direct answers to this question.
What are the different types of atheism?
Another subcategory of atheism is “friendly atheism”, which William Rowe (1979) defines as the position that, although God does not exist, some (intellectually sophisticated) people are justified in believing that God exists. Rowe, a friendly atheist himself, contrasts friendly atheism with unfriendly atheism and indifferent atheism.