Experience of God and the Rationality of Theistic BeliefCornell University Press, 1997 - 211 pages Jerome I. Gellman observes that the mystic experience of God's presence, a sense of having direct contact with the divine, often compels belief in God's existence. On the basis of widely accepted principles connecting appearance with reality, Gellman contends, the claims people make of having experienced God show that belief in God is strongly rational, meaning that such claims are sufficient in number and variety to support a line of reasoning making it rational to believe that God exists and irrational to deny God's existence. Gellman considers challenges to his thinking based on epistemological grounds and challenges growing out of the diversity of religious experiences across the range of world religions. He thoroughly evaluates reductionist explanations of apparent experiences of God and finds them incapable of invalidating his view. Finally, he directs his attention to the two most compelling arguments against the existence of God: the charge that the idea of a perfect being is logically incoherent, and the threat to theism based on the existence of evil, in both its logical and probabilistic forms. Until and unless stronger objections come along, he concludes, personal experiences of God constitute sufficient evidence of God's existence. |
Table des matières
Introduction | 1 |
4 | 67 |
God and Religious Diversity | 90 |
Reductionism | 122 |
Evidence against Gods Existence I | 150 |
Expressions et termes fréquents
absolutely perfect actually alleged experiences allegedly experienced Alston Alvin Plantinga apparent experiences appear argue argument from BEE Argument from Evil Argument from Multiple Argument from Self-Inconsistency Aristotle aware basis BEE and STING best explanation biased Brahman C. D. Broad chapter conclude doctrines ence epistemic access equal everything evidential value example expe experiences of God experiences of God's fact false God's existence God's nonexistence Grade Hence Hick hypersuggestible identify inference justifying logical maximally valuable mystical network set nonpathological object of kind omni-attributes omnipotent omniscient Pathological Claim perceived perception phenomenal Philosophical physical objects pit bulls positive reasons present principle probabilistic argument problem of evil proper names putative experiences rational to believe reason for thinking reason to believe reductionist refer referential chain religions Religious Experience revealed Richard Swinburne rience rigid designator Rowe Rowe's argument sample strongly rational suppose theism theistic theory tion true wholly