Key facts

Type	Day and Weekend
Location	Stokenchurch
Address	Stokenchurch Adult Learning Centre Bartholomew Tipping Way Stokenchurch Bucks HP14 3RX
Dates	Sat 15 Jun 2013
Subject area(s)	Philosophy
Fees	From £55.00
Application status	Course ended
Course code	E12P160PHJ
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email studentenquiries@buckscc.gov.uk or telephone 0845 0454040.

Overview

Philosophy of religion seeks to rationally examine the ideas which are central to religious faith and practice. On this course we will examine, from a neutral standpoint, arguments against God’s existence, along with theists’ defences against those arguments. Along the way we will explore concepts and ideas which enable students to develop a deeper, more complex, understanding of God and religion.

Topics examined include: whether the evil in the world shows that God does not exist; the relationship between science, evolution and religion; why there is something rather than nothing; psychological and sociological explanations for religious belief; and the nature and significance of religious tradition, ritual, symbol, mystery and wonder.

This course will appeal to all those who enjoy reasoning and discussion, are willing to question their preconceptions and learn new ideas, and wish to go beyond the shallow, simplistic sound-bites that characterise most media discussions of religion.

Programme details

To be held at: Stokenchurch Adult Learning Centre, Bartholomew Tipping Way, Stokenchurch, Bucks HP14 3RX
SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2013
10.00am Introduction Does the evil in the universe show that there does not exist a God who created the universe?
11.10am Coffee/tea (from drinks machine – please bring change with you)
11.20am Does the evil in the universe show that there does not exist a God who intervenes in the physical universe and affects people’s thoughts and decisions?
12.40pm Lunch (Please bring you own packed lunch, as there is nothing available on site)
1.40pm Does science (especially evolution) show talk of God has no explanatory role to play? Or are there things which science cannot explain – such as freedom, consciousness, beauty, love, goodness, ‘religious experience’ and why there is something rather than nothing’?
2.50pm Tea/coffee (from drinks machine – please bring change with you)
3.00pm Can sociology and psychology explain why people hold religious beliefs? Could talk of God play a role other than description or explanation? For example, are religious tradition, ritual, symbol, prayer/meditation, mystery and wonder ways of dealing with that which cannot be talked about or cannot be talked about non-metaphorically?
4.00pm Course disperses
No lunch is provided, so please bring your own packed lunch with you. Hot drinks are available from machines at break times, so if you wish to have one, please make sure you have some change with you. Cold water machines are available to use free of charge.
Facilities available at Stokenchurch Adult Learning Centre Disabled access, Wheel chair access, Disabled toilet, Chair lift, Hearing loop, Adaptive technology in room, Lift available Free parking on site, or near by Disabled parking

Staff

Recommended reading

Background Reading

Karen Armstrong, The Case for God: What religion really means (Vintage, 2010)
Yujin Nagasawa, The Existence of God: A Philosophical Introduction(Routledge 2011)
David O’Connor, God, Evil and Design, (Blackwell 2008)

Browse relevant topics on:

The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/
The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/contents.html

Fee options

Programme Fee

Tuition: £55.00

Apply for this course