Abstract
The terms the ‘God of Abraham’ and the ‘God of the philosophers’ correspond to two traditional approaches to religion. In the first approach, call it the ‘supernatural approach’, religious believers try to comprehend the existence and nature of God primarily through supernatural means, such as mystical experiences and biblical revelations. In the second approach, call it the ‘conceptual approach’, philosophers and theologians try to comprehend the existence and nature of God primarily through rational and analytical thinking.
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References
Barrett, J. L. (2004) Why Would Anyone Believe in God? (Lanham, MD: Altamira Press).
Darwin, C. (1998 [1859]) On the Origin of Species (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Dawkins, R. (1985) The Blind Watchmaker (London: W.W. Norton).
Kelemen, D. (2004) ‘Are Children “Intuitive Theists”? Reasoning about Purpose and Design in Nature’, Psychological Science 15: 295–301.
Paley, W. (2006 [1802]) Natural Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
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© 2012 Yujin Nagasawa
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Nagasawa, Y. (2012). Introduction. In: Nagasawa, Y. (eds) Scientific Approaches to the Philosophy of Religion. Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137026019_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137026019_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-33187-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-02601-9
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