Class #9, 3/26/12

**Roster

**Questions about essay....

**Due tonight:
------> Readings from Part Nine, "God-Language":
------>------>Thomas Aquinas, The Doctrine of Analogy, pp 391ff;
------>------>Flew and Mitchell, The Falsification Debate, pp 394ff;
------>------>Paul Tillich, Religious Language as Symbolic, pp 398ff;
------>------>Rosemary Reuther, Sexism and God-Talk, pp 404ff.
------>Writing: 
------>------>"Reuther recognizes that God, as spirit, is neither male nor female, which are physical realities.  She speaks of the tradition of apophatic theology [see Maimonides], which emphasizes the unlikeness between God and creatures, and argues for inclusive language that is inherently metaphorical.  Review her points related to these issues and evaluate. [Question taken from text]"

**Information and pictures for our authors is here.

** For next class, 4/2/12:  The Issue of Miracles, Unit 10--
------>Readings:
------>------>Stephen Davis, "Is It Possible to Know That Jesus Was Raised from the Dead?"  pp 433ff.
------>------>David Hume, "The Evidence for Miracles Is Weak," pp 441ff.
------>Write:
------>------>Why does Davis say that whether it is rational to believe the Resurrection depends on your prior worldview?  Does YOUR worldview allow for the possibility that this event actually occurred?  [Question is from p 440 of the text.]

Class #8, 3/19/12

**Roster, etc.

**Questions about essay assignment....

**For tonight's discussion:

Divine Action--
------>Read carefully from Part 8:
------>------>Paul Helm, Providence:  Risky or Risk-Free?, pp 348ff
------>------>J.R. Lucas, The Vulnerability of God, pp 369ff
------>------>Cobb and Griffin, God is Creative-Responsive Love, pp 377ff
 
Writing due:
------>Something to write:  Can God be personal and involved with the world, and still be the omnipotent, all-knowing God?  Isn't this a contradiction?

**Some info about tonight's authors.

**For next week's class--3/26--
------> Readings from Part Nine, "God-Language":
------>------>Thomas Aquinas, The Doctrine of Analogy, pp 391ff;
------>------>Flew and Mitchell, The Falsification Debate, pp 394ff;
------>------>Paul Tillich, Religious Language as Symbolic, pp 398ff;
------>------>Rosemary Reuther, Sexism and God-Talk, pp 404ff.
------>Writing: 
------>------>"Reuther recognizes that God, as spirit, is neither male nor female, which are physical realities.  She speaks of the tradition of apophatic theology [see Maimonides], which emphasizes the unlikeness between God and creatures, and argues for inclusive language that is inherently metaphorical.  Review her points related to these issues and evaluate. [Question taken from text]"

Class #7, 3/5/2012

**Roster, etc.

**Handout:  longer essay assignment.  Due:  April 16.

**Due this week:  The Problem of Evil
------>Read carefully:
------>------>Augustine's definition of the problem [HANDOUT]
------>------>David Hume, "Evil makes a Strong Case...," pp 276ff.
------>Write:  What sort of challenge exactly is evil to the human sense that there is a "higher power"?

**Some visuals about Augustine and David Hume.

**For next class, March 19th:  Divine Action--
------>Read carefully from Part 8:
------>------>Paul Helm, Providence:  Risky or Risk-Free?, pp 348ff
------>------>J.R. Lucas, The Vulnerability of God, pp 369ff
------>------>Cobb and Griffin, God is Creative-Responsive Love, pp 377ff
------>Something to write:  Can God be personal and involved with the world, and still be the omnipotent, all-knowing God?  Isn't this a contradiction?