ThereisprobablynoareaincontemporaryWesternphilosophymoreexcitingandengagingthanphilosophyofreligion.Theplethoraofbooksandarticlesontopicsfallingwithinitsdomainevidencesunmistakablytheavidinterestofphilosophers,boththosedisposedtoreligiousbeliefaswellasthoseinclinedtorejectit.Thisispartlyduetotheinterconnectednessofthetopicsgenerallyassociatedwithphilosophyofreligion.Somefindanever-endingfascinationwithtryingtoweavevariousinitiallydiscordantstrandsintoacoherentmeaningfulwhole,whileothers,contrariwise,seenothingbutlooseendsanddisconnectedness.Forexample,some,notablyatheists,viewtheexistenceofevilasincompatiblewithoneormoreofGodsattributes.OthersarguethattheamountofevilintheworldmakesGodsexistencestronglyimprobable.TheistshavetriedtoaddresstheformerproblemwithvariousconsistencystrategiesandthelatterwithevidentialargumentsdesignedtoholdthelinefortheprobabilityofGodsexistence.ThereisalsoaclusteroftroublesomeanddifficultquestionsrelatingtoChristiantheisticbeliefsaboutGodssovereigntyandhowitrelatestohumanfreedomandresponsibility.Thequestionsareindeedmultivariousandoftenperplexingifnotdaunting;thestakesareashighasanylifepresents.
ButperhapsthechiefreasonforphilosophyofreligionsattractionisthefactthatconsiderationshavingtodowiththeexistenceandnatureofaSupremeBeingraisesissuesofultimateconcern.Noissuesurpassesitintermsofimportance,ramificationandimplication.Allelseoneendeavorstoaffirminphilosophypivots,andrightlyso,onclaimsmaderegardingwhethersuchabeingexists,andwhatsortofbeliefsproperlyfollowfromaffirmationordenialofGodsexistence.
TwobasicorientationsprevailintheliteratureintheWest,theanalyticwayofthinking,orassomeprefertocallit,Anglo-Americanphilosophy,andContinentalphilosophy.Thelatterfindssomerepresentationinthiscollection,butsomereadersnodoubtmaythinkitnotenough.Theanalyticisgivengreaterattentionforanumberofreasons,onlyafewofwhichareonlybrieflystatedhere.ScantifanyattentionisgiventoargumentsfortheexistenceofGodbyContinentalauthors.OthertopicstypicallyincludedinWesternphilosophyofreligiontextsarealsosparselycoveredifatall,suchasmiracles,andotherevidentialsortsoftopics,liketheproblemofevil.
Asforfurtherrepresentativebalance,notonlyarethenon-theistsgivenasignificantvoice,authorsfromthethreemainstreamChristiantraditions,Protestant,RomanCatholic,andOrthodoxcanbefoundintheirrespectivedistinctiveness.Achoiceisapparentwithregardtonumbersofauthors.Wholenessofanessayhasbeenanimportantcriterionratherthannumbersofauthors.Weveattemptedtoputtogetherthebestofthemostrecentmaterialsavailable,someofwhichappearsinbookformforthefirsttime.
Thetopicsselectedaresomethingofanindextothebulkoftheliterature:faithandreason,argumentsfortheexistenceofGod,theproblemofevil,theattributesofGod,miracles,religionandscience,religionandethics,death,identity,immortalityandresurrection,andreligiouspluralism.Unlikemyearlieranthology,PhilosophyofReligion,AnAnthologyofContemporaryViews(alsoinaChineseEdition),thisnewcollectionincludeshistoricalaswellascontemporaryauthors.Philosophycantbeproperlygraspedapartfromitshistoricalcontext.Oneregretisthatpageconstraintsdidntallowafullerhistoricalpanorama.Thetopicsarebrieflydescribedbelow.