Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Palmquist
"I have evidenced my great respect for Christianity in many ways ... Its best and most lasting eulogy is its harmony ... with the purest moral belief in religion. For it is by this, and not by historical scholarship, that Christianity, so often debased, has always been restored; and only by this can it again be restored when, in the future, it continues to meet a similar fate." --Immanuel Kant, Conflict of the Faculties "... to have religion is a duty of man to himself." --Kant, Metaphysics of Morals Introduction The "philosophy of the Christian religion" is a special branch of the philosophy of religion, which is itself a branch of philosophy. It is very difficult to provide a good definition of words like "philosophy" or "religion"--i.e., one that is both simple and complete. Nevertheless, we can suggest provisionally that philosophy is man's twofold task (i.e., theoretical and practical) of searching for an understanding of the essential character of something, with the underlying intention of enabling us to apply that understanding in concrete situations. Likewise, we can suggest that religion is man's quest for establishing a relationship of some sort with some "transcendent reality". Thus we can regard the philosophy of religion as the discipline which searches for both a theoretical and a practical understanding of the essential character of man's quest for a relationship with the transcendent. The philosophy of the Christian religion attempts to do this by drawing its examples and its understanding of the transcendent mainly from the Christian tradition. Throughout the past 2000 years, most of the people who have engaged in the "philosophy of the Christian religion" have actually been Christian theologians (e.g., St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Thomas, etc.): they adopted a philosophical approach primarily for the purpose of discovering the essential meaning of their Christian faith. (Perhaps this is the reason why this subject is REL 2160 and not PHIL 2160.) Indeed, there have been very few major philosophers who have directed their attention explicitly and in detail to the Christian religion in particular. However, there are several exceptions, the most important of whom marks a major turning point, or "watershed", in the history of the philosophy of religion. In 1793 the German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, wrote his great book, Religion Within the Bounds of Bare Reason. He intended it as a philosophical experiment to test whether or not Christianity could be adequately defended as the "universal religion of mankind". Our primary aim during the first half of this semester will be to understand this classic text. Three questions will be kept at the forefront throughout our study of Kant's ideas: 1. What is Kant actually saying about man, God, and religion? 2. Is he right? 3. Is he accurately describing the "essence" of Christianity? 4. What difference does it make? With this theoretical foundation in place, we will devote the second half of the semester to a more practical subject, by examining the possibility of developing a Christian political philosophy. After briefly examining Aristotle's political categories, we will attempt to sketch a picture of what the Bible has to say about politics. In so doing, we will seek to fulfil the main objective of this subject, which is to express the essence of the Christian faith in a philosophically comprehensible way. Textbooks First half: Every student will be required to read Kant's book on religion, translated by T.M. Greene and H.H. Hudson as Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone. Two copies of the entire book are available on "one day" reserve at the library. In addition, three photocopies of the most relevant sections of this text are available on "two hour" reserve. If possible, each student should bring a copy of the relevant section(s) of this book to every class session. Second half: Every student will also be required to purchase a copy of the book, Biblical Theocracy: A Vision of the Biblical Foundations for a Christian Political Philosophy (available from the lecturer for $35). This book should be read well in advance, and should be brought to every class session during the second half of the semester, along with a copy of the Bible. Grade Assessment Quizes (30%): There will be five surprise quizes (6 marks each), consisting of six multiple choice or short answer questions each. The questions will be based entirely on the handouts and/or any previously assigned section of the textbook. The lectures will not necessarily cover the same material as the quizes, or they may cover the material only after the quiz; so be sure to do the reading before coming to class each week. Small group discussions (10%): There will be five surprise discussion sessions (2% each just for attending). Like the quizes, the dates will not be announced in advance, and absences cannot be made up without an extremely good excuse. The class will be divided into groups of 3-6 students. At the end of each discussion session, each small group will turn in a paper (ungraded), listing the names of the participants and giving a summary of the views expressed during their discussion. Final examination (60%): Probably two essays (30% each). Tentative Lecture Schedule (With readings & dates in brackets) I. Introduction: What is the Philosophy of Religion? (Handouts: 28 September) II. Kant's Experiment: Is Christianity the Universal Religion? 1. Philosophical Background and Introduction to Kant's Experiment (RBBR, preface: 5 Oct.) 2. Original Goodness and Radical Evil in Human Nature (RBBR, Part One: 12 October) 3. Conversion and the Struggle Between Good and Evil (RBBR, Part Two: 19 October) 4. The Church as the Setting for the Victory of Good (RBBR, Part Three: 26 October) 5. True Religion and the "Pseudo-Service" of God (RBBR, Part Four: 2 November) 6. Implications for the Philosophy of Christian Religion (review RBBR: 9 November) III. Biblical Theocracy: Is a Christian Political Philosophy Possible? 1. Aristotle's Politics, Democracy, and Christianity (BT, Chs.1-2: 16 November) 2. Politics in the Bible (BT, Ch.3: 23 November) 3. Theocracy, Ecclesiocracy, and Tillich's "Theonomy" (BT, Ch.4: 30 November) 4. Biblical Guidelines for Implementing Theocracy (BT, Ch.5: 7 December) 5. The Politics of Evil, Suffering, and Fear (BT, Ch.6: 14 December) 6. Love and the Abortion Crisis (BT, Ch.7: 28 December) IV. Conclusion: What is the Philosophy of Religion? (Review all: 4 January)
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This page was last updated on 30 September 1995
StevePq@hkbu.edu.hk