Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Religion

Religious belief and praxis relation: john Cottingham view about priority of religious praxis over religious belief with emphasis on pascal view

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mahdi Ghaforian
Amir Abbas Alizamani
10.22059/jpht.2017.133160.1005293
Abstract
Cottingham in following Pascal believes that we can not analyse religion in rational way in principle because it talks about transcendent being which is above our rational faculties and it use symbolic, allegoric, metaphoric language and some narratives. Thus it is impossible to prove or deny existence of God by only rational arguments. Nevertheless cottingham in following Pascal, showing rationality of theism not proving of theism by practical argument because he believes that religion is something more than theoretical doctrines. So the way of encountering God is practical not theoretical because human can not find God in theory. So that we can understand rationality of religious beliefs and feel presence of God by appealing to emotions and practical involvement with religious doctrines. therefore If we want to change ourselves, we must apply religious and spiritual practices.
Keywords
"Cottingham"
"Pascal"
"Theism"
"Religion"
"Praxis"
"interior change"
"emotion"
  1. پویا، اعظم (1386). معنای زندگی، تهران: نشر ادیان.
  2. غفوریان، مهدی، علیزمانی، امیر عباس (1389). مؤلفه‌های زندگی معنادار از دیدگاه جان کاتینگهام، دوفصلنامۀ جستارهای فلسفی (پژوهش‌های فلسفی)، شمارۀ 17.
  3. کاپلستون، فردریک چارلز (1388). تاریخ فلسفه (از دکارت تا لایب‌نیتس)، ج 4، ترجمۀ غلامرضا اعوانی: انتشارات علمی و فرهنگی.
  4. کشفی، عبدالرسول، اشدی، سیاوش (1389). جایگاه دل در معرفت‌شناسی دینی پاسکال، پژوهشنامۀ فلسفۀ دین (نامۀ حکمت)، سال هشتم، شمارۀ 1، بهار و تابستان.
  5. کونگ، هانس (1389). خدا در اندیشۀ فیلسوفان غرب، ترجمۀ حسن قنبری: انتشارات دانشگاه ادیان و مذاهب.
    1. Hooker, Brad. The Meaning of Life: subjectivism, objectivism and divine support, in Athanassoulis, nafsika & vice, Samantha(ed.)(2008). The Moral Life: Essays in Honour of John Cottingham, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Cottingham, john (2003). On the Meaning of Life, Cambridge.
    3. Cottingham, john (2005). The Spiritual Dimension: Religion, Philosophy and Human Value, Cambridge.  
    4. Cottingham, john (2009). Why Believe?,Continuum.
    5. Cottingham, john (2014). Philosophy of religion: towards a more humane approach, Cambridge University Press
    6. Moriarty, Michael(2003), “Grace and religious belief in pascal” in Hammond, Nicholas(ed), The Cambridge companion to pascal, Cambridge University Press

Palmer, Michael (2002). The Question of God: An Introduction And Sourcebook, Routledge.

Philosophy of Religion
Volume 14, Issue 2
Summer 2017
Pages 273-285