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Andrew M. Bailey, Bradley Rettler
Published online:

13 December 2024

Print publication:

31 January 2025
- Element
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The main question of this Element is whether God has a personality. The authors show what the question means, why it matters, and that good sense can be made of an affirmative answer to it. A God with personality - complete with particular, sometimes peculiar, and even seemingly unexplainable druthers - is not at war with maximal perfection, nor is the idea irredeemably anthropomorphic. And the hypothesis of divine personality is fruitful, with substantive consequences that span philosophical theology. But problems arise here too, and new perspectives on inquiry itself. Our cosmos is blessed with weirdness aplenty. To come to know it is nothing less than to encounter a strange and untamed God.

5 - Atheistic Arguments and Faith
Rik Peels, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Book:

Life without God

Published online:

11 May 2023

Print publication:

25 May 2023, pp 117-144
- Chapter
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Summary

This chapter studies several arguments directed against religious faith. It investigates what conception of faith underlies these arguments and what we can learn from them.

An Outsider's Look at Atheism
Rik Peels
Published online:

11 May 2023

Print publication:

25 May 2023
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In this book, Rik Peels explores atheism from a new perspective that aims to go beyond the highly polarized debate about arguments for and against God's existence. Since our beliefs about the most important things in life are not usually based on arguments, we should look beyond atheistic arguments and explore what truly motivates the atheist. Are there certain ideals or experiences that explain the turn to atheism? Could atheism be the default position for us, not requiring any arguments whatsoever? And what about the often-discussed arguments against belief in God—is there something that religious and nonreligious people alike can learn from them? This book explores how a novel understanding of atheism is possible – and how it effectively moves the God debate further. Believers and nonbelievers can learn much from Peels's assessment of arguments for and against atheism.