Philosophy and Faith

Why are we here, and what happens to us after we die? This episode answers those questions through the lens of the four great worldviews (theism, naturalism, paganism, and eastern thought). A resource mentioned in this episode: The Universe Next Door, by James Sire.

Are some things always right or wrong, or is ethics relative? What makes something right or wrong? Last episode we saw how theism and naturalism try to answer those questions. This week paganism and eastern thought get their say.

Are some things always right and wrong? If so, why? Where does the standard of morality come from? Theism and naturalism give distinctly different answer to that important questions, as we will discuss.

Is naturalism (the worldview that that there is no God, and that the physical universe is all that exists) actually a self-defeating idea? That is, is it making a truth claim which undermines the ability to make truth claims? Let's discuss.

Can we actually know the truth? And if so, how? This episode explores how the four great worldviews answer those questions.

How do we deal with our intellectual doubts? In this episode, Daniel gives four practical ways to deal with doubts, based upon his 30 years as a pastor, and on his own life.

This episode covers the topics of faith, doubt, reason and certainty. It reminds us that "faith" is more about trust than belief, and that you can have faith and still doubt. It also reminds us that faith is not opposed to reason, and that, indeed, faith without reason is irrational, and not true religious faith. What is faith opposed to? Certainty. Listen to find out why.

Do we humans have a purpose? Is that purpose given to us, or do we seek to make one for ourselves? Are humans uniquely valuable? More valuable than gorillas and gophers? If so, why? This episode discusses how each of the four great world views would answer those questions.

The history of the world is dominated by four great worldviews -- four families of ideas about the universe and reality. They are theism, atheism, pantheism, and polytheism. In this episode these four worldviews are explained with the help of two illustrations. This will form the foundation for future episodes, where we will examine how each of this worldviews gives different answers to the questi...

Our first episodes explores the questions: What is philosophy? How do Philosophy and faith fit together? Do non-religious philosophy still utilize faith? How can you decide between competing worldviews.