The Modern Scholar: Faith and Reason: The Philosophy of Religion

By: Peter Kreeft

Narrated by: Peter Kreeft

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Through the ages, mankind has pursued questions of faith in something beyond the world of ordinary experience. Is there a God? How can we explain the presence of evil? Do humans, or human souls, live on after death? Is there a hell? The following lectures examine these eternal questions and present the most compelling arguments for and against God's existence, the seeming conflicts between religion and science, and the different truth-claims of the world's most popular religions. By delving into the major characteristics of world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, mankind's association with the many different varieties of religious practice is brought to light. Above all, Faith and Reason: The Philosophy of Religion lays the groundwork for a rational approach to pursuing questions of faith - and at the same time provides a better understanding of religion's ongoing importance in the realm of human experience.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2005 Peter Kreeft (P)2005 Recorded Books

Not without a perspective, but very good

Contrary to the person who thinks Prof. Kreeft was too politically correct and not pro-Catholic enough, I think this was a very balanced presentation from someone who is clearly "pro-religion", i.e., who believes in God. He doesn't discount the "other side" because he acknowledges that there are perspectives very much worth considering. This is supposed to be like a university course, requiring open-minded thoughtfulness, and it succeeds in that. Prof. Kreeft is engaging, smart without being condescending, and accessible without being too cute. I think he is an unusually calm, intelligent voice on the side of religious belief.

22 of 22 people found this review helpful

A Plus....excellent!

The content is excellent, and the audio quality is very good.

My best friend is a science teacher and agnostic. I am a Christian and I teach English. Both of us have taught for about 30 years, and we both are curious about reality (whatever it is) and we both want to know more than we now know.

Both of us love this audio. We find that Dr. Kreeft has presented his discussion in a reasonable and balanced fashion. His arguments are proper and structured very well.

I will listen to this book several times. I have finished hearing it once so far, and that led me to purchase six print books of Dr. Kreeft's. I would welcome the chance to purchase more of his audiobooks.

While Dr. Kreeft is a Christian, he does not let his faith keep him from a balanced, logical discussion of the use of reason in faith issues.

79 of 82 people found this review helpful

Highly thought-provoking

I am surprised that some reviewers found this audiobook to be boring; I found it to be quite riveting. It consists of a course with 14 lectures, not a book with 14 chapters, so perhaps this format was less familiar to them?

Professor Kreeft compares and evaluates various religious beliefs, including arguments made for and against God's existence, beliefs about immortality, and the natural of religious experiences. He resists teaching the content of his own opinions (although it is apparent that he is a relatively liberal Christian), preferring to present arguments made by intelligent people holding various points of view, and to show different ways in which a question might be answered.

Professor Kreeft works with a very interesting concept of faith: He asks us to consider the scientific method, noting that this process calls for "doubt" in order to function properly. A scientist wishes to test a hypothesis-- Her starting point must be to say "I will not believe this hypothesis, unless I can prove that it is in fact true." Note that doubt is not the same thing as denial. doubt still calls for testing, but it is "guilty until proven innocent" testing.

Faith, notes Kreeft, is the opposite of the scientific method's "doubt". Faith is "innocent until proven guilty" testing. It is not the same thing as belief, or as certainty. He asks us to consider that the act of listening is an act of faith, and possibly the only way to practice faith. To listen to someone is to have faith in what they are saying-- not necessarily to belive their ideas in the long run, but to consider what they are saying as a genuine possiblity, working of further analysis. Whether your beliefs are theistic, atheistic, agnositic, or otherwise, you will find yourself "listened-to" by Kreeft.

18 of 19 people found this review helpful

One lecture for all!

I love Modern Scholar lectures and I possess quite a few set of lectures but this is the first I give five stars to, because I found the lectures captivating, thought provoking and unpretentious. It teaches the listener how to seek and evaluate each of the majour religions and religious issues without overtly presumptious. I wish all Christians could be as profound as this lecturer, and I wish all Christians can listen to this set of lectures.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Air tight and captivating

This was amazing. Speaks to all who are open minded. The classic modern atheist would probably find it frustrating as he is a world class philosopher who makes arguments far beyond simplified fundamentalism so apparent in today's white noise surrounding religion. It is no wonder that dogmatic materialist reductionist atheists stay clear of this type of discussion. Somehow he has put together a coherent discussion between Plato, Jesus, and Buddha without missing a beat. Bravo.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fair Overview from a Christian Perspective

This course is a thorough overview of the philosophy of religion by a well-known Christian apologist and philosophy professor, Peter Kreeft. Prof Kreeft has a gift for taking the complex and making it simple and understandable. I chose this course looking for an overview of the theism/atheism debate and found it fit the bill perfectly. In fact, I listened to the entire course in a few days because I found it so interesting. Prof Kreeft set forth the arguments and criticisms for both sides. While his sympathies obviously lie with his Christian faith, he never preaches or conceals negative evidence.

The course begins with a brief definition of religion and philosophy, and goes right into the various arguments and critiques of religion, primarily theism. While Prof Kreeft does address other religions at different points, his main area of exploration is contrasting Western theism with Western atheism.

Prof Kreeft starts by explaining the argument for atheism, and focusing specifically on the argument from evil. The basic argument is that the existence of evil is inconsistent with the existence of God. Prof Kreeft presents the atheist view strongly and I think fairly. I have listened to many debates and arguments and he seems to have them all covered. Once he reveals the argument, he also offers criticisms of each one.

Next, Prof Kreeft does the same for theism, beginning with the famous cosmological arguments and moving to others. Again, his presentation is fair, and balanced with credible critiques. I was excited and captivated by the fact that I could hear all of the arguments in one place.

Prof Kreeft then turns to specific religious arguments for and against various beliefs, such as the afterlife, the belief in hell, and so on. He wraps up with a final lecture on religious experience.

I would recommend this program to anyone interesting in the theism and atheism debate. Overall, I find that Prof Kreeft makes a strong philosophical argument for theism generally, but the arguments weaken as one draws nearer to specifics. I find his understanding of other religions to be more advanced than typical, but he is certainly no expert in Eastern religions. Accordingly, the course is most compelling when it stays true to theism / atheism, or religious belief / scientific materialism, it is compelling.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

An excellent example of double standard

I didn't realize the lecturer is also a theologian at the beginning of the course, and as the course goes on, I feel it's obvious that lecturer is good at talking but lacks basic skepticism and critical thinking, especially when it comes to arguments favoring religious beliefs. Or maybe it's simply dishonesty.

excellent lectures by Prof Kreeft.

he is very knowledgeable and yet he has the intellectual humility to tell his listeners that he could be wrong on certain subjects that are outside his expertise.

Good comparison of the world religions

This course gave a good comparison of the world’s religion and their essence. It gave compelling reasons for theism and how reasons actually supports faith.

Approach to the main ideas of the world's religion

Very thorough but not overwhelming approach to comparative religion
philosophy. You can learn what is common to the different religions

Thought provoking

Gave me the understanding to grasp the difference between the religions and the reasons claimed. Enjoyed the lectures. Will probably listen to it again and will buy book.

faith of reason

faith and reason by peter kreeft- it is a very good audio book. i believe everyone should read it and listen to it.

2 of 6 people found this review helpful