THIS COURSE SITE WILL BE REVISED FOR THE FALL 2006 VERSION OFFERED THURSDAYS at 4:00pm
University of Windsor: 07-221 Course Website
"Justifying Religious Beliefs" Fall Semester, 2006
Dr. B. L. Whitney, B.A., Ph.D.
DrBarryWhitney.com <or> www.uwindsor.ca/whitney
Professor of Christian Philosophy of Religion
University of Windsor, Windsor. Ontario N9B3P4 Canada

TEXTS (available at UW Bookstore or on-line at Amazon.com)
Kreeft, Handbook of Christian Apologetics (1994)
Sire, Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All? (1994)
Web Documents (to be listed below)

WEEKLY OUTLINE of TOPICS and ASSIGNED READINGS for FALL 2005 (the assigned readings will be listed here for each week's class; the schedule is flexible and tentative insofar as the amount of material assigned and the speed at which the class proceeds will be determined by the flow of the class, specifically with respect to how well the material is being understood and appropriated) Week 1: Sept 08: --- Week 2: Sept 15: Introduction Week 3: Sept 22: PART 1: Web #1, 2 (stats) Week 4: Sept 29: Sire book, ch 1-6; web #6, #7 Week 5: Oct 06: web #3, #4 Week 6: Oct 13: web #5; Kreeft, ch 1-2 Week 7: Oct 20: Midterm Test Week 8: Oct 27: PART 2A: Kreeft, ch 3 (#14, 15); web #3 Week 9: Nov 03: Kreeft, ch 3 (#7); web #1, #2 Week 10: Nov 10: Kreeft, ch 15; ch 3 (#5); web #4; Week 11: Nov 17: Part 2B: ch 5; web #1; Kreeft, ch 7-8-9 Week 12: Nov 24: Finish Kreeeft, ch 7-8-9; Sire, ch 11; web documents Week 13: Dec 01: Conclusions Week 14: Dec 08: --- Week 15: Dec 15: Final Exam

DETAILED OUTLINE of WEEKLY TOPICS and ASSIGNED READINGS:
NOTE: THE READINGS LISTED BELOW ARE TENTATIVE; THEY ARE NOT OFFICIALLY ASSIGNED UNLESS AND UNTIL THEY ARE ENTERED IN THE BOX ABOVE. The Course Content is continally being revised to reflect the level of appropriation of the material by the students, the flow of the class, and the incorporation of new content, when deemd appropriate by the professor, to replaces older web documents, etc. Thus, students are NOT required to copy or study the information listed below unless and until specific items are entered in the box above as "officially" assigned readings. To repeat: IF they are NOT listed in the box above, they are NOT officially assigned readings and, as such, they are intended only for those students who wish to have more information about the topics than the minimal information which will be assigned officially in the box above. Also, to be clear: If it is NOT assigned officially, it will NOT be tested.

PART 1: FAITH, REASON, and RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: Justifying Religious Beliefs
*TEXT: SIRE, Why Believe Anything? chapters 1-6: why we believe and how to justify these beliefs
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, chapters 1 and 2: introduction to justifying beliefs
*Web 1: Basic Stats on Religon and Culture:
World Population
World Religions (chart only): major religions: numbers, percentage of total populations
Barna USA Religious Beliefs (focus on charts and profiles): 5 segments: percentages, profiles, main beliefs
Barna USA Growing Relativism (focus on charts): 5 age groups re: moral decision-making
Religious Beliefs of Scientists
Worldview of the Media (Probe)
Beliefs of Ivy League Profesors (FrontPage)
*Web 2: Basic Stats on Canadian Religions:
Canadian Religions 1 (including tables): #1 (top ten in 2001), #5 (1961-2001 immigration rates), #6 (2001 median ages), #8 (2001 non religious by age groups);
Canadian Religions 2 (charts only): #1 (2001 Christian, non-Christian, non relgious), #2 (1991-2001 major non-Christian religions' growth rates), # 4 (1991-2001 small religions' growth rates), #5 (1991-2001 non religious' growth rates)
*Web 3: WADE, Introduction to Apologetics: Examples of faulty logic for and against justifying beliefs
*Web 4: GROOTHUIS, Enemies of Apologetics: Criticism of Christians who resist justifying their beliefs
*Web 5: GEISLER, The Need for Apologetics: Criticism of Christians who resist justifying their beliefs
*Web 6: LEFFEL: Testing Basic Beliefs: Four tests for justifying worldviews and religious beliefs
*Web 7: CARM: Logical Fallacies: Fallacies to avoid in attempting to justify or criticize beliefs

PART 2: TEST CASES: Justifying Religious Beliefs
[A]: Belief in GOD'S EXISTENCE
NOTE: for a more detailed study of theistic arguments, 07-322 (God and Atheism) is recommended
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, ch 3 (#5, #8): cosmological and teleological arguments
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, ch 3 (#14, #15): moral arguments for God's existence
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, ch 15 (Objective Truth vs Subjectivism and Skepticism)
*TEXT: SIRE, Why Believe Anything, ch 12 (God and objective morality)
*Web 1: WHITWORTH, Why Isn't the Evidence for God Clearer?
*Web 2: WADE, Pascal's Wager and his argument for God's existence
*Web 3: CHRISTOPHER, Truth and Morality: moral argument for God's existence
*Web 4: BRADLEY, Scientific Evidence for God: cosmological and teleological arguments
*Web 5: KOUKL, Does Evolution Explain Morality? defense of moral argument

[B]: Belief in BIBLICAL AUTHENTICITY
NOTE: for a more detailed study of theism, atheism, and miracles, 07-322 (God and Atheism) is recommended
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, ch 4: Christian Theism
*TEXT: KREEFT, handbook, ch 5 (Miracles: pages 109-114)
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, ch 7-8-9: Jesus and the Bible
*TEXT: SIRE, Why Believe Anything? chapters 7-14: Jesus and the Bible
*Web 1: KREEFT, Miracles; and Carm, Miracles
*Web 2: MOORELAND: Biblical Historicity
*Web 3: Historicity of the Bible
*Web 4: Authenticity of the Bible
*Web 5: Authenticity of the Biblical Documents
*Web 6: CARM: Authenticity of the Biblical Documents
*Web 7: CARM: Evidence of non-biblical texts
*Web 8: CARM: When were the Gospels Written?
*Web 9: FERNANDES: New Testament Reliability
*Web 10: HAWKINS: Archeology: The Book of Acts
*Web 11: ZUKERMAN: Archeology: The New Testament
*Web 12: ZUKERMAN: Archeology: The Old Testament
*Web 13: NASH: Influence of Greek Mystery Cults Disputed
*Web 14: HOLDING: The Divine Claims of Jesus
*Web 15: DAVIS: Why the Historical Jesus Matters
*Web 16: CARM: Prophesy, the Bible and Jesus
*Web 17: KEATHLEY: Prophesies About Jesus Fulfilled
*Web 18: The Resurrection of Jesus
*Web 19: KEATHLEY: False Theories Against the Resurrection
*Web 20: KEATHLEY: Evidence for the Resurrection

  [C]: Belief in LIFE AFTER DEATH (if time permits)
*TEXT: KREEFT, Handbook, chapters 10-11-12 (the afterlife, heaven, hell)
*Web 1: (other brief web documents likely will be added)
*Web 2: (other brief web documents likely will be added)

[D] Related Issues (in courses offered by Dr Whitney)
07-323: God and Evil: Justifying Belief in God despite the Problem of Evil and Suffering -- Winter 2007
07-232: Religion and Science: Justifying Belief in God despite the challenge of naturalistic , atheistic Modern Science
07-100: Religion and Culture: Justifying Belief in God despite yhe threat of New Age Spirituality
07-100 (101): Religion and Culture: Christian Theism and New Age Spirituality: Cultural Warfare -- Fall 2006
07-322: God and Atheism: Belief in God vs Atheistic, Naturalistic Science, Secular Humanism: Cultural Warfare -- Winter 2007
07-233: Religion and Literature: The challenge of the Occult, the Demonic and Forbidden Knowledge
07-228: Belief in God in Contemporary Culture: Religious Diversity and Seculaism in Contemporary Culture
*Please note: 300-level courses are not recommended for first year students