Summary: Do reports of miracles prove the existence of God? Most people of faith appeal to the miracles of their faith as grounds for their belief. Here, I consider what miracles are, how they are supposed to prove God's existence, and raise some concerns about them.

Tags: Argument from Ignorance, Christianity, Confirmation Bias, Epistemology, God, Metaphysics, Miracles, Objectivity, Philosophy, Religion, Special Pleading, Theology

Summary: Does the complexity, delicacy, and purposefulness of living organisms prove the existence of God? William Paley argues that it does in his Analogical Argument from Design. Here, we explore philosophical objections to his argument, as well as the alternative explanation of evolutionary theory.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Biology, Christianity, Creationism, Evolution, Evolution, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology

Question: Should a rational person's atheism be weak or strong? People often distinguish between "weak atheism" and "strong atheism." The weak atheist regards the arguments for the existence of God as invalid, so that God's existence has not been proven. The strong atheist positively asserts that God does not exist. Which of these views is correct?

Tags: Agnosticism, Atheism, Epistemology, God, Integrity, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion

Summary: Many Americans are woefully ignorant of the basics of evolutionary theory, even while they criticize or reject it. Biologist Monica Hughes explained the basics of evolutionary theory, including some fascinating examples of evolution in action. Then she discussed and dispelled some common myths about it.

Tags: Biology, Creationism, Evolution, God, Religion, Religion, Science

Summary: Does the complexity, delicacy, and purposefulness of living organisms prove the existence of God? William Paley argues that it does in his Analogical Argument from Design. Here, I explain his argument, including his analogy between living organisms and machines.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Biology, Christianity, Creationism, Evolution, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology

Summary: Does the complexity and orderliness of the universe prove God's existence? Yes, according to Design Arguments for the existence of God. Here, we consider six objections to two versions of that argument – the Teleological Argument and the Fine Tuning Argument.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Christianity, Cosmology, Creationism, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Summary: Does the complexity and orderliness of the universe prove God's existence? Yes, according to Design Arguments for the existence of God. Here, I explain two versions of that argument – Thomas Aquinas' Teleological Argument and the Fine Tuning Argument – both of which appeal to the regularity of the cosmos.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Christianity, Cosmology, Creationism, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Summary: Does God's perfection entail his existence? Via his Ontological Argument, Anselm of Canterbury, argues that it does. Here, we consider the argument and the decisive objections against it.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Anselm of Canterbury, Christianity, Cosmology, Creationism, God, Immanuel Kant, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion, Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Summary: Did God create the universe? Is his existence required to explain how and why something exists, rather than nothing? The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God says "Yes." Here, we consider six objections to three variants of that argument – the First Cause Argument, the Temporal First Cause Argument, and the Sustaining First Cause Argument.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Christianity, Cosmology, Creationism, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Summary: Did God create the universe? Is his existence required to explain how and why something exists, rather than nothing? The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God answers "Yes" to both of these questions. Here, I present three variants of that argument – the First Cause Argument, the Temporal First Cause Argument, and the Sustaining First Cause Argument.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Christianity, Cosmology, Creationism, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science, Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Summary: Does God exist? Can that be proven? This episode begins a series of podcasts on philosophy of religion surveying the various arguments for the existence of God. Here, I introduce the topic by discussing the importance of those arguments, explain the burden of proof principle, and discuss the nature of God.

This podcast is part of ReligionCasts – my series of podcasts on the philosophy of religion.

Tags: Atheism, Christianity, Creationism, Epistemology, Ethics, God, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Proof, Religion, Theology