The
      Philosophy
      of
      Religion
     
     
      By
      Nola
      MacDonald
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fora
      long
      time,
      well
      into
      the
      nineteenth
      century,
     
     
      theology
      and
      philosophy
      were
      very
      closely
      linked.
     
     
      They
      studied
      the
      same
      concerns,
      and
      philosophy
      was
     
     
      even
      thought
      to
      be
      pointless.
      Today,
      however,
      there
     
     
      are
      basically
      three
      theological
      questions
      studied
      by
     
     
      philosophers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      first
      question
      is
      ‘‘Can
      we
      prove
      that
      God
      or
      gods
     
     
      exist?’’.
      There
      have
      been
      several
      attempts
      to
      prove
     
     
      the
      existence
      of
      a
      supreme
      being.
      One
      philosopher,
     
     
      St.
      Anselm,
      defined
      God
      as
      something
      that
      can
      have
     
     
      nothing
      greater
      than
      it.
      If
      we
      suppose
      that
      there
      is
      no
     
     
      God,
      then
      there
      must
      be
      something
      greater
      than
      God
      --
     
     
      which
      contradicts
      the
      definition
      that
      there
      is
      nothing
     
     
      greater
      than
      God.
      Therefore
      there
      must
      bea
      God.
     
     
      Another
      attempt
      to
      prove
      the
      existence
      of
      God
      is
      that
     
     
      when
      you
      look
      at
      the
      universe,
      you
      see
      order
      and
     
     
      design.
      Although
      it
      is
      possible
      that
      this
      could
      have
     
     
      just
      occured,
      it
      is
      much
      more
      likely
      that
      there
      is
      an
     
     
      “‘orderer’’,
      i.e.
      someone
      to
      arrange
      things.
      There-
     
     
      fore,
      it
      is
      probable
      that
      there
      is
      a
      God.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      second
      question
      dealt
      with
      in
      the
      philosophy
      of
     
     
      religion
      is
      that
      of
      phenomonolgy,
      existentialism
      and
     
     
      hermeneutics.
      Soren
      Kierkegaard,
      a
      nineteenth
      cen-
     
     
      tury
      Danish
      philosopher
      was
      an
      existentialist.
      He
     
     
      believed
      in
      the
      personalization
      of
      religion.
      He
      felt
      that
     
     
      religion
      in
      a
      private
      matter
      of
      faith
      that
      comes
      out
      of
     
     
      the
      anxiety
      of
      being
      in
      the
      world.
      He
      said
      that
      there
     
     
      is
      truth
      in
      the
      Bible,
      but
      not
      the
      kind
      of
      truth
      that
      you
     
     
      _
      get
      in
      organized
      religion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hermeneutics
      is
      interpretation.
      Similar
      to
      literary
     
     
      interpretation,
      it
      isa
      way
      of
      reaching
      understanding.
     
     
      Hermeneutics
      arose
      out
      of
      Biblical
      interpretation.
      It
     
     
      is
      basically
      a
      matter
      of
      literal
      versus
      metaphorical
     
     
      interpretation.
     
    

    
     
      The
      third
      question
      is
      ‘‘
      Does
      morality
      havea
      religious
     
     
      supposition?’’.
      Some
      philosophers
      say
      that
      if
      there
     
     
      was
      no
      God,
      everything
      would
      be
      permitted,
      and
      that
     
     
      all
      ethics
      come
      from
      God.
      They
      maintain
      that
      Atheists
     
     
      have
      no
      morality.
      These
      philosophers
      would
      say
      that
     
     
      without
      God
      as
      objectivity,
      ethics
      boils
      down
      toa
     
     
      shouting
      match
      between
      people;
      that
      humans
      amongst
     
     
      themselves
      cannot
      answer
      moral
      questions.
      On
      the
     
     
      other
      hand,
      some
      would
      say
      that
      founding
      morality
      of
     
     
      religion
      is
      founding
      the
      more
      clear
      on
      the
      less
      clear
      --
     
     
      it
      is
      easier
      to
      say
      whether
      something
      is
      morally
      right
     
     
      or
      wrong
      than
      it
      is
      to
      say
      that
      God
      exists
      and
      that
     
     
      what
      is
      right
      or
      wrong
      is
      so
      because
      of
      the
      existance
     
     
      of
      God.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      March
      26,
      1992
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wicca
      Craft
     
     
      By
      w.
      Nicholson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wiccan
      is
      a
      pagan
      or
      nature
      based
      religion,
      with
      an
     
     
      emphasis
      on
      brotherly
      love
      and
      harmony
      between
     
     
      people
      and
      nature.
      The
      term
      witch
      can
      be
      used
      to
     
     
      describe
      the
      members
      ofacovent,
      but
      many
      members
      ©
     
     
      are
      offended
      by
      this
      termas
      it
      is
      usually
      followed
      by
     
     
      misconceptions
      and
      incorrect
      images.
     
    

    
     
      Wiccans
      do
      not
      practice
      black
      magic,
      or
      any
      other
     
     
      kind
      of
      evil,
      nor
      do
      they
      try
      to
      convert
      members
      on
     
     
      the
      basis
      that
      they
      are
      superior.
      Wiccans
      respect
     
     
      other
      religions,
      and
      feel
      that
      a
      person
      must
      hear
      the
     
     
      call
      of
      the
      Goddess
      before
      joining
      the
      religion.
     
    

    
     
      The
      members
      form
      groups
      called
      coven,
      which
      may
      be
     
     
      up
      to
      13
      people,.
      each
      coven
      hada
      high
      priestess
      and
     
     
      the
      group
      members
      are
      called
      coveners.
      The
      gather
      to
     
     
      worship
      the
      Goddess,
      preform
      ceremonies
      and
      work
     
     
      white
      magik.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wiccans
      celebrate
      8
      Sabbats
      each
      year,
      at
      the
      chang-
     
     
      ing
      of
      the
      seasons.
      There
      are
      4
      major
      Sabbats
      and
      4
     
     
      minor
      Sabbots.
      The
      4
      major
      ones
      are;
      Candlemas,
     
     
      Beltane,
      Lammas
      and
      Samhain.
      The
      4
      minor
      ones
     
     
      are;
      Spring
      Equinox,
      Summer
      Solstice,
      Autumn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Equinox,
      and
      Winter
      Solstice.
      A
      coven
      meeting
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (Esbat)
      isa
      monthly
      coven
      meeting
      held
      oneach
      full
      _
     
     
      moon.
      Here
      they
      discuss
      problems,
      swap
      ideas,
      and
      ;
     
     
      have
      ceremonies
      praising
      the
      Goddess
      and
      the
      Horne
     
     
      God
      (the
      male
      aspect).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Christian
      church
      has
      perverted
      many
      wiccan
     
     
      concepts
      over
      the
      centuries,
      for
      example,
      theymade
      —
     
    

    
     
      an
      attempt
      to
      eradicate
      the
      pagan
      worship
      of
      the
      ;
     
     
      Horned
      God
      by
      making
      him
      their
      symbolofevilan
      —
     
     
      calling
      him
      the
      devil.
      Wicca
      had
      also
      been
      misrepre-
      §
     
     
      sent
      right
      here
      on
      the
      pages
      ofthe
      X-Press,
      bythe
     
     
      infamous
      Joseph
      Murphy
      (Nov.
      28,
      1991
      issue),
      who
      f
     
     
      takes
      if
      upon
      himself
      to
      discredit
      an
      ancient
      religion
      —
     
     
      with
      a
      few
      out
      of
      context
      (but
      well
      documented)
     
     
      quotes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Baha’i
      Faith
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Baha’i
      Faith
      was
      founded
      by
      Mirza
      Husayn
      Ali,
      4
     
     
      known
      as
      Bahaullah
      or
      ‘‘splendor
      of
      God’’,
      during
     
     
      the
      middle
      of
      the
      19th
      century
      in
      Persia.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      essential
      tenets
      of
      the
      Baha’i
      Faith
      as
      revealed
      by
     
     
      Bahaullah
      are:
      -the
      oneness
      of
      God
      is
      unknowable,
     
     
      but
      his
      will
      is
      expressed
      through
      Manifestations
      or
     
     
      the
      prophets;
      -the
      spiritual
      oneness
      of
      the
      prophets;
      4
     
     
      the
      progressive
      character
      of
      revelation;
      -the
      unity
      of
      j
     
     
      mankind;
      -the
      equality
      of
      men
      and
      women;
      -the
      essen-
     
     
      tial
      harmony
      of
      science
      and
      religion;
      -the
      assurance
      of
      ;
     
     
      immortality
      fo
      the
      human
      soul
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
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