Customer comments on this selection.
 Overpriced and irritating
This is a required text for a Philosophy of Religion course I am taking. First of all, its price is completely out of line. The print quality of the book is appalling. A more irritating problem, though, is the bias of the writing. The author consistently uses the term "Judaic-Christian tradition" and he consistently refers to the Hebrew bible as the "Old Testament." Both are not-so-subtle subtle ways of dismissing Judaism as merely the precursor of Christianity and not a distinct religion. He even goes so far as to say that Jesus "clashed with the Jerusalem priesthood, and had to be eliminated," thereby supporting the canard that it was the Jews that killed Jesus, when it was instead the Romans who did, as they killed anyone they perceived as a potential troublemaker. As a textbook, it is sadly lacking. Key terms are not defined, which would seem important in what is supposed to be an introductory text. Classic philosophical arguments are not explained adequately. No date is given for Anselm's writings. And where is Kierkegaard? (Admittedly, I have not finished reading the book, but he's not in the index.) All in all, I would not recommend this book, even as an overview of the subject.
 Classic Introduction
John Hick's Philosophy of Religion first published in the early 1960s remains a classic introduction to the philosophy of religion. I offer the following thoughts for potential readers.
In this small work (approx 140 pages), Hick effectively touches on most of the leading issues within the field. Although the author has some well-known, and at times provocative, views, in this work he employs an agnostic position that is well suited to an introductory text. The approach is clearly centred on the Christian view of God, however, it does include a brief discussion of related topics such as parapsychology and religious pluralism (readers interested in the latter can see some of Hick's later work).
Though I do not share all of Hick's more speculative views (expressed in other writings) - this is an outstanding starting point for readers interested in the philosophy of religion. It is clear, concise and tightly edited with good recommendations for further reading.
Overall, this is an outstanding overview from one of the best communicators in the field.
 Excellent text for student and browser alike
Hick has provided an astonishingly lucid analysis of all the major areas of Philosophy of Religion. This text is ideal for anyone studying the subject at higher or university level, who wants a sound overview of the theistic proofs, problem of evil, miracles, and western and eastern after-life traditions. My only caveat would be that his analysis of Religious Language can sometimes be too brief and thus slightly misleading (eg his section on Language Games). As a teacher, I recommend this book very highly.
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