The Quest for Eternity: An Outline of the Philosophy of Religion

No book can takle the whole of the Philosophy Religion, although some appear to try (and inevitably fail). What JCA Gaskin does is to set himself realistic targets and acheive them with great success. Whether you are Christian or non-Christian you will find this book accessible, interesting and challenging. He takes you through the main questions about God without pressuposing any one religious viewpoint and without trying to guide the discussion towards any one solution. Having read this book you may not be able to defend a particular view of God to the hilt, but what you will be able to do is critically evaluate and better understand the religious opinions of others. For students studying the Philosophy of religion I can think of few better introductions (although Peter Vardy's The Puzzle of God is equally brilliant and a little easier to dip into if you want to look at a particular topic). The section on The Problem of Evil is by far and away the best summary I have seen and having read the few pages it takes up you will be able to see the main issues with complete clarity - his arguments do in paragraphs what other philosophers take chapters to acheive. I would give it five stars were it not for the fact that it can be difficult to buy (but trust me its worth the effort).