The Coherence of Theism: Second Edition (Clarendon Library of Logic and Philosophy)

Contemplations about God are some of the most fascinating thoughts we humans have ever had. For thousands of years we have been trying to understand who God is, as he reveals more and more to us over time. This book about God was actually recommended to me in a book by Antony Flew, a former atheist. I figured if he enjoyed it and it was convincing, then I would enjoy it too. I was not disappointed. As the saying goes: “One book leads to another.” This book is 7,014 locations as a kindle book and is therefore quite a large book that will take you days to read. It is part of a trilogy on theism. The author has however gone back and revised this first book so it is up to date on modern arguments.Richard Swinburne begins his book by setting down the rules of the discussion. By “theism” he plainly states that God exists and that he is present everywhere, knows all things and is worthy of worship. The content of this book is concerned with the philosophy of religion and does not set out to prove God exists. Although much of it seems like proof to me. This book is more about whether or not a belief in God is coherent or metaphysically possible.For modern readers getting through chapter two and three may be tough as the material is very detailed and there are many explanations about how sentences can be perceived. Finally by chapter four (22% into the book), the author has mentioned God and in chapter five, the book really gets started. So don't give up reading if you find the first four chapters challenging. The best is yet to come.Before continuing and reading the information on words used in theology, I did not know it could get so complicated. Words like “eternity” do not always mean what you think they mean apparently. I don't think any human can fully comprehend eternity in the past, but we are pretty good about imagining eternity in the future.The book continues with a discussion about God being free to always make the best choice and act in the best way. In some ways the book educates you on the psychology of God. Next up is omnipotence and whether or not God really can do anything. God of course can't do anything that goes against his character or do something evil. The common questions is raised as to whether God can make a stone that is too heavy for him to lift. Finally we get to omniscience which gave me a lot to think about. If God is outside time, everything may have already happened. I still think at times God somehow intervenes in our lives for our own good.Richard Swinburne then talks about immutability but I've read that God can change his mind. His general nature cannot be changed however, as many believe. Then there is a short discussion on timelessness but in itself this is a bit of a mind boggle. Can God step in and out of time?As you can tell, this book points in many directions but it is up to the reader to make the final decisions about what to believe or not to believe. I found this book all consuming intellectually. Richard Swinburne draws on arguments from many of the greatest thinkers in the past. There are also extensive footnotes after each chapter if you want to study any ideas further in various books.By reading this book I came to the conclusion that God must be very amused that we humans spend so much time trying to figure him out. And he must really laugh when some say he doesn't exist. I mean if you were God you'd probably think that was extremely funny.The only thing I wish the author had discussed in detail is how God can be Love. But beyond that this book was a very satisfying read and I learned a great deal. As some have said, having a relationship with God is one of the most incredible experiences you can have while residing on earth. God is kind, funny, thoughtful and so many amazing things that knowing him is bliss for the heart and mind. While this book leads you into a more intellectual journey, it in some ways proves why God is worthy of our worship and respect.For further study I'd recommend Knowing God by Packer and The Case for God by Lee Strobel.~The Rebecca Review

A used book but in Beautiful condition. I will be buying again from this seller.I read the first edition of the book. It was illuminating, informative and insightful. I am really looking forward to reading the second edition. and the additional discussions of some of the topics.

Excellent

Good read.

From time to time philosophers have claimed that the concept of God as being (inter alia) omnipresent, omnipotent and all-knowing is not coherent. God cannot be all of these things simultaneously. Swinburne argues that the concept of God with these properties is coherent and that such a being may be a necessary being.The book is divided into three parts. Part I deals with the word ‘coherence’ itself and with the meaning of words used in the subsequent discussion. Part II examines the properties of God in sequential order. So chapter 7 argues that it is coherent that there could be an omnipresent spirit. Chapter 8 then says that, given omnipresence, it is coherent that this spirt could also have free will and be the creator of the universe. The next four chapters argue that, given the preceding conclusions, it is coherent for this spirit to be omnipotent, then omniscient, then perfectly good and a source of moral obligation and finally eternal and immutable. Part III discusses the question, ‘Is God a necessary Being?’ Swinburne concludes that if a being having the properties described in part II exists, then that being is a necessary being.This is not an easy book to read but it is worth persevering with. Swinburne is trying to make his arguments as watertight as possible so his sentences are precise but complex with conditional clauses identifying the limitations surrounding each step of the argument. Swinburne uses many double negatives. I had to read many sentences and paragraphs more than once and even then, not being a philosopher, I was not certain that I had followed the discussion correctly.I was not entirely convinced by chapter 12 on God as eternal and immutable. Is God eternal or is God everlasting; is God timeless or somehow in time? The problem, it seems to me but not made explicit by Swinburne, is that we simply cannot imagine what it would be like to be timeless; “outside” time as it happens in our material Universe. This should not worry us. There is no reason to suppose that, if God exists, we human beings could ever fully understand him. Perhaps our ideas of God must always appear incoherent, even if Swinburne argues convincingly that the properties we ascribe to God are coherent. For a century we have known that sub-atomic particles like electrons can manifest as waves as well as particles, and that light can manifest as particles (photons) as well as waves. This is unlike anything we experience in our macroscopic world and so we cannot conceive what an electron is “really” like. If we have this problem in understanding the natural world, why should we expect to be able to understand a supernatural being?