The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion
The philosophy of religion as a distinct discipline is an innovation of the last 200 years, but its central topics—the existence and nature of the divine, humankind’s relation to it, the nature of religion, and the place of religion in human life—have been with us since the inception of philosophy. Philosophers have long critically examined the truth of and rational justification for religious claims, and have explored such philosophically interesting phenomena as faith, religious experience, and the distinctive features of religious discourse. The second half of the twentieth century was an especially fruitful period, with philosophers using new developments in logic and epistemology to mount both sophisticated defenses of, and attacks on, religious claims. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion contains newly commissioned chapters by twenty-one prominent experts who cover the field in a comprehensive but accessible manner. Each chapter is expository, critical, and representative of a distinctive viewpoint. The Handbook is divided into two parts. The first, “Problems,” covers the most frequently discussed topics, among them arguments for God’s existence, the nature of God’s attributes, religious pluralism, the problem of evil, and religious epistemology. The second, “Approaches,” contains four essays assessing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of practicing philosophy of religion—analytic, Wittgensteinian, continental, and feminist.

The Encyclopedia of Science and Religion reflects the breathtaking scope and pluralistic character of this ongoing dialogue. It is the most comprehensive work of its kind, and it is designed to be accessible to a wide readership from high school students to independent researchers and academics. Anyone fascinated by the ever-evolving impact of the sciences on religious belief in a global context will find the Encyclopedia a rich resource, for the historical relationship between science and religion certainly ranges from harmony and mutual support to stormy periods of intense conflict.

The Spanish Inquisition
The Inquisition has its roots in the Latin word 'inquisito' which means inquiry. The Romans used the inquisitorial process as a form of legal procedure employed in the search for evidence. Once Rome's religion changed to Christianity under Constantine, it retained the inquisitorial trial method but also developed brutal means of dealing with heretics who went against the doctrines of the new religion. Efforts to suppress religious freedom were initially ad hoc until the establishment of an Office of Inquisition in the Middle Ages, founded in response to the growing Catharist heresy in South West France.

The Spanish Inquisition set up in 1478 surpassed all Inquisitorial activity that had preceded it in terms of its reach and length. For 350 years under Papal Decree, Jews, then Muslims and Protestants were put through the Inquisitional Court and condemned to torture, imprisonment, exile and death.

How did the early origins of the Inquisition in Medieval Europe spread to Spain? What were the motivations behind the systematic persecution of Jews, Muslims and Protestants? And what finally brought about an end to the Spanish Inquisition 350 years after it had first been decreed?

Europe and the Wars of Religion (1500-1700)
(24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)
Taught by Govind Sreenivasan
Brandeis University
Ph.D., Harvard University
The period covered in this course (1500-1700) was a very turbulent time. There was a great deal of political instability combined with power struggles between political leaders within a country, various countries, and religious institutions. Throughout the time the various political leaders tried to consolidate their power and expand their territories and influence. At the same time the church was trying to consolidate its authority and power.
With everyone trying to consolidate and centralize their power there came times when their goals were in direct opposition to each other. When a political authority and a church authority considered themselves both to be the ultimate authority in a matter or over an area there was sure to be conflict. When a persecuted minority saw opportunity to become recognized and fit into society they had to take those opportunities.
This course focuses on five primary conflicts that came out of these clashes between different political and religious interests. The five conflicts are the French Wars of Religion, the Revolt of the Netherlands, the Thirty Years War, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution. An example of how these conflicts were tied to politics and power struggles is a situation where the "official" religion of the country is whatever religion the king practiced and any other religion was persecuted or at most barely tolerated. This was a very common situation of the time period. Sometimes a king would die and a child would be placed on the throne. This situation presented the opportunity for the minority religion to influence the child and so find a place of acceptance in society. Of course, the established religion had an interest in maintaining its position.
To understand the internal strife and wars of the time period without looking at the religious factors is to understand a single element that does not present a complete picture. This was a time period when the church was often more powerful than the ruler in many matters and so to understand the period requires an understanding of the effect of religion and the religious wars on society. This is a highly recommended course and Professor Sreenivasan does an excellent job of bringing a complex political quagmire into clear focus so all sides of the situation become understandable.