Table Of Content

Cover page Page: i Halftitle page Page: i Series page Page: ii Title page Page: viii Copyright page Page: x Contents Page: xi Preface Page: xii Acknowledgements Page: xix Note on transliteration Page: xxi List of illustrations Page: xxii Chapter 1: Does God exist? Page: 1 Speaking of God: philosophers and poets Page: 1 Words and meanings Page: 7 Speaking of God: analogy, omnipotence and omniscience Page: 10 Atheism Page: 13 The death of God: transcendence and immanence Page: 15 Arguments that point to God Page: 20 Observation and inference Page: 22 Chapter 2: Why believe in God? Page: 28 Change and reliability in understanding God and the universe Page: 30 Neuroscience and experience Page: 34 Chapter 3 The religions of Abraham_ Jewish understandings of God Page: 40 The Canaanites and the Promised Land Page: 41 David, the Temple, and the Messiah Page: 46 Suffering and death Page: 49 One God and holiness Page: 50 Chapter 4 The religions of Abraham_ Christian understandings of God Page: 55 The Covenant and Torah Page: 56 Jesus and God Page: 58 The Crucifixion and the Resurrection Page: 59 The Son of God Page: 64 The unfolding of doctrine: Christology, Atonement, and the Trinity Page: 66 Chapter 5 The religions of Abraham_ Muslim understandings of God Page: 72 Muhammad Page: 73 The Quran Page: 75 The People of the Book Page: 77 The Will of God Page: 79 Chapter 6: Religions of India Page: 84 Some basic beliefs Page: 84 Worship and seeing God Page: 86 The Vedas and the Devas Page: 88 Vishnu Page: 91 Shiva Page: 93 Mahadevi Page: 96 The One and the Many Page: 99 Chapter 7: On knowing and not knowing God Page: 104 Publisher’s Acknowledgements Page: 116 References Page: 119 Further reading Page: 125 Index Page: 129 Social media Very Short Introduction Page: 136

Description:

Who or what is God? How do different religions interpret God's existence? How can we know God? Many people believe in God; not just throughout history but also in the present day. But who or what is it they believe in? Many different and sometimes conflicting answers have been suggested to this question. This Very Short Introduction explores some of the answers provided by philosophers, poets, and theologians, and considers why some people believe in God and others do not. John Bowker explores how the major religions established their own distinctive beliefs about God and how they interpret God's existence, and concludes by looking at how our understanding of God continues to evolve. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.