Paper Topic:

Philosophy of Religion- W.T. Stace

Answers to Reading Assignment : Chapter 1-3 Time and Eternity , by W .T Stace

Religious intuition is the original source of all religion . It does not need any external proof or justification , in fact , it is incapable of any , because religious intuition is man 's answer to the call of God inside him which gives rise to a vision of something which stands beyond , behind and within (Stace , 3

Religion seeks the infinite and the light . The infinite that man looking for is what is impossible and unattainable while the light that man

br seeks is that which cannot be found at any time and any place , a light that is non-existent . Moreover , religion desires to break free from every fetter . Being and existence are a fetter so that religion seeks to be free from it , to get beyond existence into nothingness where light is (Stace , 4-5

Stace regards religious of continued existence in heaven as a myth . The conceived goal of continued existence beyond the grave filled with happy things and experiences are nothing more than symbolic for there is no actual existence , whether on earth or in heaven that can satisfy religion (Stace , 6

According to Stace , religion contains contradiction . But he regards this contradiction and /or paradox as evidence of the validity and strength of religious ideas . For example , the doctrine of the Trinity which is full of contradictions makes God a mystery , an entity that defies rational and logical explanation . Therefore , to unable to reduce religion to common sense through contradiction gives it deep character . Therefore there is no religion if there is no contradictions and paradox (Stace 8

Stace interpret the phrase , God is nothing not as There is no God ' but that God has a negative character or has a negative concept In other words , Stace interprets God is nothing ' as God having a privative character . Privative means that which has its only reality is in the absence of something . For example , the of God as Non-Being , Non-Form and Non-Person are privative s of something that is of Being , Form and Person (Word Web Stace , 9-10

For Stace , human religious sense becomes differentiated because of their differences in history , culture and geographical location . This differences may become so great in rare instances that it may no longer be viewed as the same , so that one man may regard the religion of another to be unintelligible (Stace , 16

Stace said that the reason that the differences between Christianity and Buddhism is insurmountable is because Buddhism appears to be an atheistic ' religion , that is , it does not have a concept of God while Christianity identifies religion with a belief in God . Moreover Buddhism , adhering to atheism , seems to be philosophical rather than religious . Stace suggest that to resolve this difference is to regard both Buddhism and Christianity as religious experience and not as beliefs (Stace , 17

For Stace , the essence of religion lies in the religious experience and not in any belief at all , and that...

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