Religion is a common concept for many people. While the term is generally well-accepted and used in the west, it is not always accurate. The problem is that we don’t have a satisfactory philosophical or scientific definition of religion. That means we can’t accurately describe all the situations in which religion is used, and we can’t accurately describe all the phenomena that are associated with religion.
Historical truthfulness of religion
Historical truthfulness of religion is the ability of a religion to claim that its claims are true based on its sacred word and tradition. This is achieved through the training and interpretation of normative teachings and eternal moral law. The difficulty of interpreting this sacred word and tradition has led to the development of different denominations and schools.
Objectivity of religion
Religion has two distinct dimensions: the subjective and the objective. The objective dimension deals with the dogma or doctrine that God has revealed to us, while the subjective dimension deals with the response that man has towards God. It is man’s eternal duty to worship God. Failure to worship God in the Holy Eucharist constitutes a mortal sin.
The ancient Hebrews were the first to use subjective religion as a vitalizing principle. This religious concept separated them from other nations and infused them with a national consciousness. They worshipped a transcendent spiritual God, a concept that they associated with national identity. By contrast, the Christian church has a more objectivist stance, emphasizing that its religion is objective.
In order to understand the objectivity of religion, we must be able to understand the nature of the human soul. Human consciousness is infinite and cannot be reduced to the animal form of instinct. Unlike the animal mind, the human soul can be characterized as a spiritual entity, akin to God. Therefore, we should be able to attribute godlike qualities to our gods, as opposed to merely human attributes.
Objectivity of religion in eschatological verifiability
Hick’s argument for the Objectivity of Religion in Eschatological Verifiability challenges the traditional notion that religious experiences are not verifiable, arguing instead that religious experiences can be verified in the afterlife. While religious experiences in this life are inherently ambiguous, he argues that in the afterlife, religious experiences are verified because the experience of God is hidden from us by epistemic distance.
While Wittgenstein’s writings on religion are scant and sparse, his remarks have long been cited as providing support for various positions. For example, Wittgenstein characterized religion as an enthusiastic commitment to a set of reference, suggesting that religious believers live according to a certain picture. He even compared religious utterances to commands. Wittgenstein briefly flirted with subjectivism.
Braithwaite’s argument relies heavily on Ayer’s verificationism, but still runs into difficulties, both as a psychological theory and as a theory of religious language. His explanation of why theism can be verified postmortem is vague, but his argument for the Verification Principle rests on the fact that God is real. He further argues that if God exists, he will fulfill his purpose for us after death.