Response Paper on Being an Atheist
Having completed the unit of philosophy of religion, you are
now ready to respond to an article written by an actual atheist. This article
titled “On Being an Atheist,” was written by H. J. McCloskey in 1968 for the journalQuestion.
McCloskey is an Australian philosopher who wrote a
number of atheistic works in the 1960s and 70s including the
book God and Evil (Nijhoff, 1974). In this article, McCloskey is both critical
of the classical arguments for God’s existence and offers the problem of evil
as a reason why one should not believe in God. Please note the following
parameters for this paper:
1. Your
assignment is to read McCloskey’s short article found in the Reading &
Study folder in Module/Week 7 and respond to each of the questions below. Your
instructor is looking for a detailed response to each question.
2. The response
paper is to be a minimum of 1,500 words (not including quotes) and should be
written as a single essay and not just a list of answers to questions.
3. The basis for
your answers should primarily come from the resources provided in the lessons
covering the philosophy of religion unit of the course (Evans and Manis, Craig,
and the presentation) and these sources should be mentioned in your paper. You
are not merely to quote these
sources as an answer to the question—answer them in your own
words.
4. You may use
other outside sources as well, as long as you properly document them. However,
outside sources are not necessary. Each of the questions can be answered from
the sources provided in the lessons.
5. While the use
of the Bible is not restricted, its use is not necessary and is discouraged
unless you intend to explain the context of the passage and how that context applies
to the issue at hand in accordance with the guidelines provided earlier in the
course. You are not to merely quote
scripture passages as answers to the questions. Remember
this is a philosophical essay not a biblical or theological essay.
6. While you may
quote from sources, all quotations should be properly cited and quotes from
sources will not count towards the 1,500 word count of the paper.
7. You may be
critical of McCloskey, but should remain respectful. Any disparaging comment(s)
about McCloskey will result in a significant reduction in grade
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