Philosophy 23 – Philosophy of Religion ONLINE (Section 3072, 3073)

Dr. Sage Bennet

Santa Monica College-SPRING 2018

Office Hours: Live Chat T/TH 1:00-2:00 PM; (also by appointment via Inbox an email
tool in Canvas)
Email: (ALL email correspondence with me needs to be through Inbox in Canvas; secondary
email BENNET_SAGE@smc.edu)
Phone: 310-434-8131 (better to email me via Inbox in Canvas)

Required Reading
Bennet, Sage. Wisdom Walk: Nine Practices For Creating Peace and Balance From the World’s
Spiritual Traditions. Novato: New World Library, 2007. ISBN 978-1-57731-582-7 (also available
as an ebook on Kindle through Amazon. Free Kindle apps for PC, iPhone, and MAC. http://
www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Walk-Practices-Spiritual-Traditions/ dp/1577315820/ ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&qid=1313699094&sr=8-1 audiobook available on iTunes and audible.com.

Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. Sixth
edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. ISBN-10: 0078038278 (ebook purchase and rentals at
VITALSOURCE.com) and kindle.

Course Description
This is an introduction to several traditional philosophical problems connected with religious
belief. Among the issues to be discussed are the existence and nature of God, the problem of
evil, mysticism, the rationality of religious belief, and the relationship between reason and
revelation.

Course Objectives
1. Convey knowledge and inspire enthusiasm about the major figures, ideas, and movements in
the world’s great religions.
2. Assist students in developing critical thinking skills: e.g., problem solving, analyses,
evaluating significance, interpretation, and transformation.
3. Provide a context for students to develop oral and written communications skills in relation to
creating and formulating ideas about the philosophy of religion especially as it relates to
contemporary issues.

Student Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will:

1. Exhibit strong academic behaviors including regular attendance, timeliness, participation in
class activities, and adherence to the College Honor Code.
2. Demonstrate through written work knowledge of the course content: traditional
philosophical problems connected with religious belief, including the existence and nature of
God, the problem of evil, mysticism, the rationality of religious belief, and the relationship
between reason and revelation.
3. Be proficient in the research, analytical, and communication skills necessary to present, orally
and in writing, compelling and original arguments that critically evaluate the various
philosophical arguments for the existence of God, as well as the problem of evil and which
4. Identify the differences between metaphorical and literal language used in religious literature
and assess the philosophical consequences that follow from the respective employment of
such.

Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is the using of ideas or words of
another as if they were your own. When you use concepts or words to define concepts that are
not originally yours, you MUST properly cite them according to an accepted convention (see, for
example, the MLA or Chicago style or NY Times handbooks). This includes paraphrases of
ideas. The source MUST be identified, INCLUDING ALL ON-LINE SOURCES. Any work that
includes plagiarized work will receive a failing grade for the assignment, and the student in
question may face further punitive action as the college sees fit. The internet has made it easy
to steal others’ work or buy papers from ‘paper mills,’ but it has also made it easier to run any
paper through a plagiarism check. Cheating is the passing off of another’s work as one’s own by
copying or failing to contribute in group activities. It is also using a paper from a previous class
to serve as a paper for this class. Any student violating academic integrity will face serious
consequences including failing the assignment, the course, or other measures as seems
appropriate.

Dates to Remember
Class Census Day: FEB 25, 2019 

Class 60% Day: APRIL 25, 2019

Last Day to Withdraw to Receive a Refund: FEB 24, 2019
Last Day to Withdraw to Avoid a "W": FEB 24, 2019

Last Day to Withdraw to Guarantee a “W": MAY 11, 2019 

Last Day to Reques Pass/No Pass Grade: MARCH 16, 2019

Summary of Assignments and Points

Discussions - 300 points
(Choose one option from the group A; Choose one option from group B; Respond to classmates
in each group. Minimum of four posts for maximum credit each week)
Assignments (“A”) - 150 points
A1: Philosophy and the Arts Essay (post essay online) 25 points
A2: Field Visit (post essay online) 25 points
A3: Global Citizenship (post essay online) 25 points
A4: Current Events Cafe - 25 points (summary online and upload of article) 15 points – See
directions; Rummie - Rumination on a Word - 10 points)
Weekly tests - 450 points (15 Tests, 30 points each) Final exam - 100 points
TOTAL 950 points
Grade Categories in Points: A’s from 855 – 950, B’s from 760 – 854, C’s from 665 – 759,
D’s from 570 – 664, F under 570

Grading Scale (percent) 99-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 59 and under = F. .

Class Schedule and Assignments

This key is to help you pace your learning. Complete (A) by mid week; complete (B) by Sunday.
You control your pace. Sunday deadlines are firm. Late work is not accepted. It is your
responsibility to have reliable internet connection. Desktop and laptop computers are more
reliable than smart phones and tablets.
Weekly dates below start on Mondays and end on Sundays.
Format of weekly assignments:
Date
Topic
Required Reading

Week 1 - Feb 11-17

(a) Introduction to course; Bennet, Introduction (xiii-xxi)
(b) Understanding Philosophy of Religion
Molloy, Chapter 1 UNDERSTANDING RELIGION (3-31)
TEST 1

Week 2 - Feb 18-24

(a) Hinduism
Bennet, Chapter 1 (1-10)
Molloy, Chapter 3 HINDUISM (73-98)
(b) Hinduism
Bennet, Chapter 1 (11-20)
Molloy, Chapter 3 (99-121)
TEST 2

Week 3 - Feb 25-Mar 3

(a) Jainism Molloy, Chapter 5 (181-192)
(b) Sikhism Molloy, Chapter 5 (193-203)
TEST 3

Week 4 -Mar 4-10

(a) Buddhism
Bennet, Chapter 2 (21-30) Molloy, Chapter 4 (123-132)
(b) Buddhism Bennet, Chapter 2 (31-45) Molloy, Chapter 4 (133-137)
TEST 4

Week 5 - Mar 11-17

(a) Buddhism
Molloy, Chapter 4 (137-154)
(b) Buddhism
Molloy, Chapter 4 (155-177)
TEST 5

Week 6 - Mar 18-24

(a)Judaism
Bennet, Chapter 5 (99-121)
(b) Judaism
Molloy, Chapter 8 (281-331)
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
Philosophy and the Arts Essay Due by Sunday
TEST 6

Week 7 - Mar 25-Mar 31

(a) Christianity THE EXISTENCE OF GOD Bennet, Chapter 4 (75-98)
(b) Christianity; MYSTICISM
Molloy, Chapter 9 (333-405)
TEST 7

Week 8 - Apr 1-7

(a) Islam
Bennet, Chapter 3 (47-74) Molloy, Chapter 10 (407-430)
(b) Islam Molloy, Chapter 10 (430-467)
TEST 8

SPRING BREAK Apr 8-14

Week 9 - Apr 15-21

(a) Taoism
Molloy, Chapter 6 (205-218)
Bennet, Taoism, Chapter 7 (151-182)
(b) Taoism Molloy Chapter 6 (218-227)
TEST 9

Week 10 - Apr 22-28

(a) Confucianism
(b) Molloy, Ch 6 (227-238) Confucianism Molloy, Ch 6 (238-249)
Test 10

Week 11 - Apr 29-May 5

(a) Indigenous Religions Molloy, Chapter 2 (33-53)
(b) (b) Indigenous Religions Molloy Chapter 2 (54-71) Bennet, Chapter 6
(123-149)
TEST 11

Week 12 - May 6-12

(a) New Thought
Bennet, Chapter 8 (183-206)
(b) Service Bennet, Chapter 9 (207-234)
TEST 12

Week 13 - May 13-19

(a) ALTERNATIVE PATHS (Origins of new religions, cults, contemporary Paganism) Molloy,
Chapter 11 (471-478)
(b) ALTERNATIVE PATHS (Religions of the Yoruba, Theosophy, Ecology)
Molloy, Chapter 11 (pp. 478-485)
A2: GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP DUE SUNDAY
TEST 13

Week 14 - May 20-26

(a) ALTERNATIVE PATHS (Scientology, Falungong, Caodai)
Molloy, Chapter 11(pp. 485-491)
(b) ALTERNATIVE PATHS (Rastafarianism, Bahai, religious movements) Molloy, Chapter 11
(pp. 491-501)
A3: FIELD TRIP VISIT DUE SUNDAY
TEST 14

Week 15 - May 27-Jun 2

(a) The Modern Search (Modern influences on the future of Religion, the recurring challenges of
change)
Molloy, Chapter 12 (pp. 507-522)
(b) The Modern Search (Environmentalism: eclectic spirituality) Molloy, Chapter 12 (522-536)
TEST 15

Week 16 - Jun 4-16

FINAL EXAM
MONDAY JUN 3 8AM - TUESDAY JUN 4 - 11:59PM

Summary of Written Assignments (POST ON DISCUSSION THREADS/OR AS INDICATED)

(4
ASSIGNMENTS (“A”)
A1 - Philosophy and the Arts Essay (500-750 words) (Watch a contemporary film; interpret and
critique)
A2 - Global Citizenship (500-750 words) - Connect universal human rights with current events
A3 - Field Trip Visit (500-750 words) Visit a service, lecture, or related exhibit; write an essay on
your experience according to guidelines.
A4 - Current Events and Rummies - Each person in the class will present a current events item
and a rumination of a philosophical word.

A1: Philosophy and the Arts

Many philosophers have chosen to express philosophy in the form of dialogues, plays, novel,
and other literary forms. Filmmakers have often chosen philosophical themes as the focus of
their messages on film. This section of the course allows us to see the relationship between
philosophy and the arts. You need to reserve the film on the discussion thread to prevent
duplicating a film chosen by another classmate.
Here are some steps to guide you:
1. Choose a film, dialogue, play, novel, or visit a philosophical exhibit and write a short paper
(500-750 words about your experiences.) Choose something you have not seen before.
Summarize the main points of this experience.
2. Think of the relationship of the film, literature, or exhibit) to a branch of philosophy (e.g.,
ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, logic, social and political philosophy) or the ideas
of a philosopher (in the western or eastern tradition including the feminist philosophers and the
postcolonial thinkers covered in this course). You may draw from your knowledge of the
philosophy from this course or other online or other research.
3. Draw some conclusions about the philosophical material you've experienced by showing how
this may have contributed to your own development or understanding of a philosophical theme,
debated issue (e.g., determinism vs. free will), or social/political contemporary issue.
In sum: your final post (under the Philosophy and the Arts tab) should have these three points
covered and marked clearly.
Part 1: Summary of experience (Name the film, novel, etc. and describe the main points)
Part 2: Relation to philosophical theme or issue
Part 3: Conclusion about personal development and/or philosophical issue Remember, your
posts on these assignments enrich our course. We all learn from your
explorations. Thank you in advance!
I have added links on your discussion thread for you to review.
You may also include a film or literary expression that is not on the list.

A2: Global Citizenship

Option A:
Through Wisdom Walk you are gaining familiarity with the leading thinkers and concepts in the
eastern tradition. In addition, through an appreciation of different values, cultures, and belief
systems you will be preparing for your roles as global citizens. Now I would like you to help us
make this link between philosophy and global citizenship through discussion threads on this
topic.
Look at the Global Citizenship websites. These give us day to day news on current global
issues relating to events in the world. Post on new topics rather than ones already mentioned.
Choose either an article from Ethics and Religion Link (Links to an external site.) or Amnesty
International Link (Links to an external site.) 1.Tell us what interested you about the article 2.
How is the content of the article related to one or more aspects of global citizenship?
-social justice (human rights for all) -sustainability (respecting the environment, resources, and
caring for the earth) -appreciating different values and cultures -questioning stereotypes -
empathy 3. What did you do to contribute to global citizenship? What can others do. List at least
one website, article, or resource.

Option B
Read Articles 1-30 that make up: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights Link (Links to an external site.) and watch the video human rights
from Amnesty International
Choose one of the articles 1-30 that describes a human right. Link it to an article from Amnesty
International,(see above link) Ethics and Religion (see above link), Good News Link (Links to an
external site.), or any other research you do and discuss: 1. how does the current event you
chose either support or violates a human right.
2. what are your views concerning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the current
state of the world?
- do you think this document about human rights is a catalyst for protecting human rights? Why
or why not?
3. What did you do to contribute to global citizenship? What can others do. List at least one
website, article, or resource.

Option C
Watch this short video on the history of Amnesty International. Link on Amnesty International
(Links to an external site.)
1. Give your views about global effort to support human rights 2. Research a current events
issues that is related to human rights (which either supports or violates human rights) that is
interesting to you. Present a summary of this issue and why it is interesting to you. 3. Relate
the story of someone in your family or someone you know who has experienced a challenge
with human rights. if you don't know someone, research someone on the internet and tell his
or her story. 4. What did you do to contribute to global citizenship? What can others do. List
at least one website, article, or resource.

A3: Field Trip

A field trip is made by students to study something at first hand. For this class you may choose:
•your own field trip to explore a service in a particular tradition other that your own, •museum
exhibit that reflects the art of a tradition, •lecture that debates on an issue in the philosophy, •an
experience of one of the traditions, e.g., yoga, nature journey, chanting, meditation, Shabbat
service, Catholic Mass •join with others in the class (or from your life) to experience something
together; •an experience related to sustainability such as cleaning a beach or an activity related
to the Gulf oil spill • Some possibilities in the L.A. area include the following: If you are not in
L.A. find an experience you would like to attend and let me know what it is.
The Bhagavad Gita Museum (Hinduism)
The Museum of Tolerance (Judaism)
Norton Simon Museum (they often have Buddhist and Hindu art exhibits)
Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple,
Hacienda Heights Link to Temple
Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine (Hinduism)
Agape International Spiritual Center (New Thought)
Quaker Service in Los Angeles
Annenberg Photography Museum
Siddha Yoga Meditation Center (Santa Monica)
Goddess Temple of Orange County
After your visit, go to the discussion thread and post 500-750 words about your experience of
your field trip including the following:
Point 1: Description of your field trip visit and why you choose it
Point 2: How the field trip related to the content of philosophy of religion
Point 3: The impact of your visit on you personally or how it relates to a contemporary issue

A4: Current Events Cafe and Rummie

Being aware of the current events around the world and thinking critically about them is one of
the responsibilities of being a global citizen. “To be a global citizen, one is
knowledgeable of peoples, customs and cultures in regions of the world beyond one's
own; understands the interdependence that holds both promise and peril for the future of
the global community; and is committed to combining one’s learning with a dedication to
foster a livable, sustainable world.”Global Citizenship as defined by the Global Council,
April 2018 



For this assignment you are to review the current events in the world today and link them
to what we are studying in this class. You can review current events in news sources such
as CNN, The Los Angeles Times, BBC, or other reliable news sources. You are to relate
the current event to our course, upload a link to the article or video you are writing about,
and choose a “rummie”—a philosophical word that you then ruminate about.

In sum: your final post (in the Current Events and Rummie discussion thread under
Week 5) should have these five points covered and marked clearly.
 Use these guides to post your research and include these five points.
1. Summarize the main ideas of the current event. You can get current events from newsworthy
internet sources such as CNN, Los Angeles Times or other sources you deem reliable sources
of news.
2. Relate the summary of the current event to our philosophy course.
3. Upload a link to the article or video of your current event.
4. Choose a “rummie” —a philosophical word related to the current event.
5. Delve into it, ruminate, relate it to contemporary themes or your own life - or contemporary
issues.


Example:
1. Christians Countering Anti-Muslim Rhetoric. This is a news item about an evangelical
Christian pastor, Rev. Josh Graves, in Memphis, TN who believes it is part of his religious
beliefs to counter anti-Muslim sentiments by creating a sense of community with local
Muslims who practice Islam. He partnered with other Christians to create dinners where
Christians and Muslims would gather around dinner tables and get to know each other,
Building relationships became a strategy to combat prejudice, and it worked.
2. This article and video from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly is related to our class because it
shows the value of interfaith dialogue and exploration of multiple views about religion to
create a better world. Many of the philosophers we study in this class offer an emphasis on
ethics. Socrates inspired people through his actions to examine their lives and be true to
themselves just as the Christians in the article found a way to heal anti-Muslim sentiments.
Kant’s ethical stance of using a categorical imperative to guide ethical action can also be seen
in the article. We can easily see that treating people in a community with compassion and
respect would be a good ethical action that should be applied universally.
3. Christians Counter Anti-Muslim Rhetoric https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/
2016/08/26/christians-countering-anti-muslim-rhetoric/30127/
4. The Rummie I choose is Commitment
5. Commitment can be defined as "a promise to be loyal to someone or something." In this case
I was impressed Rev. Josh Graves' commitment to the teachings of Jesus and Christianity,
which inspired him to practice his beliefs and create peace in his community by bringing
Christians and Muslims together. The rummie "Commitment" inspires me to explore the
areas in which I choose to commit myself such as women’s rights and compassion toward
immigrants. This rumination also makes me think about ways in which I demonstrate my
commitment toward these issues. If my commitment is not followed by actions can I really
say I have a commitment to these issues?


6.