Handbook of Catholic Apologetics: Reasoned Answers to Questions of Faith by Peter Kreeft & Fr. Ronald Tacelli

Handbook of Catholic Apologetics: Reasoned Answers to Questions of Faith by Peter Kreeft & Fr. Ronald Tacelli

Author:Peter Kreeft & Fr. Ronald Tacelli [Kreeft, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9781681497020
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2016-05-05T16:00:00+00:00


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Questions for Discussion

1. Can you imagine a seventh theory of what happens at death, in addition to the six mentioned?

2. How might a believer in each of the five non-Christian theories of death try to prove it?

3. Are there any other arguments against life after death that you can think of that are not mentioned here? If so, how might they be answered?

4. What evidence might there be for the possibility or impossibility of self-consciousness apart from a physical brain?

5. How can we conceptualize the self, or “I”, whose thoughts and physical actions we are aware of when we speak of “my” body, “my” thoughts, “my” mind, “my” soul? What else are you besides body and soul?

6. How can a theoretical materialist explain what truth means without confusing reasons with causes? What is that distinction? (See C. S. Lewis, chap. 3 of Miracles.)

7. How might we identify disembodied souls?

8. Describe the relationship between the body and the soul. Why is this such a difficult question, even (especially?) for philosophers?

9. Compare the argument from consensus for life after death with the “common consent” argument for the existence of God. Are they equally strong or weak?

10. How legitimate is it to argue from human authority? Why?

11. Can there be a legitimate argument from the world of matter (e.g., from evolution, or from the conservation of energy) for a conclusion about something immaterial (the soul)? Why or why not? Are there any legitimate similarly structured arguments in other fields?

12. Why do you think materialism is a recent and minority view? Why is materialism more “primitive” than belief in magic?

13. Evaluate argument 9.

14. Evaluate the surprising corollary of argument 10. Compare 10A.

15. Compare the moral argument for life after death (16) with the moral argument for God. What people would be more convinced by these two arguments? What kind would not?

16. What sort of people would be influenced by argument 17? What would an existentialist nihilist like Sartre do with it?

17. Is Pascal’s Wager equally strong or weak for God and for life after death?

18. In general, how are most of the arguments for life after death discussed in this chapter different from most of the arguments for the existence of God?

19. How do you personally evaluate reports of near-death experiences? Why?

20. Is Christ the strongest argument for the existence of God just as he (his Resurrection) is the strongest argument for life after death? Explain.



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