God, Science, and Religious Diversity

Two major obstacles to belief in God in the twenty-first century are the idea that science is incompatible with religious faith, and the idea that the diversity of religions undermines the credibility of belief that any one religion could be truer than the others. This book addresses both of these challenges to belief in God and explores a connection between them. It argues that science and religion are not only compatible, but that some recent scientific discoveries actually support belief in the existence of the Creator God. The diversity of religions is widely believed to undermine the credibility of religious truth claims because of the assumed lack of any way to settle disagreements between different religions. This book argues that one rational way to adjudicate disagreements between the claims of diverse religions is to assess their consistency with contemporary science. The book considers how Christian theism and Buddhism fare in harmonizing their metaphysical frameworks with contemporary scientific cosmology. Although both theistic and Buddhist worldviews resonate with many recent scientific discoveries, the Big Bang theory and cosmic fine-tuning favor the Christian doctrine of creation. ""Does modern science render Christian theism implausible? If not, do the truth claims of other religions affect the same result? Professor Lehe argues clearly and compellingly for negative answers to both questions. He also shows how the two are related to one another. Of particular merit is his examination of how Buddhist interpretations of cosmological fine tuning compare unfavorably to those from Christian philosophical traditions. Highly recommended for both professional philosophers and general readers."" --Olin Joynton, Alpena Community College, Alpena, Michigan ""This terrific book provides a definitive guide for current debates about science and religion and religious pluralism. Lehe's arguments are admirably rigorous and fair-minded. With a prose that is both lucid and accessible, this book makes a substantial contribution to two of the most significant and controversial issues in contemporary philosophy of religion. God, Science, and Religious Diversity is essential reading for any philosopher interested in these critical issues."" --James Peters, The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee ""A model of clear reasoning and careful argument, this book explores the challenges to Christian theism posed by atheistic naturalism and religious pluralism. Turning the anti-Christian argument on its head, Lehe argues persuasively that Christianity offers a more satisfying account of why we are able to understand the world scientifically than either naturalism or other religious traditions. If something like Christianity is not true, our ability to do natural science remains an unsolvable mystery."" --Daniel Kolb, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Meinrad, Indiana Robert T. Lehe is Professor of Philosophy at North Central College. He is the author of articles on epistemology, metaphysical realism, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness, and religious pluralism.