Amir Rastin Toroghi; Vahideh Fakhar Noghani
Volume 11, Issue 2 , December 2023
Abstract
The epistemology of prayer in theology mostly relates to considering the possibility of belief in the prayer being answered. Some philosophers of religion such as Davison hold that we cannot know whether God has answered particular prayers, because various reasons other than our petitionary prayers may ...
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The epistemology of prayer in theology mostly relates to considering the possibility of belief in the prayer being answered. Some philosophers of religion such as Davison hold that we cannot know whether God has answered particular prayers, because various reasons other than our petitionary prayers may be effective in the obtaining of the state of affairs in question. In addition, the fact that we cannot know God's reasons for the realization of the desired outcome makes the possibility of reaching this certainty weaker. On the other hand, some theologians like Choi think that it is possible to reach this certainty according to the evidences coincident with the occurrence of the state of affairs in question. Through the comparative study of Davison's and Choi's views and the analysis of their arguments, this article tries to introduce the kind of certainty required in the theology of prayer. Some religious evidences and proofs acting as an epistemic guarantee of the divine answer to the human prayer along with reasoning through the best explanation according to the available evidence can strengthen the hypothesis that God answers some petitions.
Amir Rastin Toroghi; Vahide Fakhar
Volume 10, Issue 1 , December 2021, , Pages 181-200
Abstract
Thinking of life after death is plausible only when there can be explained a personal identity between the individual before and after death. On the other hand, because human identity in this world is accompanied by his physical aspect (or, according to materialist views, his identity is wholly physical), ...
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Thinking of life after death is plausible only when there can be explained a personal identity between the individual before and after death. On the other hand, because human identity in this world is accompanied by his physical aspect (or, according to materialist views, his identity is wholly physical), explaining the continuity of life after death and resurrection depends on the presence of such physical dimension, that is, it necessitates the explanation of some kind of physical resurrection. The teachings of the divine religions also emphasize such a resurrection. The present article, based on the descriptive-analytical method, reviews the most important accounts of Christian theologians explaining the personal identity of man in the afterlife and their criticisms by philosophers of religion. Based on a special reading of some principles of Transcendent philosophy and Mullā Ṣadrā’s words, it introduces and explains an innovative theory of personal identity. It seems that the theory of “preservation of personal identity through the existential intensification of the body”, in addition to being immune to the major drawbacks of other models, enjoys greater capacities and benefits.