Summary Of John Hick's Argument Of Atheism

This paper will consist of a summary of John Hick’s presentation for the argument of religious experience as well as Michael Scriven’s objection through the argument of atheism. In particular, I will analyze Hick’s stance on the traditional theistic proofs and how he views religious experience to be a stronger example of evidence that supports the existence of God. Then, I will analyze how Scriven resists the argument of religious experiences as irrational and how atheism is used as a response, or solution, to the topic of religious experience. Lastly, after looking at both arguments, I will discuss my position on the presented disagreement to be aligned more with Scriven’s presentation. While the traditional theistic proofs (Cosmological,
Hick does not try to provide a proof like that of the theistic proofs, but rather he is trying to defend the religious believers’ experience as a rational basis of belief. By “religious experience,” Hick defines the term as an intimate “ ‘sense of the presence of God’ “(482). What makes the argument of religious experience difficult to defend is the fact that claimed religious experiences are often difficult to concretely proof given that they usually involve a personal and private experience. This worry does not really concern Hick because he understands that for many believers, religious experience is the foundation of their reason to believe in God’s existence.
The first premise is founded on Hick’s argument that theistic proofs are insufficient and unecessary for religious people because they have a greater proof- religious experience. Believers that have established a connection with God through their religious experience need not search for “philosophical reasoning”(Hick, 477). According to Hick, when an individual acquires a strong enough religious experience that establishes one’s belief in God, theistic proofs become irrelevant. Now, Hick does not entirely denounce the use of theistic proofs. In fact, he finds it probable for there to be “valid arguments capable of establishing the existence of God those those who stand outside the life of faith”(Hick, 477),
One cannot justify a belief without evidence- everything needs a justification - something that Scriven thinks religious experience lacks due to their improper position of faith. Religious folk have different beliefs which supports Scriven’s objection in that it demonstrates that they are committed to being incorrect by basing their claims on their level of faith. Overall, Scriven discredits religious experiences as neither a strong or reasonable justification for the belief in God. Instead, Scriven suggests that theists must support their beliefs through true and reasonable evidence, not just by merely saying that they are