There has been in recent years a plethora of defences of theism from analytical philosophers: Richard Gales important book is a critical response to these writings. New versions of cosmological, ontological, and religious experience arguments are critically evaluated, along with pragmatic arguments to justify faith on the grounds of its prudential or moral benefits. In considering arguments for and against the existence of God, Gale is able to clarify many important philosophical concepts including exploration, time, free will, personhood, actuality, and the objectivity of experience.

"...[a] highly readable discussion of issues and arguments central to the philosophy of religion....Throughout, Gale's discussion is never simplistic or rushed, and is generally insightful and original (not to mention humorous and sometimes irreverent)....Gale's book is splendid. No one working in philosophical theory can afford not to take note of it." Thomas D. Senor, The University of Arkansas, from Faith and Philosophy"Gale's book has many impressive features. Its argumentation displays a high level of technical sophistication and is overall of a very high quality--rigorous, yet clear and enlivened by many amusing anecdotes and examples, and containing many new insights...this detailed discussion is full of insights and helpful analyses, and is well worth the price of the book." Review of Metaphysics"The central thesis and the problems are here formulated in unusually clear ways--in some cases, more clearly than anywhere else that I know of." George Mavrodes, University of Michigan"...a genuine contribution to the literature in the philosophy of religion." Nelson Pike, University of California, Irvine"Gale has written a cogent and critical response to the recent attempts by analytic philosophers, such as Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, Robert Adams, and Richard Swinburne, to shore up the case for theism....Gale's book is a treasure of contemporary philosophy of religion. Closely and cogently argued, with wit and good-willed wile, it's Philonic provocations would have made the Scottish Skeptic proud." Louis P. Pojman, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion"...the most important response to date to the resurgence of classical theism in contemporary philosophy of religion....Gale's book is, I believe, a major contribution to the contemporary philosophy of religion....it stands among the significant 20th century skeptical works on phiosophical theism. It is written with a degree of wit, clarity, and philosophical rigor seldom equaled in contemporary philosophy." William L. Rowe, Journal of the American Academy of Religion"...they [readers] will be treated to brilliant criticisms of recent noninductive arguments for the existence of God that purport to make it acceptable to theists and immune from deductive atheological arguments." Free Inquiry

There has been in recent years a plethora of defenses of theism from analytical philosophers. Richard Gale's study is a critical response to these writings.

This book addresses the question whether there is rational justification to believe that God, as conceived of by traditional Western theism, exists.

In considering arguments for and against the existence of God, new versions of cosmological, ontological, and religious experience arguments are critically evaluated to justify faith on the grounds of its prudential or moral benefits.

There has been in recent years a plethora of defenses of theism from analytical philosophers: Richard Gale??'s important book is a critical response to these writings.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Atheological Arguments: 1. Atheology and the nature of God; 2. The creation - immutability argument; 3. The omniscience - immutability argument; 4. The deductive argument from evil; 5. The argument from world-relative actuality; Part II. Theological Arguments: 6. Ontological arguments; 7. Cosmological arguments; 8. Religious-experience arguments; 9. Pragmatic arguments; Notes; Index.