Department of Philosophy of Religion

About Us

     The philosophy of religion can generally be defined as philosophizing about religion. According to a different definition, the philosophy of religion is critical thinking about religious beliefs or an attempt to analyze and critically evaluate religious beliefs. Considering these definitions, it can be stated that the subject of philosophy of religion is religion; its method is philosophy; and its purpose is the philosophical evaluation of religion.

     Although the subject of philosophy of religion is religion, not all of the different dimensions of religion, such as belief, worship, and morality, fall within the scope of research, discussion, and evaluation of philosophy of religion. Philosophy of religion is the attempt to analyze or evaluate the intellectual or theoretical dimension of religion, or the principles of belief, which are more parallel or similar to the subjects of philosophy, using philosophical approaches and methods. In other words, doing philosophy of religion is thinking and talking about the fundamental claims of religion in a rational, objective, comprehensive, and consistent manner. Therefore, questions such as whether religious beliefs are true, whether their truth can be known, or whether one can reasonably believe in their truth are among the questions that a philosopher of religion will attempt to answer. However, in doing so, they do not misinterpret religious beliefs by taking them out of context, nor do they evaluate religious beliefs in relation to other elements of religious life.

     The relationship between religion and philosophy is as old as human history, but the philosophy of religion as an independent field of study is quite new, young, and dynamic. In this respect, it occupies an important place in theology faculties and fills a significant gap. In this context, Fırat University Faculty of Theology offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses in the field of Philosophy of Religion.

Academic Staff

Asst. Prof. Dr. Haydar DÖLEK (Department Head)