Religious Belief from the Philosopher's Perspective

Benjamin Franklin's famous Kite and Lightning experiment was once denounced as an heretical "offense to God," as have many other beliefs about the world in which we live, and move, and have our being. Are there any principles by which we might determine which dogmas, or firmly held religious beliefs, are the more sensible ones? Part I of this book critically reviews the thoughts of several philosophers and insightful non-philosopherswho, using only common, ordinary, or even horse sense, have attempted to answer this question. Part II discusses still other common sense principles, concepts, and methods by which to establish an intellectual foundation analogous to Ren Descartes' Cogito ergo sum Principle, which would legitimize at least some if not all religious beliefs, as Descartes' principle legitimized science.