Does philosophy lead people towards religion, or away from it?

Question

Does philosophy reinforce religious belief, or does it cause us to turn a blind eye to it because we are misled into looking for answers from other human beings?

Answer 1

Neither....many philosophers of renown have found the existence of God is a reality...many have found the opposite.
Philosophy is, for lack of a better way to put it and the knowledge to word it, a personal search for meaning, not only in personal matters, but in humans relationship with the world around them. As such, it is the pursuit of that which can lead to a fuller, more satisfying existence.
Philosophy and religion are sometimes uneasy partners...but not enemies.

Answer 2

Philosophy is the opposite of religion. Most people misinterpret philosophy as merely "a system of belief." The word "philosophy" is often used this way to refer to the core assumptions or beliefs inherent in the way organizations operate.

But academic philosophy uses the tools of rational thought--most importantly, logic--to probe into the most basic questions of human existence in an organized and systematic way. Philosophy teaches you to support your own beliefs with valid arguments, always mindful of any underlying assumptions.

By contrast, religion feeds you the unfounded beliefs of others. It is, as Bertrand Russell said, "a regretful hankering after the past [and] a fettering of the free intelligence by the words uttered long ago by ignorant men." Religion relies on the idea of "faith," which outside of religious dogma seems like sheer madness: accept an idea without any proof, evidence, or argument!

Certainly there are religious and theistic philosophers these days, but by and large they are in the minority; moreover, their "brand" of religion is often starkly different from that found in the mainstream of religious culture and dogma.
One case in point was the 20th-century philosopher Martin Heidegger who remained a life-long Catholic and was buried in a Catholic funeral. Yet, in his work, Heidegger argued that "all philosophy, properly done, is atheism."

I majored in philosophy because I was dissatisfied with the answers provided by religion. I haven't found those answers in the pages of philosophy, but at least I gained the critical reasoning skills along the way to understand why the answers provided by religion are all wrong.

Answer 3

Personally I think Science, Philosophy, and Religion are separate but interrelated disciplines rather than one being a subset of another. Science addresses the questions of how the Universe works. Religion addresses the questions of where it came from and why. Philosophy addresses the questions of what we should do about it while we are here. Einstein once said that Science without Religion is lame while Religion without Science is blind. Philosophy is an attempt to decide whether it's better to be blind, to be lame, to be both, or to be neither.

Answer 4

Philosophy at its centre, is the never ending questioning of what is. Religion, or at least many religions, at their core try to answer those questions with a leap of faith.

To accept an answer on faith seems rather counter to philosophical discourse.

I think the answer to your question is both. Philosophy can question religious dogma and discredit its belief systems and lead some believers away from their faith. At the same time philosophy, with its never-ending quest of challenging current knowledge and wisdom drives some to the solace that faith can provide.

Peace

Answer 5

Both.

For me personally philosophy is the intellectual equation to understanding humanity and religion is the emotional equation. I think without both these qualities we do not see clearly.

If one is pure intellectual, then anything that is not verifiable by the sense of the flesh is discounted and one loses the miraculous. If one is purely emotional, and swayed by the fact this is what everyone else is doing so it must be right ... you end up with societies that enslave, destroy and are filled with prejudice towards that which does not conform to the "community".

To have both is to follow what seems right, to seek out and verify, test, taste, feel, hear, smell, and see. To see that the deeds are aligned with words, and ones own conscience.

all the best.

Answer 6

To be philosophical is to explore many aspects of the human
condition, including belief in a God and atheism amoung other questions.Philosophy is analogous to exploration of ideas, on neutral ground, non-judgementally. It takes
an overview and rarely commits. It opens the mind and
soul to many, many possibilities, giving us the priviledge
of the "what if's and the "could it be possibles". I feel
that through philosophy we are actually freed from looking
for answers through others and directed inward to combine
our own personal experiences and the philosophical
possibilities involved. I don't believe it has as much to do
with religion as questioning our pragmatic existence here
on earth intellectually.

Answer 7

Philosophy does lead one to discern for oneself, according to oneself in such ways that render no harm to nor constrain the liberty of the individual; or as prudence and need discerns, no harm or constraint adjudged if discernment does bear a collective of individuals.

Philosophy does avail discernment with either or both or none: 'that' is the thread that all of these share in common. Philosophy provides for and avails of this, while the people themselves have ‘that’ choice to act upon it.

Answer 8

Philosophy is the wisdom of man and the religions we have are man's way of worshipping God on our terms.
God is not a philosophy, and when we go to God we go to Him on His terms. Not ours.
So it really doesn't matter whether one goes with the philosophy of men or the religion of men, both have blind ones leading the blind.
These days philosophy in the denominations of Christendom are as common as God's existence is in philosophy. That is to say in both sects God is debated. More in religion than in philosophy but never the less both trains of thought debate on "God, & His existence".

Answer 9

philosophy is eather a question or a hypothesis to the alpha seed (underlined truth) coming from a tree full of branches (lifes catigories conditions) no matter how much a person cant undersatand.

Answer 10

It kept me away when I was young. I realized that there are so many ideas out there and no one could prove that any one of them was true. By the time I read Bertrand Russell I could nod my head in agreement since I was a confirmed atheist.