Philosophy · Unit 17

Philosophy of Religion

Arguments about God, the problem of evil, and meaning

This unit examines religious claims as arguments, which is a different activity from believing them or from describing what believers do.

It covers the classical arguments for God's existence, the problem of evil, faith and reason, atheism and agnosticism, and meaning and the sacred.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 120
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Arguments for God
The Problem of Evil
Faith and Reason
Atheism and Agnosticism
Meaning and the Sacred

Where this fits

Needs Logic and Arguments. Overlaps with Religion's unit of the same name.

Where people slip

Atheism and agnosticism answer different questions - one about belief, one about knowledge - so the positions are not points on a single scale.

How the unit is structured

Philosophy of Religion runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

Arguments for God

Multiple choiceLevel 1
1. The cosmological argument for God begins from the fact that the universe exists and reasons toward a...
- first causecorrect
- moral law
- sacred text
- final reward
The cosmological argument moves from the existence of the world to the idea of a first cause behind it.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are traditional philosophical arguments offered for the existence of God? Select all that apply.
- the cosmological argumentcorrect
- the design argumentcorrect
- the ontological argumentcorrect
- the water cycle
- the times table
The cosmological, design, and ontological arguments are three classic arguments discussed in philosophy of religion.
Fill the blankLevel 2
3. The ____ argument reasons from the order and design seen in nature toward the idea of a designer.
- designcorrect
- ontological
- moral
- pragmatic
The design, or teleological, argument starts from apparent design in nature.
Odd one outLevel 2
4. Three of these are classic arguments for God. Which one is not an argument for God?
- the recipe for breadcorrect
- the cosmological argument
- the design argument
- the ontological argument
A recipe is not a philosophical argument, while the other three are classic arguments for God.
Match the pairsLevel 3
5. Match each argument for God with its key starting point.
Answer: cosmological = the universe needs a first cause; teleological = nature shows design; ontological = the very idea of God; Pascal's wager = belief treated as a bet
Each classic argument starts from a different idea, from causation to design to the concept of God.
Put in orderLevel 3
6. Put the steps of the Kalam cosmological argument in order, from its premises to its conclusion.
Answer: Whatever begins to exist has a cause -> The universe began to exist -> So the universe has a cause -> This first cause is what the argument points to
The Kalam argument uses two premises to reach the idea of a first cause of the universe.

Atheism and Agnosticism

Multiple choiceLevel 1
7. Theism is the belief that...
- a God or gods existcorrect
- the earth is hollow
- numbers can feel
- time runs backward
Theism is simply the belief that at least one God or gods exist.
Match the pairsLevel 2
8. Match each term with its meaning.
Answer: theism = belief that a God exists; atheism = no belief in any God; agnosticism = holding we cannot know
These three terms name common positions on belief in God.
Odd one outLevel 2
9. Three of these are positions about belief in God. Which one is not?
- photosynthesiscorrect
- theism
- atheism
- agnosticism
Photosynthesis is a process in plants, not a position about belief in God.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
10. Which of these are named positions about God or gods? Select all that apply.
- monotheismcorrect
- polytheismcorrect
- deismcorrect
- thermometer
- photosynthesis
Monotheism, polytheism, and deism are all positions about the divine.
Fill the blankLevel 3
11. A creator who starts the universe but then does not step in is central to ____.
- deismcorrect
- pantheism
- atheism
- polytheism
Deism pictures a creator who does not intervene after making the world.
Guess the numberLevel 4
12. In roughly which century did Thomas Huxley coin the word agnostic? Give the century as a number.
Answer: 19 century
Huxley coined the term in 1869, that is, the 19th century.

Faith and Reason

Fill the blankLevel 1
13. Reaching a conclusion by using logic and evidence is an example of using ____.
- reasoncorrect
- faith
- ritual
- memory
Using logic and evidence to reach a conclusion is the work of reason.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
14. In these debates, faith usually means trust or belief that reaches beyond what can be fully...
- proven by argument alonecorrect
- painted by hand
- bought in a store
- seen on a map
Faith is often described as trust that goes beyond complete proof.
True or falseLevel 1
15. Faith and reason are often described as two different ways people approach questions about religion.
Answer: True
Philosophers frequently contrast faith and reason as two routes to religious belief.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
16. Which of these are ways of forming beliefs that philosophers discuss when they talk about religion? Select all that apply.
- faithcorrect
- reasoncorrect
- evidence and argumentcorrect
- the color of a door
- the price of milk
Faith, reason, and the weighing of evidence are all discussed as ways people form beliefs.
Match the pairsLevel 2
17. Match each word with its short meaning.
Answer: faith = trust beyond full proof; reason = logic and evidence; natural theology = reasoning about God from the world
Faith rests on trust, reason on logic and evidence, and natural theology reasons about God from the world.
Odd one outLevel 3
18. Three of these describe forming beliefs through evidence and argument. Which one describes belief based mainly on trust instead?
- faithcorrect
- reasoning
- weighing evidence
- logical proof
Faith rests mainly on trust, while the others rely on evidence and argument.

Meaning and the Sacred

Multiple choiceLevel 1
19. In the study of religion, the word sacred refers to things treated as...
- holy or set apartcorrect
- broken or old
- cheap or common
- cold or wet
Sacred means holy or set apart from ordinary use.
True or falseLevel 1
20. Many religions mark certain places, times, or objects as sacred, meaning special or set apart from ordinary use.
Answer: True
Setting apart sacred places, times, and objects is common across many religions.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which of these are often treated as sacred in various religious traditions? Select all that apply.
- places of worshipcorrect
- holy bookscorrect
- certain festivalscorrect
- grocery lists
- traffic jams
Places of worship, holy books, and festivals are often treated as sacred, unlike everyday errands.
Fill the blankLevel 2
22. Something regarded as holy or set apart from ordinary use is called ____.
- sacredcorrect
- spare
- plain
- cheap
The word sacred describes what is holy or set apart.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
23. Which of these are themes studied in the philosophy of religion when it looks at meaning and the sacred? Select all that apply.
- the sacred and the profanecorrect
- religious experiencecorrect
- the search for meaningcorrect
- the boiling point of water
- the rules of chess
The sacred, religious experience, and the search for meaning are core themes when studying meaning and the sacred.
Put in orderLevel 5
24. Order these thinkers who wrote about religion and the sacred from earliest to latest.
Answer: Ludwig Feuerbach -> Emile Durkheim -> Rudolf Otto -> Paul Tillich
Feuerbach wrote first in the early 1800s, then Durkheim, then Otto, then Tillich.

The Problem of Evil

Fill the blankLevel 1
25. The problem of evil points to the existence of ____ and suffering as a puzzle for certain ideas of God.
- evilcorrect
- music
- laughter
- color
The puzzle is named for the evil and suffering it points to.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
26. The problem of evil asks how evil and suffering fit together with belief in a God who is all-good and...
- all-powerfulcorrect
- far away
- invisible
- silent
The problem of evil is a puzzle about combining a perfectly good and all-powerful God with the suffering we see.
Odd one outLevel 1
27. Three of these are examples of suffering or evil that the problem of evil points to. Which one does not belong?
- a birthday partycorrect
- an earthquake
- a serious illness
- a cruel act
A birthday party is not an example of suffering, unlike the others.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
28. The problem of evil is usually stated using which ideas about God? Select all that apply.
- God is all-goodcorrect
- God is all-powerfulcorrect
- God knows everythingcorrect
- God is made of stone
- God lives on one mountain
The puzzle sets the suffering in the world against a God said to be all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing.
True or falseLevel 2
29. A theodicy is an attempt to explain why an all-good God might allow evil to exist.
Answer: True
A theodicy tries to give reasons why a good God could permit evil.
Sort into groupsLevel 3
30. Sort each example as a moral evil or a natural evil.
Answer: a theft = Moral evil; an act of cruelty = Moral evil; an earthquake = Natural evil; a disease outbreak = Natural evil
Moral evils come from human choices, while natural evils arise from nature.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Philosophy of Religion

120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Philosophy of Religion

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

What Is the Problem of Evil? A Philosophy GuideExplore why suffering challenges belief in an all-good, all-powerful God and how major philosophical responses differ.August 14, 2026 · 6 min read

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