Problem of God

The Problem of God has become one of the signatures of undergraduate education at Georgetown University.   It receives its name from a series of lectures at Yale University delivered by John Courtney Murray, SJ (Problem of God: Yale Lectures).  The lectures were meant to explore the possibilities of and challenges to religious belief in a contemporary context.  The course continues the spirit of that free exchange by exploring with students a critically appreciative awareness of the religious dimension of human existence and assisting them in reflecting upon their own experience and understanding in that enlarged context.  Through sacred texts, philosophical works, and literature, the course seeks to develop habits of mind in students that reflect historical consciousness; exhibit critical thinking about texts, ideas, and methods of study; exhibit awareness of the student’s own experience of religious traditions and/or religious commitments; show awareness of distinctive traditions of thought; are attuned to the differences among scientific, symbolic, mythical, and metaphorical uses of language; and show a sophisticated appreciation for recurrent human questions and the answers provided by various religious traditions.

For more information, see Problem of God Resonates with Students.