What can a Natural Theologian Learn from Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein?

Abstract

Most natural theologians purport to give reasons for believing in a God possessing certain attributes. The implication is that belief in God is a matter of rational decision. But this way of looking at religious belief can lead to the danger of thinking that one has “become a believer” when, in fact, one is living under the illusion of having religious faith. Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard provide insight into the causes and effects of this illusion, thereby pointing the way to its dissolution. Both writers show how one can speak the language of “rational Christianity” without actually having Christian faith.