Philosophy of Religion

By Fulton J. Sheen

For his first mission as a priest, Fulton J. Sheen sought wisdom. Ordained a priest in 1919, he studied philosophy—first at the Catholic University of America and then at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, earning his doctorate with distinction in 1923. These studies, steeped in the wisdom of the Angelic Doctor, would serve him in great stead over the course of his priestly life, informing his preaching, teaching, and writing with the power of distinction and force of clarity. In Philosophy of Religion, Sheen recalls the philosophical world to the value of reason and its relationship with religion. With assurance and conviction, Sheen examines modernity’s problems with reason and religion: first, the history of the abandonment of reason and the final descent into irrationalism; second, a recall to the right use of reason in discovering the existence and nature of God; third, a study of the impact of the physical and historical sciences on religion; and fourth, the value of the new approach to religion from man instead of nature.

First published in 1948, twenty-five years after Sheen’s reception of the Catholic Uni­versity of Louvain’s prestigious Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion: The Impact of Modern Knowledge on Religion is a competent affirmation of the validity and transcendent power of reason not only to know the truth but also to believe and love its very Source.

Religion would seem to take its name from reading over those things which belong to Divine worship because we ought frequently to ponder over such things in our hearts, according to Proverbs, “In all thy ways think on Him.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas)

Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979) was one of the most renowned Catholic priests of the twentieth century. An eminent scholar, prolific author, and natural entertainer, Sheen provided insight into the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith for millions around the world through his scores of books and countless radio and television programs. His cause for canonization was opened in 2002, and in 2012 Pope Benedict XVI declared him “Venerable.”

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Paperback: 466pp.

ISBN: 978-1685954420