Conflicting Models of Faith: Browne vs Toland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/RF.2016.039Keywords
John Toland, Peter Browne, deism, faith, knowledge, beliefAbstract
In this paper, I consider two Early Modern conceptions of Christian faith, one proposed by John Toland (1670–1722) and the other by Peter Browne (1665–1735). I regard and analyse these conceptions as conflicting models of faith. On the basis of the comparative analysis, I claim that, according to Toland’s model, the Christian faith is a special kind of natural knowledge, while, according to Browne’s model, it is a set of voluntary beliefs concerning supernatural things that are partly revealed.
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