What is CCEA A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion?

A2 8 is the Philosophy of Religion unit at A2 in the CCEA A-Level Religious Studies course, building on AS 8 An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Its title is Themes in the Philosophy of Religion. It studies the ontological argument for God, the problem of religious language, the philosophy of miracles, and questions of life after death and the soul.

Which themes does A2 8 cover?

A2 8 covers four main themes. The ontological argument is the a priori argument for God from the concept of God (Anselm, Descartes, Gaunilo and Kant). Religious language asks whether talk of God is meaningful (verification, falsification, the via negativa, analogy, symbol and language games). Miracles examines definitions and Hume's arguments. Life after death examines the body and soul debate, the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body.

How does A2 8 build on AS 8?

AS 8 introduces the design and cosmological arguments, the problem of evil and religious experience. A2 8 deepens the philosophy of religion with the more abstract ontological argument, the problem of religious language, the philosophy of miracles and the question of life after death. The A2 unit is more demanding and synoptic, expecting confident handling of difficult philosophical arguments and thinkers.

How is A2 8 assessed?

A2 8 is assessed by a written examination on the unit. Questions are synoptic and test two assessment objectives: AO1, knowledge and understanding, and AO2, analysis and evaluation. A2 questions are more demanding than AS, often worth around 20 marks, and reward sustained argument, the confident use of philosophical material, and a substantiated judgement.

How should I revise CCEA A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion?

Learn each argument and theme as a clear structure, and learn the key thinkers by name (Anselm, Descartes, Gaunilo, Kant, Ayer, Flew, Aquinas, Tillich, Wittgenstein, Hume, Swinburne, Plato, Hick). Pair each theme with its main criticisms and responses. For AO2, rehearse sustained, balanced evaluations and reach a judgement. Revise from the current CCEA specification and CCEA past papers, because question style is board-specific.

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CCEA A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion: a complete overview of the ontological argument, religious language, miracles and life after death

A complete overview of CCEA A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion. Covers the ontological argument, religious language, miracles, and life after death, building on AS 8, with the synoptic AO1 and AO2 skills the unit tests.

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The ontological argument
Religious language
Miracles
Life after death
How A2 8 is assessed
How to study A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion
The module, dot point by dot point
For the official specification

CCEA A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion is the Philosophy of Religion unit at A2 in the A-Level Religious Studies course, building directly on AS 8. It deepens the study of natural theology with some of its hardest and most influential debates. This overview maps the unit and how to study it.

The ontological argument

The unit studies the a priori argument for God from the concept of God alone.

Anselm's two forms and Descartes's version.
The a priori method, unique among the arguments for God.
The criticisms of Gaunilo (the perfect island) and Kant (existence is not a predicate).

Religious language

The unit asks whether talk of God can be meaningful.

The verification and falsification challenges.
The via negativa and Aquinas's analogy.
Tillich's symbol and Wittgenstein's language games.

Miracles

The unit examines the philosophy of miracles.

Definitions of miracle (Aquinas and Hume).
Hume's evidential and practical arguments against belief in miracles.
The contradictory-claims objection and responses (Swinburne).

Life after death

The unit examines whether anything survives death.

The body and soul debate: dualism (Plato, Descartes) and materialism.
The immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body.
Reincarnation and the arguments for and against survival.

How A2 8 is assessed

A2 8 is a synoptic written paper testing two assessment objectives.

AO1 (knowledge and understanding). Explain the arguments, themes and thinkers accurately.
AO2 (analysis and evaluation). Build a sustained argument and reach a substantiated judgement.

How to study A2 8 Themes in the Philosophy of Religion

This unit rewards precise structure and confident handling of difficult arguments.

Learn each theme as a structure. Set out the argument and its logic clearly.
Learn the thinkers by name. Anselm, Descartes, Gaunilo, Kant, Ayer, Flew, Aquinas, Tillich, Wittgenstein, Hume, Swinburne, Plato and Hick.
Pair each theme with its criticisms. Every argument has its main objections and responses.
Rehearse sustained evaluation. A2 questions reward developed argument and a clear judgement.
Practise with CCEA past papers. The synoptic A2 question style is board-specific.

The module, dot point by dot point

Each theme has a specification-level page with worked questions and cross-links, plus a quiz. Browse the full set at /ccea-a-level/religious-studies/syllabus.

For the official specification

CCEA publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at ccea.org.uk. Always revise from the current CCEA specification and CCEA's own past papers.

Sources & how we know this

CCEA GCE Religious Studies (2016) specification — CCEA (2016)