Religious Language

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Religious Language

Cognitive - statements about God that can be known to be either true or false

Non-cognitive - statements about God aren't subject to truth or falsity

Univocal - idea that words have same meaning at all times

Equivocal - idea that same word used with 2 different meanings

Our words may not be Abe to fully do justice to experience

God is by definition beyond our limited human comprhensive and experience. How can words be use in helping us understand God?

Explaining Apophatic Way (Via Negative)

Via negative claims that as words are unable to describe God, only possible statements that can be made are negative statements; statements about what God isn't

God as 'Beyond Description'

God is beyond our ability to describe (In Islam, picturing God is forbidden)

Via negative is aware that danger of using human language of God is we'll imagine our human version of word we use

When we say 'God is good' cannot help but understand word 'good' in human goodness. God's goodness is beyond our comprehension

All words applied to God are equivocal

Apophatic Way - Key Thinkers

Via negative came from Platonic philosophers

Pseudo believed God was beyond assertion.

To try make positive statement about God was to risk anthropomorphic idea of God

Apophatic way (via negative) is idea that only way of speaking about God is through negative terms, what God isn't

Anthropomorphic is tendency to describe something in human terms

Only positive statement about God it that he exists

Moses argues negative can bring us some knowledge of God

Via negativa allows us to gain some knowledge of God

Apophatic Way Assessed

Key Strengths of Apophatic Way

Any language used of God is inevitably pictured by hearers in human terms. Reduced God to human level

Recognises God is transcendent and wholly other to human realm

William James observes religious experiences as ineffable; cannot be described in ordinary language

Weaknesses of Apophatic Way

Apophatic way not true reflection of how religious believers speak or think about God. Scriptures of all major faiths describe God in positive terms

Means believer has no means of communicating with non-believer about subject of God

W.R. Inge argued that denying description of God leads to annihilation of God where we lose connection between God and world

Idea of God isn't visible, its intangible

Cataphatic Way (Via Positiva) - Aquinas and Analogy

Cataphatic way (via positiva) is idea that God can be spoken of in positive terms

Analogy is comparison between 2 things in order to help us understand less familiar thing

Aquinas on Analogy

Aquinas argues that language applied to God isn't literal but analogical

Analogy of attribution - Words we apply to human beings related to how words applied to God as causal relationship between 2 sets of qualities. Our qualities such as love are reflections of those qualities of God

Analogy of proper proportion - Extent to which being can be said to have certain properties in proportion to type of being we're describing.

John Hick on Analogy

Our faithfulness is smaller when compared to faithfulness of God

Cataphatic Way (Via Positiva) Assessed

Strengths of Via Positiva

It's not univocal so avoids speaking anthropomorphically of God

Not equivocal so avoids agnosticism that comes with approach

Agnosticism is idea that God's nature and existence cannot be known

Describes God in visual terms

Aquinas may be right to argue if language cannot be used at all of God then we aren't able to do theology

Weaknesses of Via Positiva

Theory of analogy allows some picturing in way that via negativa doesn't

In order to understand word that's being applied to God we've to translate word into univocal language first

Swinburne argued religious statements aren't analogical but univocal

Not always easy to know how far meaning is stretched

'God is love' isn't same as human love

Analogy only provides little knowledge of God

Tillich and Symbolic Language

Paul Tillich argues that religious statements aren't literally true. They attempt to express ideas about God s to be understood symbolically

Signs and Symbols

For Tillich, there's difference between signs and symbols

Sign such as red traffic light points to something

A flag doesn't act as sign; for many it represents nation involved

Tillich on Symbolic Language and Art

Cannot speak literally of God. God not part of empirical world and can't be represented by literal language

Symbolic words we ascribe to God cannot be random or invented.

Symbols may have limited lifespan. Words we use to describe God may change over time as some word pictures become more helpful or unhelpful

Symbol opens up levels of reality. They unlock 'hidden depths of our own being'.

Symbols enable us to grasp deep truths about world and about ourselves

Symbolic Language Assessed

Strengths of Symbolic Language

Argued that taking symbolic view of religious preserves transcendence and mystery of God in way analogical language doesn't

Saying God is 'good' similar meaning to our everyday use

Tillich's insight is symbols are able to communicate deeply in way ordinary language cannot

Symbolic language can be changed with time and be strength as it ensures that message remains relevant to its changing cultural context

Weaknesses of Symbolic Language

Tillich's claim what symbolic language is cognitive - providing statements that are true of God

Randall happy to accept religious language is symbolic but believe symbols are non-cognitive and provide no information about God

Symbols engage us on deep level in similar way art moves us

Tillich assumes there's connection between religion and aesthetic

Symbolic objects and symbolic language are culturally dependent and can change with time may mean our ideas of God will change over time or be misinterpreted

Going Further: Ramsey's View of Models and Qualifiers

Our religious language is model to help us understand God

Word 'father' is model that helps understand concept of God. Word 'heavenly' is qualifier we must not understand God as earthly father, very different type of father

A disclosure happens when we see through and beyond reality in front of us. Human language used to model something else e.g. first cause argument