(8) RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE 1 Flashcards
What are the 3 Main CHALLENGES to RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE?
(1) CONTRADICTIONS / PARADOX - is central to many doctrine - e.g. Jesus is 100% Human & 100% God
(2) GOD Is In HUMAN TERMS - Genesis - Described God as Walking in Garden of Eden, does this mean God has legs?
(3) GOD TRANSCENDENCE - if God is Outside Time & Space , beyond our normal experiences -> it’s problematic to talk about God as Our Language is Limited
What are the 3 ways we can Talk meaningfully about God?
- Maimonides - VIA NEGATIVA
- Aquinas - ANALOGY
- Tilich - SYMBOL
What is VIA NEGATIVA?
the Only Meaningful way to Talk about God by SAYING WHAT HE’S NOT
e.g. - Not Temporal ( outside time )
- Not Finite ( rather than infinite )
Why is VIA NEGATIVA USED?
- POSITVIA (e.g. God is good ) - using words that apply to the finite imperfect things in world
- WRONG to SPEAK of GOD PERCEIVED by SENSE -> HUMAN LANGUAGE is INCAPABLE of Expressing ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE of GOD -> this RISKS REDUCING GOD to HUMAN LEVEL -> misleading e.g. father , we don’t know If God is Male
Explain PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS’ Appraoch to VIA NEGTIVA
- believed GOD is UTTERLY TRANSCENDENT and therefore INCAPABLE of being CONCEPTUALISED BY the HUMAN MIND
- GOD will ALWAYS Remain a MYSTERY UNTIL People Accept this
- Christians MUST PRESERVE GOD’S DIGNITY by ONLY SPEAKING about him USING the VIA NEGATIVA
Explain MAIMONIDES’ Approach to VIA NEGTIVA
- RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE ONLY MEANINGFUL When VIA NEGATIVA USED
- HUMANS are SO TOTALLY DIFFERENT that We CANNOT KNOW What WORDS MEAN When APPLIED to GOD as GOD is TRANSCENDENT and UTTERLY BEYOND HUMAN EXPERIENCE
- Using POSITIVE Language REDUCED him to a HUMAN CONSTURCUTION and CHARACTERISTICS - are contradictory - e.g. Omnipotence - makes us Question God’s existence
Explain MAIMONIDES’ SHIP Example and critise
- claimed IF you DESRCIBED a SHIP by SAYING What IT’S NOT within 10 Steps , you Would CONCLUDE It’s a SHIP by PROCESS of ELIMINATIOn
- DAVIS - Criticises - says - Could EASILY END UP with SOMETHING ELSE - shows how INEFFECTIVE VIA NEGTAIVA is - NO CLOSER to an UNDERSTANDING of GOD
How does AQUINAS REJECT the VIA NEGATIVA?
- INSISTS we can MAKE POSITIVE , FACTUALLY TRUE CLAIMS about God - Via Positiva
- argued CHRISTIANS NEED to SPEAK About GOD in POSITIVE TERMS So they can BUILD a RELATIONSHIP with him
How does AQUINAS REJECT UNIVOCAL LANGUAGE ( Words Mean the Same thing in Any Context )
- REJECTED as WHEN WORDS are APPLIED to GOD they have the SAME MEANING AS they do in HUMAN CONTEXT , e.g. ‘ Good ‘
- placed GOD in the SAME Category as HUMANS, PHYSICAL and LIMITED
- DOESN’T CONVEY his GREATNESS and MYSTERY
How does AQUINAS REJECT EQUIVOCAL LANGUAGE ( Words have Different meaning in Different Contexts )
- REJECTED as WHEN APPLIED to GOD , Words have Completely DIFFERENT MEANING from NORMAL use e.g. ‘ Strong ‘ could be interpreted as Muscles, Opinion, Health etc.
- makes GOD IMPOSSIBLE to UNDERSTAND
What does AQUINAS argue about ANALOGY and name his 2 analogies
our LANGUAGE when APPLIED to GOD isn’t LITERAL but ANALOICAL - RELATED to NORMAL USE - not the same or different
- ANALOGY of ATTRIBUTION
- ANALOGY of PROPORTIONALITY
Explain AQUINAS’ ANALOGY of ATTRIBUTION ?
- to establish Healthy bull , DOCTORS would EXAMINE its URINE - as it would REVEAL SOMETHING About the HEALTH of the BULL since URINE is ATTRIBUTED to BULL
Explain how ANALOGY of ATTRIBUTION links to how there’s a CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP
CR BETWEEN the WORDS We APPLY to HUMANS And To GOD. Just as URINE REVEALS Something ABOUT BULL, WORLD REVEALS Something about Creators Nature
e.g. When we TALK OF GOD as LOVING we should REMEMBER that GOD is the CAUSE Of ALL LOVE
Explain AQUINAS’ ANALOGY of PROPORTION ?
believed BEING CONTINGEENT and FALLIBLE, Humans EXPERIENCE CHARACTERISTICS In PROPOTION to HOW GOD HAS THEM
is Like Comapring the Violin Playing of 7 yr old Sister To Proffesional who is Proportionally Much Better
What is an EXAMPLE of ANALOGY of PROPORTION Relating to GOD
GOOD : WE USE this Word IN LIMITED CONTINGENT Way but GOD is PERFECTLY GOD - he Lives Up to All You’d Expect of a Divine Being - GOD’S GOODNESS is PROPORTIONALITY GREATER Than HUMAN GOODNESS
