Bilk

Question 1

Do Blik’s say that religious statements have meaning or not?

Answer 1

Religious statements do have meaning because of the
effects that they have on believers.

Question 2

How does Hare use the parable of the lunatic?

Answer 2

R.M. Hare used the example of a paranoid university student
to illustrate how religious faith works: although it is not a
‘true’ statement, it has meaning for religious people and
effects the whole way that they see the world.

Question 3

Strengths of Bliks

Answer 3

Bliks explain why different religions can claim different truths/facts e.g.
Christianity asserts Jesus was the Son of God, Islam denies it. In Hare’s
view, each religion makes claims that are deeply meaningful to the believers; they have a personal meaning not a factual meaning.

Hare explains why believers are not convinced by evidence that contradicts their beliefs because believers see evidence through the framework of their beliefs.

There are many examples to support the theory of bliks. Religious people interpret ordinary events/phenomena like the beauty of nature as indicative of God’s presence, but the non-believer appreciates it for its aesthetics.
Religions give the believer a view on the whole of life.

Question 4

Weaknesses of Bliks

Answer 4

Most religious believers take a realist view of God, they see him as really existing and so their beliefs are not just paranoia, they are reactions to God who really is present in the world.

Bliks cannot be verified – how do we know this is right from the perspective of logical positivism?

If there are no factual truths about Christianity or other religions then
they are now matters of sociology and psychology and whether they benefit the individual, not spirituality.

Sometimes people change their beliefs over time – how does Hare account for this? Are bliks permanent?