Negative, Analogical or Symbolic Flashcards
What is the central problem regarding religious language for Christians?
The problem is that many Christians believe God is beyond human understanding, raising the question of how they can meaningfully talk about God. This leads to three main theories: Via Negativa, Aquinas’ theory of analogy, and Tillich’s symbolic language.
What does the Via Negativa theory assert about talking about God?
Via Negativa asserts that we cannot meaningfully say what God is; instead, we can only say what God is not. This approach avoids anthropomorphizing God and emphasizes that God is beyond human concepts and distinctions, highlighting the limitations of human language.
What is a strength and a counter-weakness of the Via Negativa theory?
Answer: Strength: It avoids attributing human characteristics to God, thus maintaining God’s transcendence.
Counter-Weakness: It conflicts with biblical texts that describe God in positive terms, such as “God is love” (1 John 4:8), suggesting that positive language may also be valid.
How does Aquinas suggest we can meaningfully talk about God?
Aquinas argues we can use analogical language, meaning we can describe God’s qualities in ways that are like human qualities but greater. For example, saying “God is loving” means God has a quality of love analogous to human love, but in a greater proportion.
What is a major criticism of Aquinas’ theory of analogy?
A criticism is that if God’s qualities are analogous to human qualities, this could imply that God also possesses negative qualities like greed or hatred. This raises questions about the nature of God’s goodness and attributes.
What is Tillich’s view on religious language?
Tillich claims that religious language is not literal but symbolic. It aims to connect individuals to God and their spiritual experiences, emphasizing the emotional and spiritual meaning rather than factual descriptions.
What is a strength of Tillich’s theory, and what is a key critique?
Answer: Strength: Tillich captures the significance of spiritual experiences in religious practice.
Critique: William Alston argues that important Christian doctrines, like heaven and hell, must be taken literally and cannot be reduced solely to symbolic meaning, suggesting that Tillich’s theory oversimplifies the role of religious language.
What are the three theories addressing the problem of religious language?
Via Negativa: We can only say what God is not: Pseudo-dionysius
Aquinas’ Analogy: We can say what God is like through analogical language.
Tillich’s Symbolism: Religious language is symbolic, connecting us to God and expressing spiritual experiences.
What does Aquinas’ Analogy of Attribution refer to in describing God?
The Analogy of Attribution suggests that we can meaningfully say that God has qualities that are analogous to human qualities, such as love or goodness. This means that when we attribute these qualities to God, we acknowledge that they exist in a greater, more perfect form in God than in humans.
How does Aquinas’ Analogy of Proportion differ from the Analogy of Attribution?
The Analogy of Proportion asserts that God’s qualities are not only analogous to ours but also infinitely greater. For example, while humans possess love, God’s love is proportionately greater and more perfect. This analogy emphasizes the vast qualitative difference between divine attributes and human attributes.
What criticisms have modern theologians posed against Aquinas’ use of analogy in religious language?
Modern theologians, such as Paul Tillich, argue that Aquinas’ analogical language can lead to a misunderstanding of God’s nature by overly anthropomorphizing divine attributes. Critics suggest that by comparing God’s qualities to human ones, we risk limiting God’s transcendence and mystery. They argue for a more symbolic or existential approach to understanding God, emphasizing that human language cannot adequately encapsulate divine realities, which may undermine the effectiveness of Aquinas’ analogies.
