Religious language

Question 1

Apophatic way, via negativa

Answer 1

involves speaking of God in negative terms

Question 2

Pseudo Dionysus

Answer 2

God is beyond understanding, only way to speak meaningfully about God is through the via negativa, negation

Question 3

Moses Maimonides

Answer 3

Via negativa only way of not limiting God with human terms

Question 4

Brian Davies criticises Maimonides

Answer 4

gives no indication of what God is, no understanding of God

Question 5

Via negativa AO3

Answer 5

part of human nature to question we cannot simply accept that God remains a mystery, bible describes God in positive terms ‘God is love’, no real understanding of God

Question 6

Univocal and equivocal language

Answer 6

equivocal language, words have several meanings

Question 7

Brian Davies supports Aquinas

Answer 7

‘the bread is good, the baker is good’

Question 8

Analogy of attribution

Answer 8

Example of a bull’s urine is healthy because it is caused by and can be attributed to the health of the bull. Human qualities such as love, wisdom, power, faithfulness are reflections of God’s qualities, god is good and so his creation is good

Question 9

Analogy of proportion

Answer 9

Objects that are different in proportion, God is certain qualities such as ‘loving’ and ‘faithful’ on a bigger scale compared to his creation

Question 10

Ian Ramsey supports analogy of proportion

Answer 10

Models and Qualifiers, to not limit God these qualities we are able to understand need qualifiers such as ‘perfectly’ and ‘everlasting’

Question 11

Hare

Answer 11

Suggested that when people use religious language they should be used as expressions of a personal blik

Question 12

Blik’s

Answer 12

expressions of personal attitudes

Question 13

Parable of a lunatic

Answer 13

believed his teachers at uni are trying to kill him, his own ‘blik’

Question 14

Wittgenstein on language games

Answer 14

‘whereof one cannot speak thereof one must remain silent’

Question 15

Language games

Answer 15

words meaning determined by the language game words are part of

Question 16

Analytical statements

Answer 16

true or false

Question 17

John Hick

Answer 17

eschatological verification, celestial city story

Question 18

Anthony Flew

Answer 18

Falsification, parable of the gardener

Question 19

Paul Tillich Symbol

Answer 19

All of our most important ideas and feelings are expressed through symbol, literal language is unhelpful, point beyond themselves and participate in what they point towards e.g national flag

Question 20

Paul Tillich on symbol

Answer 20

‘symbols open up levels of reality that were otherwise closed to us’