Religious Language

Question 1

Why is religious language a debate?

Answer 1

Its the question of how words can be used to adequately express ideas about God.

Question 2

Apophatic way

Answer 2

Via negativa

Question 3

Cataphatic way

Answer 3

Via positiva

Question 4

What are cognitive statements

Answer 4

Statements about god that can be known to be either true or false

Question 5

What are non cognitive statements

Answer 5

Statements about God that are not subject to truth or falsity

Question 6

What does univocal mean

Answer 6

The idea that words have the same meanings at all times

Question 7

What does equivocal mean

Answer 7

The idea that the same word is used with two different meanings

Question 8

What does the apophatic way claim is the way to speak about God

Answer 8

We can only speak negative statements about God - So basically what God isn’t

Question 9

Why may the apophatic way be appropriate

Answer 9

Attempting to make positive statements about God would be to risk an anthropomorphic idea of God.

Question 10

Who believes in the apophatic way

Answer 10

Pseudo-Dionysius believed that God was beyond human description

Moses Maimonides, (but the only positive statement is that he exists)

Question 11

What are some strengths of the apophatic way

Answer 11

Any language used in the apophatic way prevents anthropomorphic representations of God

Apophatic way is more respectful towards God as it recognises him above humans

Links with religious experiences being ineffable and unable to describe

Question 12

What are some weaknesses of the apophatic way

Answer 12

It still mostly limits knowledge of God

It opposes scriptures which speak about God with human words

Its difficult to speak to a non believer about God in this way

W.R. Inge argues that denying description of God leads to the annihilation of God

Question 13

What is the cataphatic way

Answer 13

Argues that positive statements can be made by God

Question 14

What does Aquinas believe about the cataphatic way

Answer 14

That the language applied to God is not literal but analogical.

Question 15

What are Aquinas’ two analogies

Answer 15

Analogy of attribution: The words we apply to human beings are related to God because there’s a casual relationship between the two. ‘if the urine is good, the bull is good!’ (as the bull is the cause of the urine

Analogy of proper proportion: When we say human ‘good’ we are speaking about a finite being, if we say God is good were speaking about an infinite being. The proportion just grows. ‘child is good at football, England player is good at football’

Question 16

What does John Hick say on Aquinas’ analogy’s

Answer 16

A dogs faithfulness may be seen as small or limited compared to humans, our faithfulness may be seen as small or limited compared to God, it is still however faithfulness

Question 17

What are the strengths of the cataphatic way

Answer 17

It is not univocal so it avoids anthropomorphising God, it is not equivocal so it avoids agnosticism.

Helps us describe God in the same way Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God with parables

Question 18

What is agnosticism

Answer 18

Gods nature and existence cannot be known

Question 19

What are the weaknesses of the cataphatic way

Answer 19

The analogy does allow for interpretation which may cause different understandings of God

The meanings of words change over time, can it really be used?

How far can we stretch the meaning of ‘love’ when comparing human love and God love

Question 20

What is Tillich’s difference between signs and symbols

Answer 20

A sign just points to something

A symbol participates in something it points at with greater meaning

Question 21

What does Tillich believe on symbolic language and art

Answer 21

1. We cannot speak literally of God, God isn’t part of the empirical world and cannot be represented by empirical language
2. The words we use to describe God cannot be random or inverted
3. Symbols may be limited, the Hindu symbol had lost its meaning, and words can change
4. Symbols open up hidden levels of reality that would otherwise be closed towards us.

Question 22

What are the strengths of symbolic language

Answer 22

It preserves transcendence and the mystery of God in a way that language does not.

The fact that symbolic language changes is good as the symbol may need to change to remain relevant in the changing world

Question 23

What are the weaknesses of symbolic language

Answer 23

Symbols do not produce any knowledge about God, it may be fully down to interpretation

Ideas of God may change over time as symbols and language changes over time

A symbol does not weaken or strengthen the thing its pointing towards