Religious Language as Non-Cognitive and Symbolic

Question 1

What is symbolic language?

Answer 1

They have a deeper meaning and they are physical things which represent the non physical in some way, eg. a dove represents peace.

Question 2

Tillich

Answer 2

Believes that religious language is best understood as symbolic rather than literal. A sign is something that identifies something in the real world but doesn’t have no real association/connection with the thing they represent (traffic lights).

Question 3

Tillich- symbols

Answer 3

A symbol identifies and is actually involved in some way with what it represents. (American flag- stripes/stars= 52 states and it is closely associated with the country).
Tillich argues this is because the symbol begins to participate or share in the reality of the thing it represents, this is a higher level of reality than the simple language of signs.

Question 4

Religious language as symbolic

Answer 4

Tillich- “the language of faith is the language of symbols” and “it points beyond itself whilst participating in that to which it points.” An example, “Jesus is the lamb of God”- symbolic, lamb= sacrifice/son, this is also linked to the old testament when lambs were used to seal the covenant (promise between God and humans), therefore Jesus creating the new covenant.

Question 5

Other christian symbols

Answer 5

The last supper- bread and wine- body and blood. These symbols help Christians to understand God better as they help us to relate to aspects of the world that can’t be reached in other ways.

Question 6

Ultimate concern

Answer 6

Tillich refers to God as which concerns us ultimately. Its what we need to know but can’t so we have faith to believe there’s an answer, meaning it’s only possible to express religious ideas through symbolic language.

Question 7

Randall’s functions of symbols

Answer 7

Motivational- to fire up emotions and move people.
Social- brings people together.
Communication- communicate spiritual nature of faith that can’t be captured in literal language.
Clarification of the divine- give us a vision of God.

Question 8

Analysis of Randall

Answer 8

Randall say that God is part of the functioning of our society and mentality and religion serves the 4 functions meaning it’s meaningful in a non cognitive way.

Question 9

Analysis of Tillich and Randall

Answer 9

Both offer a way for religious language to be meaningful in a non cognitive way, which offers a solution to the problems of religious language.
Tillich’s idea of participation is a vague concept/hard to explain, what does it mean? How can it share the power?
Tillich argues back- a flag used at a war demo brings the same emotions from everyone thinking about the country it represents. (Only works with certain facts)

Question 10

Further problems

Answer 10

Symbolic language suggests it’s claims are not literally true.
Symbols have a limited lifespan, a few generations later and the language may not be seen as symbolic as they don’t see the connections. (Potter in Jeremiah)