Religious language: negative, analogical or symbolic Flashcards

1
Q

Define ‘agnosticism’

A

The view that there is insufficient evidence for God or the view that God cannot be known

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2
Q

Define ‘truth-claim’

A

A statement that asserts that something is factually true

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3
Q

Define ‘apophatic way’

A

(via negativa) a way of speaking about God and theological ideas using only terms of what God is not

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4
Q

Define ‘cataphatic way’

A

(via positiva) a way of speaking about God and theological ideas using only terms of what God is

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5
Q

Define ‘univocal language’

A

Words that have the same meaning despite being used in a variety of contexts

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6
Q

Define ‘equivocal language’

A

Words that have differing meanings in when used in different contexts

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7
Q

Define ‘analogy’

A

A comparison made between one thing and another to aid understanding

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8
Q

Define ‘symbol’

A

A word or representation used to stand for something else and to shed light on its meaning

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9
Q

What is religious language?

A

Any kind of language used in the context of religious discussion, behaviour and worship which could be specialist vocabulary or archaic liturgy

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10
Q

What do some say is the weakness of cataphatic language?

A

If people speak of God as a concept which we understand to be finite e.g. ‘judge’ or ‘father’ then we are constricting his infinite being and limiting his realm to be something we can associate with

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11
Q

Why do people believe even using compliments to describe God is wrong in the view of apophatic language?

A

Because even by saying God is love or good, we are relating them to our own concepts and understanding but if we say ‘infinite’ or ‘immortal’ then this distinguishes his superiority

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12
Q

Give an example of the application of apophatic language

A

Someone given 10m of fencing is told to make the largest area possible but the best answer is to make the smallest area possible and declare the rest of the world enclosed by the fence

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13
Q

Who was Psuedo-Dionysius?

A

A mystic Christian from the sixth century whose writing was influence by medieval Christianity

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14
Q

What did Psuedo-Dionysius believe?

A
  • Via Negativa is the only way to speak truthfully about God because he is beyond all comprehension
  • The soul needs to be unified with God by going beyond all sense perception and reality, this can be restricted by the mind’s need for complete understanding
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15
Q

Why did Psuedo-Dionysius believe it was counterproductive to speak of God as though he can be perceived by the senses?

A

It is only by recognising human limitations that spiritual progress can be made, people seeking God should dismiss logic and arguments and allow God to reach them in stillness

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16
Q

Describe the beliefs of Moses Maimonides

A

The best way to understand the nature of God is to explain what he is not through process of elimination to discover what he is without limiting his abilities and supreme

17
Q

How do buddhists use via negativa?

A

To convey the essence of the ultimate reality which cannot be described except as the negation of things we know from the physical world

18
Q

How did Aquinas describe God?

A

‘Via Eminentiae’ which means by way of eminence to show we only partially know what God is, our own love is partial and flawed but God’s love is the prime example of love

19
Q

How did Aquinas use language to describe God in Summa Theologica?

A

There could be a way of making positive claims about God but words we use are analogical and not literal e.g. God is not listening to prayers by means of physical ears it is analogical

20
Q

Why does Aquinas reject univocal language?

A

It makes God too small and does not convey his greatness and mystery, he also rejected equivocal language as this is useless

21
Q

Name the two analogies within Aquinas’ doctrine of analogical language

A

Analogy of attribution

Analogy of proportionality

22
Q

Describe the analogy of attribution

A

Where a casual relationship between two things is being described e.g. a bull’s urine is called healthy because it is caused by and can be attributed to the health of the bull

23
Q

How does Aquinas use the analogy of attribution to describe God?

A

God is not loving but instead is the cause of all love

24
Q

Describe the analogy of proportionality

A

Where words relate to objects that are different in proportion e.g. a clever toddler and a clever scientist are both smart within their respective age group/ field of study

25
Q

How does Aquinas use analogy of proportionality to describe God?

A

We can describe God as loving and just as long as we understand the depth of his love and justice are infinitely vaster than our own

26
Q

What was Ian Ramsey’s aim in his book ‘Religious Language’ 1957?

A

Explain the way religious language could describe God by using terms ‘models’ and ‘qualifiers’. Models are God’s description e.g. ‘righteous’ and qualifiers are to ensure his description is infinitely vaster than those applied to ourselves e.g. ‘everlasting’

27
Q

Give an example of symbolic religious language

A

God ‘listened’ to my prayers

28
Q

What was Tillich’s main aim in his life’s work?

A

To rediscover meaning in life post war believing Christian faith was a vital part of the rebuilding of society

29
Q

What was Tillich’s theology of correlation?

A

The correlation shown between questions asked in philosophy, the arts, the range of world religions, psychology and history answered by theology

30
Q

Why does Tillich believe that theology should be central to modern life and culture?

A

All the ‘big questions’ come down to making sense of what human life is which is the question theology can answer

31
Q

Why does Tillich believe that metaphors and symbols give a better understanding of God?

A
  • It cannot be subjected to tests for validity of meaning
  • “Open up levels of reality which were otherwise closed to us”
  • “Unlocks dimensions and elements of our soul”
  • The language is understandable but also highlights ultimate reality which is God
32
Q

Give a quote from Tillich defining symbols in his book ‘Dynamics of Faith’

A

“A symbol participates in that to which it points and a religious symbol points towards God, a person’s ultimate concern”

33
Q

Why does Tillich believe we made the symbol of God?

A

Help us come to terms with our place in the universe, our relationship with the natural world and our purpose in living

34
Q

Why does Tillich believe we made the symbol of Jesus Christ?

A

Unlock some of the mystery of the relation between the physical and spiritual world, our tendency to sin and our desire for freedom

35
Q

Why is Tillich critical of the traditional descriptions of God?

A

They depict him as a being which still places God in a category of all created things and therefore he could not be the ultimate source of being

36
Q

What does Tillich believe God is?

A

God is existence and the reason why everything exists