Symbol

Question 1

Symbol

Answer 1

Religious language is symbolic, a word is used to convey a different, deeper meaning about something which is different to the meaning of the word, for example black is a symbol of evil and darkness, symbols can be used to convey ideas about God.

-Symbols can help us understand the deeper meaning behind something

-The meaning of religious language is deeper than the definition of the words, they are used to symbolise a deeper truth about God.

Question 2

Paul Tillich

Answer 2

Tillich believed that there are levels of reality beyond
the empirical, and that these can partly be understood through
symbolic language.

-God is beyond emperical so we cannot understand him through ordinary language

-The symbol of Jesus as a lamb can help us understand the purpose of his being and death showing how religious language can be used symbolically to convey deeper hidden truths.

-Symbol opens us up to a deeper reality and to hidden truths in the same way art etc does

Question 3

Where do symbols come from

Answer 3

-The collective unconscious which has some understanding of God

Question 4

Strengths of symbol

Answer 4

+Maintains gods transcendence and mystery whilst also giving us some knowledge of him-acknowledge human understanding is limited-useful understanding

Question 5

Limitations of symbol

Answer 5

-Logic positivism, non cognitive, cannot be empirically verified thus meaningless

-Based on subjective interpretation which differs-no way to verify or know if interpretations are correct-possible they aren’t as human knowledge is limited-cannot objectively know if our interpretation of religious language is true thus lacks meaning

-Aquinas, religious language is analogical not symbolic, we can understand God through analogy, Gods attributes can be reflected in creation and known through observation-avoids issues with equivocal language