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RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE Flashcards

(42 cards)

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1
Q

What is Via Negativa also known as

A

The Apophatic way

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2
Q

What is Via Negativa

A

A way of speaking of God using only negatives to emphasise the differences between God and humanity

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3
Q

VIA NEGATIVA

What is problematic about speaking about God in positive terms

A

As soon as we try and speak about God in positive terms + suggest God has attributes we recognise from physical world we start making inaccurate statement that damage our understanding

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4
Q

VIA NEGATIVA

Example of speaking about God in positive terms

A
  • ‘God is love’- we start thinking of human love with all its flaws and jealousies
  • speaking of god like this ends up belittling him and leads to us imagining that our reason is capable of understanding divine creation- misleading, should be avoided
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5
Q

What do people who support via negativa believe

A

It is better to accept mysteries of God then to try and pin God down using flawed concepts

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6
Q

Who was Pseudo-Dionysius

A

6th Century Theologian, Philosopher and Christian Mystic

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7
Q

What did Pseudo-Dionysius argue

A
  • Via negativia is only way to speak truthfully about God because he’s beyond all understanding and imagination
  • BASICALLY: don’t try to intellectually grasp God because it is counter productive
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8
Q

How does Pseudo-Dionysius link to Plato

A
  • Wrote about the need for the soul to become united with God
  • For this to happen, it needs to go beyond the realms of sense perception and rationality and enter obscurity- ‘a cloud of unknowing’
  • From this cloud of unknowing, God can be appreciated
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9
Q

What does Pseudo-Dionysius suggest people who geniunely want to seek God do?

A
  • They need to accept God will remain a mystery and put away their need to know everything and allow God to speak to them
  • If they don’t, their idea of God will be too small and get in the way of spiritual connection
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10
Q

Moses Maimonides’ view on Via Negativa

A
  • Believed the best way to convey an accurate understanding of nature of God was to explain what God is not
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11
Q

Moses Maimonides’ example of the ship

A
  • Someone who knows that something called a ‘ship’ exists but doesn’t know exactly what it applies to
  • By finding out what it isn’t (plant, mineral, sphere), they get closer to knowing what a ship is
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12
Q

Moses Maimonides’ judgement

A

Through negative attributes, we come nearer to knowledge and comprehension of God without limiting him in our thoughts

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13
Q

Buddhism

A
  • In Buddhist texts, via negativa used in an attempt to convey central beliefs: nature of Nirvana and nature of Buddha are concepts notoriously difficult to describe
  • Buddhists don’t believe in God but still use the via negativa to try and convey the essence of ultmate reality which cannot be defined except as negation of things we know from the physical world 7
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14
Q

Strength of Pseudo-Dionysius

A

It is fair to assumed God is beyond our intellectual activity to understand

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15
Q

4 strengths of Via Negativa

A
  • Useful for those who already believe as a reminder to not belittle God
  • Can be seen as a means by which we can say something about God which doesn’t need interpretation
  • Can be applied well in different cultures by not using figurative lang, we can say things that are understandable for many
  • Doesn’t place a limit on God by giving a point of reference that is within the physical world
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16
Q

General weakness of Via Negativa

A

If we speak of God only in negative terms, not very easy for those who don’t know God to know what we mean

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17
Q

Brain Davies’ criticism of Maimonides

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A
  • ‘An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion’
  • “Only saying what something is not gives no indication of what it actually is” - Maimonides goes too far
18
Q

Anthony Flew’s criticism of Pseudo-Dionysius

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A
  • We argue God out of existence by a ‘thousand qualifications’
  • By saying he’s invisible or soundless etc, there is v little difference between defining God and defining nothingness- ends up with a God that has no content
19
Q

Univocal Language

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A

Langauge meaning exactly the same thing in all situations

20
Q

Equivocal Language

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A

Language meaning diff things in diff situations

21
Q

Problem with Univocal Language

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A

Saying something like a food was good means something different from saying ‘God is good’ since God is perfect and infinite

22
Q

Problem with Equivocal Language

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A

If we say ‘God is good’ means something completely diff to any other good, then God would be unintelligible

23
Q

Analogy

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A

An attempt to explain the meaning of something by comparison with an example more familiar to us

24
Q

Example of Analogy

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A

Paley’s watchmaker: God’s design of universe is analogous to Watchmaker’s design of watch

25
St Thomas Aquinas
- Argued we cannot say anything positive that is literally true about God because ordinary human language automatically limits God - Suggests the words we use have analogical application - Thought analogy would be good compromise as we can say broadly what God is rather than limiting him- gives us partial but justifiable knowledge of God
26
Aquinas thought there were 2 main types of analogical lang. what are they?
- Analogy of Attribution - Analogy of Proportionality
27
Analogy of Attribution (4)
- Where there is a causal relationship between the two things being described - Aquinas thought it was important to use AOA when talking of God - When we speak of God as lobing, we should think about causal relationship- God doesn't only display love, he's the cause of all love - Everything is good/wise/loving bc it participates in essence of God
28
Analogy of Proportionality
- Where the words relate to objects that are different in proportion - In religious terms. Aquinas thought we can use terms such as loving and faithful when we speak of God but we have to recognise God's love
29
Hick + Analogy of Proportionality
- Humans possess God's qualities because we are created in his image - Yet because God is perfect, we have his qualities in a lesser proportion
30
What example does Hick use for his explanation of Analogy of Proportionality
- Example of dogs and humans - Humans can be faithful to each other in speech and behaviour - Dogs can be faithful but not in same way - Yet there has to be a reasonable similarity otherwise we wouldn't recognise it as faithful
31
Strengths of Aquinas' analogical language
- Supports awe + mystery of God - When Jesus was teaching, he often used analogy to communicate a message- mustard seed (God's kingdom's ability to grow), lost sheep (people who habe fallen away from God's teachings), Good Samaritan (neighbourliness)
32
Weaknesses of Aquinas' analogical language: Darwin's theory of evolution and Dawkins
Challenge his claims about proportional analogy since we may dispute whether humans really were created in the image and likeness of God
33
Weaknesses of Aquinas' analogical language: Swinburne
- Criticises Aquinas for producing an unnecessary theory - Claims we can speak of God + humans as 'good' univocally it is just God is + humans possess goodness in different ways
34
General weaknesses of Aquinas' analogical language
- Is evil in our world also an analogy to God- might make a perfectly good God impossible - From standpoint of verification, analogy can be criticised since the object we are drawing an analogy to (God) cannot be verified
35
Paul Tillich and Symbolic Lang
- Known for his theology of correlation- wanted to show correlation between faith and culture - Thought one of main ways these could correlate was by means of symbol
36
What is Paul Tillich's text
Systematic Theology
37
What explanation does Tillich provide for symbols and metaphors helping our understanding of God
- They help us develop a better understanding of God because they 'open up levels of reality which were otherwise closed to us'
38
What is important to remember about symbols
- Symbols ARE NOT signs - Both of these point to something else but only symbols participate in what they point to
39
4 key features of symbols
- They point to something beyond themselves - They participate in that which they point - They open up levels of reality which otherwise are closed to us - They open up dimensions of the soul which correspond to those aspects of reality
40
Strengths of Tillich
- Symbol can be very powerful in religious language - Open to interpretation- can mean diff things to diff people at diff stages in their life- creates deeper understanding - Biblical evidence of symbolic language- Psalm 23:1, Lord is my shepherd
41
Hick's Criticism of Tillich
- Tillich over-emphasises aesthetic, artistic nature of religious symbol, makes it appear too subjective and open to intepretation- more of an emotional response rather than a way of conveying knowledge
42
William Alston's Criticism of Tillich
- Symbolism means that there is no point trying to determine whether the statement is true or false - Since Tillich's symbols aren't literally true, Alston feels they could have no meaningful impact on us

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