Religious language 2-non cognitive Flashcards
(34 cards)
Who advocates for religious language as a symbol
John Randall and Paul Tillich
What is the difference between a symbol and a sign, according to Tillich
A sign merely points to something
A symbol both points to a partakes, or participates in it
What was John Randall’s book called
The Role of Knowledge in Western Religions
What did Randall conclude about the nature of religious thought
It is non-cognitive, and has very little to do with knowledge at all
Therefore, can cooperate with religion (McGrath POMA)
What do Randall, and Tillich, say about all religious language
It is symbolic in nature
Coherence vs Correspondance theory of truth, annd which one did Randall believe in
Coherence-Regards the consistency of an internal set of beliefs
Correspondence-Regards the relation of beliefs to reality
Randall had a coherence view of truth
What 4 functions of the symbol did Randall outline
Motivation-Flags, symbols inspire war, hatred, passion, and commitment
Cooperation-They can unite and cause group activity-Physically, such as flags or logos, or intellectually such as “states” or “liberty”, which people join underneath
Communication-Symbols express feelings people cant define in words(non-cognitive), emotional and go beyond knowledge
Revelation-Exclusive to religious symbols-they disclose or reveal something about the world
What is Tillichs word for God
The Ultimate
What is Tillich best known for in theology
His theory of correlation, which aimed to show a link between questions raised in philosophy, art, psychology and history and the answers provided by Christian theology.
Aimed to correlate faith with culture
What does Tillich say Symbols do
They take us beyond the empirical world and open new levels of reality to us, that were previously closed.
Why does Tillich state that using ordinary human language is unhelpful for god
Following Aquinas, he states that human language and understanding is inadequate to convey meaning about god
What 6 characteristics of symbols does TIllich identify
- Symbols point beyond themselves to something else(same as signs)
2.Symbols participate in the reality to which they point
3.Symbols open up a new layer of reality
4.In opening up new layers of reality, they open up corresponding dimensions of the soul - Symbols cannot be produced intentionally, but grow out of the collective unconsciousness
6.Symbols grow and die like living beings-Gives the example of kingship, which used to be extremely influential, but no longer
What 2 characteristics of signs does TIllich identify
A sign is arbitrary and can be replaced-A no entry sign could be replaced with a cross
Signs do not have a relationship with what they point to
What was Tillichs view on religious experience
It is suubjective (two people can have the same experience and it be religious for just one)
it is an experience of “being-itself”, what tillich calls the ultimate
What does Tillich say of the nature of god
He is the Ultimate-Not a being himself but the ultimate source of all being. He is not in the same category
People are concerned with superficial things-money power etc which Tillich terms the penultimate
Does Tillich believe in free will
Yes-Seeing God as the basis, rather than the authority, of our lives, changes our view from the predetermined dead end
What are the challenges to Paul Tillichs view on symbols by Paul Edwards
He argues that Tillich uses symbolic language to explain symbols-Tillich says they cannot be explained using univocal language, but Edwards then says that his claim about Symbols pointing anywhere is meaningless, as it is also done in symbolic language
What are William Alstons criticisms of Paul Tillich
He says Tillich uses sign and symbol confusingly in relation to their mathematical counterparts, though this did not originate with Tillich
He also says much of the content of religious language has been removed, such as heaven or hell and removes the possibility of fact e.g. saying jesus died on the cross is not meant to be symbolic
What is John Hick’s criticism of Tillich
Tillich over-emphasises the aesthetic nature of the symbol, making it very subjective and open to any interpretation, suggesting that there is no factual basis in religious claims
How does Tillich say we need to distinguish between genuine and idolatrous symbols
he does not specify
What is it said that John Randall focuses too much on
The human side of religion-his ideas bare little relation to theology, and focuses on the human constructs
this discounts the ontological nature of religion-what is real
What is a myth
A multi-layered traditional story containing symbolism
It is used to convery important truths in a non-cognitive way
Why is Mircea Eliades work less popular now
He was a fascist
What does Eliade argue about myth
They all have underlying structures which illustrate fundamentals of the human consciousness
