Religious Language
- Created by: Awesomelyevil
- Created on: 12-12-16 17:40
View mindmap
- Religious Language
- Language is about 'Communication' - Religious language is a means of communicating about religion. This can be within three contexts:
- To communicate religious experience to others and to explore and describe beliefs.
- To describe a religious experience
- The Liturgy (the formal act of Worship)
- Anthropomorphism
- The representation of something non-human in human terms. This can either be in physical terms (e.g. the Hand of God) or in metaphysical terms (through the attribution of attitudes and characteristics)
- Much Religious Language is metaphorical (i.e. “the application of name or description or phrase to an object or action which it is imaginatively but not literally.
- Aquinas said that Language about God is only metaphorical when words contain imperfections. Language is not metaphorical when perfections like love are ascribed to God.
- These words are ascribed most properly to God, and only derivatively to Man - Man is created in the image of God, so there is a resemblance between Man and God. Language created by and for Man can be “extrapolated” to God.
- Aquinas said that Language about God is only metaphorical when words contain imperfections. Language is not metaphorical when perfections like love are ascribed to God.
- Much Religious Language is metaphorical (i.e. “the application of name or description or phrase to an object or action which it is imaginatively but not literally.
- The representation of something non-human in human terms. This can either be in physical terms (e.g. the Hand of God) or in metaphysical terms (through the attribution of attitudes and characteristics)
- Liturgy
- Language in Liturgy is a specific application of Religious Language.
- Liturgical language is a particular type of language use to express responses to religious experiences, and which also can contribute to the religious experience itself. For many, their religious life is rooted in their liturgy and worship, and it is through the liturgy that they express their faith
- i.e. Latin High Mass, and the Russian Orthodox Liturgy, provide an act of worship that contributes to all five senses
- the smell (the incense again),
- sound (the Latin chanting, the music and so on)
- the taste (the sacrament)
- there is sight (the sheer spectacle, with the incense, vestments and choreography
- the touch.
- i.e. Latin High Mass, and the Russian Orthodox Liturgy, provide an act of worship that contributes to all five senses
- Liturgical language is a particular type of language use to express responses to religious experiences, and which also can contribute to the religious experience itself. For many, their religious life is rooted in their liturgy and worship, and it is through the liturgy that they express their faith
- Language in Liturgy is a specific application of Religious Language.
- Analogy
- Different to metaphor language can be:
- 2.Equivocal - a word is used with different meanings in “A” and “B” - e.g. the cricket bat, and the fruit bat
- 3.Analogical - where language is neither equivocal or univocal, it can be analogical
- A faithful god
- here is a quality that corresponds to the human quality - this is “downward” analogy - there can also be “upward analogy”
- Aquinas stated that God is unknowable, but we can “point” to God.
- here is a quality that corresponds to the human quality - this is “downward” analogy - there can also be “upward analogy”
- A faithful man
- here is a quality that corresponds to the human quality - this is “downward” analogy - there can also be “upward analogy”
- Aquinas stated that God is unknowable, but we can “point” to God.
- here is a quality that corresponds to the human quality - this is “downward” analogy - there can also be “upward analogy”
- A faithful god
- 1.Univocal - a word is used to describe “A” and “B” in exactly the same way e.g. The car is fast, and the cheetah is fast.
- Different to metaphor language can be:
- Non Cognitive
- Cognative language is either true or false - 2+2=4 Some statements don’t set out to be either true or false - we don’t approach poetry seeking scientific fact.
- Revelation
- Karl Barth (a Swiss Protestant theologian) proposed that it is only God’s gracious gift of faith that makes religious knowledge possible. God is therefore only knowable, and expressible, within a personal response of faith and commitment.
- Symbolic
- Paul Tillich proposed that there is a distinction between sign and symbol. Both point towards something beyond themselves.
- Symbol = “participates in that to which it points” e.g. a National Flag
- Sign = that to which it points by convention. e.g. a Red Light at a junction
- Symbols are not “by convention”, and they can have a “sell by date” after which they become redundant.
- Religious faith is expressed in symbolic language - it points beyond itself while participating in that to which it points.
- Paul Tillich proposed that there is a distinction between sign and symbol. Both point towards something beyond themselves.
- Scholars
- R.B. Braithwaite
- Religious Statements have an ethical function. Religious Statements recommend a commitment to a way of life - cf. Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
- J.H. Randall
- Religion makes a contribution to humanity, like science, art & culture. Religion is a symbol or myth. Religious symbols, among with social or artistic symbols, are non-representative and non-cognitive.
- Such non-cognative symbols represent not some external thing that can be indicated apart from their operation, but their function:1
- 3. Communicate qualities of experience not normally
- 2. arouse co-operative action, binding communities together expressible
- 4. Clarify Man’s experience of the Divine.
- 1. Arousing emotion, causing action
- Such non-cognative symbols represent not some external thing that can be indicated apart from their operation, but their function:1
- Religion makes a contribution to humanity, like science, art & culture. Religion is a symbol or myth. Religious symbols, among with social or artistic symbols, are non-representative and non-cognitive.
- R.B. Braithwaite
- Language is about 'Communication' - Religious language is a means of communicating about religion. This can be within three contexts:
Comments
No comments have yet been made