Religious language: symbol
- Created by: harvey.cart
- Created on: 30-10-19 21:15
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- Religious language: symbol
- Key ideas (Paul Tillich)
- - Religious language is symbolic, not literal. - Tillich said that symbols are different to signs as they participate in thing which they represent whereas signs give information (e.g. a flag - unity.) - Symbols help us to describe something which cannot be understood through words. -Symbols evoke meaning in our lives. -Cognitive
- Religious terms such as 'love' are both 'affirmed and negated' by the reality that is God. Affirmed as God really is love but, negated as the term is inadequate as a description of God. To see the symbol as participating in God is also to know the limitations as non-literal.
- J. Randall agrees with symbolism but says it is non-cognitive (doesn't make truth claim). Religious language arouses emotion and makes people act, inspires community action, allows someone to express experiences non-literally and clarifies experience of God. God is an 'intellectual symbol' as he exists only in the mind of the believer.
- Symbols do four things: - point to something beyond themselves - participate in what they point to - open up new levels of previously closed reality - open dimensions of the soul
- Strengths
- Carl Jung: symbols as innate archetypes. They are never far from our animal psyche and have appeared throughout history. Certain archetypes of human experience, which derive from the unconscious mind, reveal themselves in the universal symbols of dreams and religion.
- Symbols have strong effects on beliebers. Often a deeper impact than words - they impact lives and behaviours (e.g. wedding rings as reminder of vows).
- Being open to interpretation can be a good thing as can sustain various views in religion.
- Weaknesses
- May give incorrect insights about ultimate reality as based on the world.
- Paul Edwards argues that symbols do not convey factual knowledge so are meaningless. Hick says they are subjective. Tillich seems to argue that symbols are only really meant to be emotive.
- Key ideas (Paul Tillich)
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