SYMBOL AND ANALOGY

Religious Language

Discussion

According to the theories we’ve looked at so far, what problems are there with interpreting religious language literally?

Symbols

What do these symbols mean to religious people? Height

Light

Water

Symbol

A symbol is something that stands for something else

A symbol evokes the experience it tries to describe

Tillich argues that religious language is symbolic

He argues that religious language is more like poetry than prose

Booklets, p.13

Non-literal truth

Symbols express a truth that cannot be stated literally

This is similar to the way that we can never exhaust the meaning of a poem by translating it into literal language

The symbol expresses something that cannot be fully captured in literal language

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

What symbols are used in this Psalm?

What do you think they mean?

Key points

Explain the significance / meaning of: Symbols and community

Transcendence and immanence

The difference between symbols and signs

New levels of reality

The collective unconscious

God as the ground of beingBooklets, p.13-14

Viewing religious language as symbolic

Strengths Weaknesses

Analogy

‘A comparison of two or more things in terms of their likeness, in a way that also recognises their differences’ (Owen)

Introduction – p.19

Aquinas(Aristotle)

God is wholly simple, timeless

and spaceless

God is pure actuality

The problem Aquinas addresses

with his ideas on analogy

Five key analogies

Religious texts claim that God is: A father

A lion

A warrior

A master

A husband

Task – 10 minutes

e.g. a father

List all the qualities a father possesses

Which of these qualities

should be applied to God?

How do you know which qualities are relevant to

God?

Religious Language

Quiz

Task – 30 minutes

Complete the questions on the handout reviewing our previous learning about symbol and analogy

Extension task: Read the additional handout and make notes

about the differences between symbol and analogy

Which theory (symbol or analogy) helps us express human understanding of God more successfully?

Key terms

Analogy

Univocal language

Equivocal language

Analogical language

Analogy of attribution

Analogy of proportion

Upwards and downwards analogies

Qualifiers and models

Univocal or equivocal?

The man is tall The building is tall

The ball is blue The curtains are blue

He hit the ball with a bat The bat flew around the room

The team enjoyed playing cricket He accidentally stepped on a cricket

Viewing religious language as analogy

Strengths Weaknesses

Symbol and Analogy

Both symbol and analogy look at religious language in a non-literal way.

How are they different?

Which theory helps us express human understanding of God more successfully?

Homework

Critically compare the use of symbol with the use of analogy to express human understanding of God (35 marks) Introduce the idea of looking at religious language

in a non-literal way Explain Tillich’s ideas about symbol Evaluate them Explain Aquinas’ ideas about analogy Evaluate them Assess which view is stronger / more convincing

and explain why you think this is the case