Religious language practice

Cognitive

True or false, e.g. God is real

Non cognitive

Feelings or opinions e.g. God loves us

Univocal

Same when God and human, e.g. God is good, a person is good

Equivocal

Words mean different things once applied to God, God is good =/= humans are good

Analytic

True by definition e.g. a triangle has 3 sides

Synthetic

True based on evidence e.g. God answers prayers

Realism

God exists independently of human minds religion true or false, e.g. even if no one believes God exists he does

Anti-realism

God depends on human perception, e.g. God exists only meaningful if Xtian

Apophatic via negativa

What God is not

Cataphatic via positiva

What God is

Dionysius view

Via negativa, God “neither under the predicate of nonbeing or being e.g. Moses burning bush I am who I am, even by name undefined Yahweh Elohim Hashem

What critiques Moses via negativa

Exodus reveals his mysterious name

3 states of Dionysius

1. Via negativa God beyond human body and knowledge

2. Via positiva Bible - limits of human understanding

3. God beyond human understanding

Maimonides

Via negativa, we only know God exists not his essence, negative directs us to truths

Mystical experiences and the via negativa

Just know that God is God beyond human language e.g. St Teresa of Avila

Brian Davis critique of Maimonides

No indication given of what God actually is, incarnate in Jesus

3 critiques of via negativa

1. Inge no picture of what God actually is

2. Logical positivists, metaphysical statements are meaningless as no way of disproving God is not human

3. Wittgenstein all religious language is meaningless we can never know God

Middle between Equivocal and Univocal

Analogy by Aquinas

Analogy by Aquinas

Though it is Equivocal we can use analogy to describe God best, we have reason and are imago Dei to know something about God

What are the two types of analogy

Attribution and Proportion

What is analogy of attribution and example please

When something is a way so we attribute it to something it’s caused

1. The bull is healthy

2. The urine of the bull is healthy

Analogy of proportion and example please

Examples in the world that are much less but still reflect God e.g. my mother loves me, God loves me

MacQuarrie on analogy

Not directly talking about God but gives positive content, not empty talk

Ross on analogy

Middle between univocal and equivocal

Weakness of analogy

God being creator does not men a special resemblance, e.g. chocolatier does not resemble chocolate

Ferré on analogy

Unlike maths where both terms are understood, we have no understanding of God to make the comparison meaningful e.g. God’s infinite nature vs Socrates finite nature

What is logical positivism

Reduction of human knowledge to logical and scientific foundations