tilich's cataphatic way (symbolism)

  • using symbolism helps us to make positive claims about God while avoiding making Him seem too small coz of normal human language

  • religious ppl may use language symbolically when discussing relationships with God eg God ‘listened’ to their prayers, but God has no body n therefore can’t actually listen

paul tilich:

  • christian existentialist, part of movement to prove Christianity’s relevance in post-war society

  • thought that metaphors n symbols help us to understand God n religious experiences better » inc visual images, rituals, stories n ideas

  • language used is accessible to us but points beyond itself, towards ultimate reality ie God

  • he differentiates between signs n symbols » as long as meaning is agreed on, sign’s form doesn’t matter

  • symbols are something we can all participate in

    • eg a flag » humans participate in the feeling of unity, surrounding certain national flags

  • believed that God was ‘the ground of all being’

  • argued that symbols can change n die out due to culture

  • eg: in the past, Jewish people used to sacrifice lambs » Jesus seen as lamb of God, but meaning lost as time went on

theory of participation:

  • “a symbol participates in that which it points to, and a religious symbols points towards God” (tilich)

  1. they point to something beyond themselves

  2. they participate in that to which they point to

  3. they open up levels of reality usually closed to us

  4. they open up dimensions of the soul

  • “man’s ultimate concern must be expressed symbolically, because symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate.” (tilich)

proponents of tilich n symbolism:

  • JH randall:

    • “the cultural functions of religion and science are so different that it is difficult to see how,,,they can seriously compete. both functions are clearly indispensable.”

    • calls religious language symbolic n non-cognitive

    • argued that religious language does the following:

      • arouses emotion n makes ppl act

      • stimulates n inspires community action

      • allows someone to express experiences non-literally

      • clarifies our experience of God

critics of tilich n symbolism:

  • john hick:

    • called tilich’s idea of participating unclear

    • argued there is little difference between a symbol n sign

  • william alston:

    • argued that important Christian doctrines eg heaven n hell = factual not symbolic

    • claimed that “there is no point trying to determine whether the statement is true or false”

    • religion is concerned with objective factual things eg salvation n afterlife

    • ∴religious lang can’t merely be symbolic

  • paul edwards:

    • argued that symbols are meaningless as they can’t be verified or falsified thanks to subjectivity

    • “it doesn’t convey any facts.”