3.2.5 Religious Language

• What do different approaches to religious language aim to address?

  Difficulties in capturing the divine
• Match the approach to religious language with its description:

  Analogical ↔️ Uses analogies and metaphors to describe God

  Symbolic ↔️ Sees religious language as symbolic

  Non-cognitive ↔️ Religious claims are not truth-apt
• Why is religious language significant for believers?

  Expressing religious beliefs
• One strength of the cognitive theory is that it provides a way to rationally engage with and assess religious beliefs
• The cognitive theory can conflict with the view of God as beyond human understanding.

  True
• The non-cognitive theory of religious language argues that religious claims are not truth-apt.
• The symbolic approach to religious language interprets words as pointing to deeper spiritual truths.

  True
• The non-cognitive theory suggests religious language expresses believers' religious experiences.
• Arrange the functions of symbols and metaphors in religious language in the correct order:

  1️⃣ Communicate abstract ideas

  2️⃣ Enrich understanding

  3️⃣ Aid spiritual experiences
• What does the symbolic approach to religious language emphasize?

  Deeper spiritual truths
• What is the main emphasis of the non-cognitive theory of religious language?

  Expressive and emotive function
• Metaphors convey meaning through figurative language.


  True
• What is a strength of using symbols and metaphors in religious language?

  Enhance understanding
• One perspective on religious truth is literal interpretation, which treats scriptures as factually accurate
• Religious language aims to communicate spiritual truths and experiences
• God is often considered to be transcendent, infinite, and beyond human understanding.


  True
• The non-cognitive approach argues that religious claims cannot be evaluated as true or false.


  True
• The analogical approach uses analogies and metaphors to describe God, acknowledging the limitations of language
• Religious language is significant because it allows believers to express and communicate their religious beliefs.


  True
• What is one limitation of the cognitive theory of religious language?

  Verifying claims about God
• Religious language faces challenges because God is often considered to be transcendent and infinite
• Match the approach to religious language with its description:

  Analogical ↔️ Uses analogies and metaphors

  Symbolic ↔️ Sees religious language as symbolic

  Non-cognitive ↔️ Religious claims are not truth-apt
• The cognitive theory provides a way to rationally engage with and assess religious beliefs.
• What do metaphors compare in religious language to enhance understanding?

  Two different entities
• What does religious language refer to?

  God and religious concepts
• Why is religious language significant in religious belief?

  Express and communicate beliefs
• What do symbols and metaphors help communicate in religious language?

  Complex religious ideas
• What is one function of symbols and metaphors in religious language?

  Communicating abstract ideas
• The meanings of symbols and metaphors vary across different religions and cultures.


  True
• What is the primary purpose of secular language?

  Describe empirical facts
• Why is the interaction between religious and secular language challenging?

  Different underlying assumptions
• Religious language refers to the language used to describe or refer to God or other religious concepts.concepts
• The analogical approach uses analogies and metaphors to describe God, acknowledging the limitations of language
• What is one limitation of using ordinary language to describe God?

  God is transcendent
• Order the aims of the different approaches to religious language:

  1️⃣ Capture the nature of the divine

  2️⃣ Express religious beliefs

  3️⃣ Enhance religious experiences
• The cognitive theory struggles with verifying claims about the transcendent nature of God.

  True
• How does the cognitive theory make religious language meaningful?

  Treats it as factual
• The cognitive theory allows religious language to have cognitive meaning beyond symbolic or emotive expression.


  True
• Place the following steps in the cognitive theory's view of religious language in the correct order:

  1️⃣ Religious claims are truth-apt

  2️⃣ Claims are assessed through reason

  3️⃣ Claims are considered factual
• The cognitive theory can verify all claims about God's transcendent nature.

  False