4.1 Analogy and Symbol

• What is a significant issue with religious language?

  Ambiguity in meaning can undermine the traditions and faith of the religion.
• What does the phrase 'God loves us' imply about the nature of God's love?

  It raises questions about the meaning of 'love' if God is not an empirical object.
• How do some people resolve the ambiguity in religious language?

  They argue that language can only talk indirectly about God.
• What are the three possibilities regarding the meaning of 'God's love'?

  1. God's love is the same as ours (univocal). 2. God's love is different from ours (equivocal). 3. Human language applied to God is meaningless.
• What is anthropomorphism?

  Assigning human characteristics to something non-human, like animals or God.
• What is the concept of 'via negativa'?

  No finite concepts or attributes can be adequately used of God, only negative terms.
• What does univocal language imply about God?

  It reduces God to the human level, which is anthropocentric.
• Why is it difficult to consider religious language as univocal?

  Because 'God loves us' cannot be observed or tested like normal facts.
• What is the equivocal view of religious language?

  It suggests that if a word is ambiguous, it does not help us comprehend God.
• How does the 'via negativa' relate to understanding God?

  It holds that God can be known but not adequately described.
• What does the 'via negativa' imply about language and God?

  It suggests that language about God is of limited worth and defines God.
• What is the main characteristic of the Eastern Orthodox tradition regarding God?

  It emphasizes that all we can say about God is what He is not.
• What is the analogy of attribution?

  It describes how the same quality can be used to describe two different things, like 'good' for a baker and their bread.
• What was Aquinas' proposal regarding language about God?

  He proposed that language about God is analogical, indirectly related to other types of language.
• How does the analogy of proportion work?

  It allows for upward and downward analogies between different levels of love, such as from human love to God's love.
• What is a criticism of the analogy of attribution?

  It can be used to argue that God is bad by suggesting He has the qualities that produce badness in humans.
• How does Aquinas address the criticism of analogy of attribution regarding badness?

  He argues that badness is not a thing in itself but the privation of good.
• What assumption does Aquinas make about humans and God?

  He assumes that humans were created 'in the likeness of God' as stated in Genesis.
• What is Swinburne's contribution to the discussion of analogy?

  He uses the wave/particle duality of light to explain analogy in relation to God.
• How does Swinburne suggest we can stretch the meaning of words when applied to God?

  By showing that words like 'person' and 'knows' can retain contact with their original meanings.
• What is Tillich's view on symbols?

  Symbols open up the soul to hidden levels of reality that cannot be grasped in any other way.
• How does Tillich differentiate between signs and symbols?

  Signs are arbitrary representations, while symbols participate in the reality to which they point.
• What does Tillich say about the impact of religious symbolism?

  It cannot be fully explained using non-religious language.
• What is the 'holy' according to Tillich?

  It is a feeling of awe and mystery about the world, described as 'wholly other'.
• How does Tillich view the relationship between God and symbols?

  God can be understood symbolically as a person and non-symbolically as 'Being-Itself'.
• What does Tillich mean by 'ultimate concern'?

  It is the real focus of human life expressed through concepts like salvation and good and evil.
• Why does Tillich argue that faith cannot be expressed cognitively?

  Because it relates to a non-empirical reality and can only be expressed through symbols.
• What is a criticism of Tillich's claim that symbols participate in the reality they point to?

  It is unclear how a symbol like a flag participates in the power of a monarch or country.
• What are the four main functions of religious symbols according to J.H. Randall?

  1. Motivational, 2. Social, 3. Communicational, 4. Indicative.
• What is a potential issue with Randall's account of religious symbols?

  It reduces the term 'God' to a symbol for human values, lacking cognitive content.
• What is the summary of the discussion on religious language?

  It questions whether God's love is the same as human love (univocal) or different (equivocal), with Aquinas proposing an analogical relationship.
• What is the main critique of Aquinas' analogical relationship between God's love and human love?

  Understanding analogical language requires understanding the word 'love' univocally, which may not make sense.
• How does Tillich's view differ from Aquinas regarding language about God?

  Tillich suggests that language about God should be understood symbolically, while Aquinas proposes an analogical understanding.
• What is a significant problem with symbolic language according to the discussion?

  It appears to lack literal statements, raising questions about its meaningfulness regarding God.