Religious Language
Tillich and symbolic language:
A symbol: is something that identifies a concept that is referring to, and also participates in the
meaning of that concept.
If the American flag is merely a sign of America, then it is nothing important, just a patch of cloth.
So why do Americans get upset to see it burnt? Because it evokes strong feelings of loyalty and
represents American values – to burn the flag is to attack the American way of life.
Tillich argues that symbols go beyond being just information and instead also express what the
believer feels about what the symbol conveys.
Symbolic language (metaphors, similes, myths, signs) are always non-cognitive
Symbolic statements include “I am the truth and the life” and “The Lord is my Shepherd”.
May also be pictures, objects or actions.
They are subtle models of communication not to be interpreted literally.
“Symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate because it transcends the capacity of
any finite reality to express it directly”
Similar to Aquinas, he felt that ordinary human language cannot speak of God adequately.
Like the via negativa, Tillich also felt that literal positive language of God is also unhelpful – talking
about the classical God (omnis) only creates the sense that God is a great being amongst other
created beings, rather than as the source of all being.
Symbol examples-
Jesus: a symbol of our sin, desire for freedom and our search for spiritual truth
Creation: a symbol to explain our relationship with the environment, our purpose and our place in the
world.
A religious symbol points towards God-accessible words pointing towards an ultimate reality – God.
Criticisms of symbolism
Tillich himself admitted symbols are socially and historically situated, meaning they can diminish or
lose meaning over time.
Symbols are open to different interpretations.
Symbols can become trivialised and lost.
Symbols can become the focus of worship, rather than signing towards what to worship.
Symbolic language relies too much upon emotional response.
ESSAY PLAN – To what extent is symbol an effective way of communicating religious ideas?
Symbol is an effective way Symbol is not an effective way - THESIS
Aquinas – argued, if God is timeless and spaceless, Symbolism is not an effective way of
the language about God must be understood in communicating religious ideas as it is too open to
different sense to language applied to temporal interpretation – The fact that symbolism promotes
and special beings. This immediately raises interpretation is a weakness because it means
problems as our language is entirely drawn from symbolistic language is subjective therefore is an
the spacio-temporal world, and therefore may, be invalid way of conveying religious meaning. For
Tillich and symbolic language:
A symbol: is something that identifies a concept that is referring to, and also participates in the
meaning of that concept.
If the American flag is merely a sign of America, then it is nothing important, just a patch of cloth.
So why do Americans get upset to see it burnt? Because it evokes strong feelings of loyalty and
represents American values – to burn the flag is to attack the American way of life.
Tillich argues that symbols go beyond being just information and instead also express what the
believer feels about what the symbol conveys.
Symbolic language (metaphors, similes, myths, signs) are always non-cognitive
Symbolic statements include “I am the truth and the life” and “The Lord is my Shepherd”.
May also be pictures, objects or actions.
They are subtle models of communication not to be interpreted literally.
“Symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate because it transcends the capacity of
any finite reality to express it directly”
Similar to Aquinas, he felt that ordinary human language cannot speak of God adequately.
Like the via negativa, Tillich also felt that literal positive language of God is also unhelpful – talking
about the classical God (omnis) only creates the sense that God is a great being amongst other
created beings, rather than as the source of all being.
Symbol examples-
Jesus: a symbol of our sin, desire for freedom and our search for spiritual truth
Creation: a symbol to explain our relationship with the environment, our purpose and our place in the
world.
A religious symbol points towards God-accessible words pointing towards an ultimate reality – God.
Criticisms of symbolism
Tillich himself admitted symbols are socially and historically situated, meaning they can diminish or
lose meaning over time.
Symbols are open to different interpretations.
Symbols can become trivialised and lost.
Symbols can become the focus of worship, rather than signing towards what to worship.
Symbolic language relies too much upon emotional response.
ESSAY PLAN – To what extent is symbol an effective way of communicating religious ideas?
Symbol is an effective way Symbol is not an effective way - THESIS
Aquinas – argued, if God is timeless and spaceless, Symbolism is not an effective way of
the language about God must be understood in communicating religious ideas as it is too open to
different sense to language applied to temporal interpretation – The fact that symbolism promotes
and special beings. This immediately raises interpretation is a weakness because it means
problems as our language is entirely drawn from symbolistic language is subjective therefore is an
the spacio-temporal world, and therefore may, be invalid way of conveying religious meaning. For
