'God is not bad'), - 6th century Christian thinker, mystic, and was v. influential for many medieval Christian writers, - Also supporter of Via Negativa/Apophatic Way, - Speaking about God using positive language, - Philosopher Ian Ramsey wrote book "Religious Language" in 1975, - Another way, like analogy, of understanding how religious language can be used to talk positively about God, - German-American theologian and philosopher (1886-1965). Some religious believers are uncomfortable when it comes to relating God to the contingent world around us, and so prefer to make no attempt to understand him. John de Ruiter College of Integrated Philosophy, The Church of Almighty God (Eastern Lightning). All of them take an unorthodox approach to the theology of God and prayer. God is a mystical experience only. A snip for over 1,500 pages of resources. Evidence in the bible (matt 17:2), Has it's limits - you can only get so far with what you sah Positive imagery of God promotes a stronger sense of faith within the religious community. Issues are produced quarterly, from the Spill the Beans Resource Team. Maimonides argued that positive statements about God are improper as they don't fully convey the idea we require. It assumes we can know and understand God by, for example, studying creation and revelation, through prayer and reflection, and through religious experience. The Creator needs no validation from anyone, but we need validation from Him validation that comes as we are faithful to His Word in right deeds and orthodox (correct) theology. Via Positiva (The Cataphatic Way) Advantages. For those believers and theologians working with an everlasting, personal model of God supported by religious experience and/or a priori faith in the revealed status of the Bible arguably mostly for Protestants the Cataphatic Way is the natural and therefore the best way to understand religious language. , OCR Religious Studies A Level Predictions , A-Level OCR Religious Studies H573 05/11/18th June [Exam Discussion] , Aqa AS Spanish Paper 2 New Specificstion unofficial mark scheme , OCR A-Level religious studies - Philosophy (4th June 2019) predictions? Get Revising is one of the trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. (Reign of Terror, 17931794). For example, if you're organized and structured, you may find it challenging to cope with last-minute changes. (function(){for(var g="function"==typeof Object.defineProperties?Object.defineProperty:function(b,c,a){if(a.get||a.set)throw new TypeError("ES3 does not support getters and setters. Everything you need to get your revision off to a flying start! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. - Way of speaking about God using only negative language, talking about what God is not (e.g. Examples of entries on a single page are ones for the opera carmen, the movie casablanca, and the song "casey jones.". For Aquinas, the Cataphatic way is not the best way to understand Religious Language because it depends on the flawed claim to know or understanding the nature of God and because it conflates the two distinct meanings of attributes affirmed of God into one misleading claim. From what I garner from your comment I believe you would agree with me on these points and that any supposed difference between us is not a genuine one but one in appearance only, based on a differing usage of the terms cataphatic and apophatic., I am a Buddhist Monk (30 years) but neither a exemplary meditator or even a mediocre scholar and have recently been fascinated by the teachings of Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr and Martin Laird particularly related to prayer/meditation but also Cynthia Bourgeaults notion of Nondual Christianity. I tend to assume that the notion of nonduality would be inconsistent with the cataphatic view since if God had characteristics that could be defined He (?) Subject: Religious education. Most excellent answers discussed the strengths and weaknesses of cataphatic approaches, usually using Aquinas ' analogy of attribution and proportion, some with Ramsey's Models and Qualifiers to support. In addition, Anselms argument makes the assumption that human beings have an idea of God as that than which nothing greater can be conceived of in intellectu, something which St Thomas Aquinas rejected. said the soccer coach to the newspaper sportswriter. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to my old article on this topic. I believe it is largely responsible for the blooming movement of interfaith spirituality that sees Christianity as just one mythology that tries to relay the common, inexpressible, mystical experience supposedly underlying all religions. Weaknesses of Via Positiva Has it's limits - you can only get so far with what you sah God is on a different level to humans, so what we say means nothing in compares to God Can cause confusion and be misleading Sets found in the same folder DUALISM & MATERIALISM 13 terms morgancoker24 Religious Language 25 terms morgancoker24 Too Introverted or Extroverted 6. What describes who God is as a person is His attributes which must be spoken of in positive terms. Builds your self-awareness Self-awareness is crucial in a variety of personal and interpersonal settings. The Cataphatic Way is sometimes called the Via Positiva; it uses language confidently and positively to describe God, as a painter might use paints confidently and positively to represent what is in front of them. Apophatics saw God as transcending the kinds of attributes posited of Him in Scripture, and thus preferred to speak only of what God is not leading to an increasing depersonalization of God (that was more or less qualified or corrected in some later streams). Nevertheless, scholars such as St Anselm rejected this approach, arguing that God gave being to this world as it is, so it is reasonable to affirm of God attributes of the being He created. If you would like a Lesson Pack with activities and worksheets, that complements the power point, please click on the image below: Check out the Revision Podcast where I go through the topic (using the ppt found on YouTube) whilst a student makes notes on a coverall sheet: Check out this Mark with Me Preview for a Religious Language essay that achieved the overall A* in the 2018 exam: To continue watching this Mark with Me and have access all 30 revision podcasts then join I Think Therefore I Teachs exclusive membership on the Home page. It might be the best way of understanding what somebody already knows about God and/or religion on some other basis, but it might not be the best way of coming to understand something new about God and/or religion. In these developments of Platonism, God seems to become increasingly abstract and less personal. 3 strengths of cataphatic way A Not univocal do avoids anthromphorphicly speaking of GodNot equivocal so avoids agnostiicism - idea that Gods nature and existence can't be known Aquinas - has to be postive in order to have philosophical or theology debates and descusions 8 Q 2 weaknesses of cataphatic way A He has 64 transcendental qualities as Supreme Personality of Godhead, although these qualities are explained as non-material and beyond duality. Id appreciate a response. Tel: 01224 213093. It would be contrary to Christian belief to suggest that scripture is wrong or inaccurate. He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). Religious Education: What do students need to KNOW? The via positiva does not attempt to know absolute truths about God, only his incomprehensible nature. In the face of these rules our failure is inevitable foundational to Calvins theology, of course. What we can say about God is not something we should seek to relegate to intellectual propositions unrelated to the God we know by experience. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Welcome to the Boardroom: Discussion Activities, Fountain of Knowledge: MOOCs free online courses, Ensuring Questioning Impacts Students Learning, Who said you cant teach teachers: TeachMeet. All Spec and no play: Its Philosotree Time! It is little wonder that the undefined God of Neo-Orthodoxy soon degenerated to Bultmanns humanistic concept of God as the experiences in life through which we gain self-insight. They believe that all words must be denied in order to understand ultimate reality. Symbol has the advantage of requiring people to learn a new religious language rather than seeking to apply ordinary words positively, negatively or with the use of implied or stated qualifiers (Ramsey). being methodical. Learn how your comment data is processed. There is a lot to be said for it, and there is an irony in it too for me when I think about what initially sprung to mind when I was reading Plass's book. The cataphatic pathway is a positive and an easy-to-digest way of describing God. Lack of Confidence 3. Is one of the most natural ways of talking about God. A kataphatic way to express God would be that God is love. would be separate from the observer and thereby dualistic? EXAMPLE: Do you have a reciept for the loafs of bread? Cataphatic theology or kataphatic theology is theology that uses "positive" terminology to describe or refer to the divine specifically, God i.e. Aquinas was persuaded by Maimonides arguments for apophatic theology, saying, The reason why God is said to be above being named, is because His essence is above all that we understand about God, and signify in word Because we know and name God from creatures, the names we attribute to God signify what belongs to material creatures these kinds of names fail to express His mode of being, forasmuch as our intellect does not know Him in this life as He is. Summa Theologica 1, 13, 1. Religious experiences, if any are genuine, are best understood to be non-sensuous (Stace) and noumenal (James), an experience of ultimate reality that goes well beyond normal sensory experience and normal description. The question of whether or not all monism, panentheism, and pantheism are at odds with intellectual assertions about God is, I think, only a bit more complex. If we are made in Gods imagine then we can use our speech Religious language does not just describe a state of affairs more or less accurately, it calls people to action. A person is healthy in a primary sense and a yoghurt in a secondary sense what it means for the two to be healthy is different but still linked. When a person creates something, their creation does not have to be like them. Procrastination 13. //]]>. It seems contrary to the use of language in Scripture, which uses positive statements. This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 20:11. Similarly, the primary sense of words like good belongs to God and only the secondary sense to things in this world. The via negativa isn't a true reflection of how religious people speak of God. Research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues, Article continues after this advertisement , Original content Copyright 1996-2022 Apologetics Index, http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeII/MysticalTheology.html, Capitalism vs. Socialism: A Scriptural Look at Economic Justice, How Certain is Faith Absolutely Certain, Postmodernism and the Emerging Church Movement, Some Red Flags When Evaluating a Ministry, "Name it and Frame it" -- Phony Doctorates in the Church, An Evaluation of Emergent Church Epistemology. 806 8067 22, Registered office: International House, Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE, Religious Language: negative, analogical or symbolic, Religious Language (Via Negativa, Via Positiva and Symbol), OCR A level Religious Studies - Philosophy paper predictions , Religious Studies 2018 Philosophy OCR as Level Paper? For Aquinas, what can be affirmed of God and in what sense needs to be even more strictly controlled than Anselm suggests, to prevent the imprecision in the use of religious language that attends on Cataphatic theology and subsequent misunderstandings. Because it is highly likely to lead to misunderstandings about God, it seems that the Cataphatic Way is not the best way to understand Religious Language. Anselm safeguards against the possibility that people affirm just anything of God by arguing that signs are in a sense controlled by what it is that they point towards, so it is not possible to say something about God which is not consistent with His nature. Get Revising is one of the trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. I would liken it to the Mississippi River delta, which has many streams as well as swampland all around. Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user. As I read his descriptions of people he has known and how what I had in mind as a negative understanding of God had affected their faith, I brought to mind, of course, people I have also known who have been left damaged personally and spiritually by their understanding of God in negative terms. New Spec Reflections: Whats the Verdict? Teacher Toolkit: Thinking of Becoming a Teacher? It seems fair to conclude that saying that the Cataphatic Way is the best way to understand Religious Language may be limited to Theistic Personalists. Communication skills. St Augustine Write the letter of the choice that gives the sentence a meaning that is closest to the original sentence. Natural law provides a helpful approach when dealing with issues surrounding euthanasia: Students Work, First Year Exam Paper Breakdown: Ethics NL Question, Utilitarianism is more useful than Kantian Ethics when dealing with ethical dilemmas Discuss: Students Work, Augustines Teachings on Human Nature: DCT, St Augustine: Improve Your Essay Technique, Death and Afterlife: Improve your Essay Technique, First Year Exam Paper Breakdown: DCT Death and Afterlife Question, Natural and Revealed Knowledge of God: Live Stream, Second Year: Philosophy, Ethics and Christian Thought, Religious Language- Apophatic and Cataphatic Ways: A2 Philosophy, Religious Language-Twentieth Century Perspectives: A2 Philosophy, Sssshhh we cant talk about Sex! Pointers to discuss in A2 Application Questions, How to Improve your Essay Technique: A-Level DCT Mock Exam, The Four Steps to Teaching A01 & A02 Effectively, Let me Introduce myself: Writing an Introduction, Adding the critical to your critical analysis: Developing A02. This is available for 60 and is available in high quality pdf format via a single zipped file. He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. . 806 8067 22 [6] Among the 64 qualities of Krishna, 4 qualities are unique, which only Krishna has, these are: There are other 60 qualities of Krishna, but Narayana also have them. Why do you think Marlow begins his tale of a journey to the heart of darkness with an account of London in very old times, when the Romans first came here (para. He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation. Nevertheless, this model of God is philosophically unsatisfying. Age range: 16+ Resource type: Lesson (complete) 5 1 review. Merton was seriously contemplating conversion toBuddhismat the time of his death. This may discourage some, so ideas of relation are prefered. Having finished Plasss book I have embarked on a mighty tome by Charles Taylor, A Secular Age, in which he explores the rise of secularism and its effects on faith and religion. Biblically and historically orthodox Christianity has always maintained a distinction between God and His creation. According to researchers, strengths and weaknesses are highly contextual and dependent on the mix of our values, goals, interests, and situational factors. "Why did you wait until the last minute?" It assumes we can know and understand God by, for example, studying creation and revelation, through prayer and reflection, and through religious experience. Perfectionism 12. Wrote books "The Courage To Be" and "Systematic Theology". For some Classical Theists, it is the Apophatic Way, not the Cataphatic Way, that is the best way to understand religious language. Here are five to get you started: 1. They do not talk in a negative but rather seek positive knowledge of what God is. Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). The Via Negativa (a.k.a The Apophatic Way) Also known as the Apophatic Way and is based on the equivocal approach to language. ; Truth-claim: a statement that asserts something is factually true; Apophatic way (via negativa): a way of speaking about God and using theological ideas using only terms that say what God is not. One interesting development among the mystics was a strong tendency to replace sound theology with the Eastern idea of divinization (ortheosis, which the Eastern Orthodox have modified in recent times), a pantheistic or at least panentheistic view of the deity, and a union with God that is often more akin to the idea of nirvana in which one is absorbed into God. Exponents of the Via Negativa say this is to move from the more literal and concrete descriptions of God used in the Via Positiva to a deeper and better understanding of God, freed from the abstractions of our own language and thought. Of these, 5 are special, which are not found in jiva-atmas or (according to the Vaishnava view) other Hindu deities, even Brahma or Shiva: Other 55 transcendental qualities are found in Brahma and Shiva, though they are common for Narayana and Krishna, but not found in jiva-atmas. Doubtless, someone will say something like, But all I mean by apophatic theology is that we must experience God after we speak of who He is. If that is all they mean, that is fine. The terms orthodox and orthodoxy are used in an ecclesiastical sense as well as a purely theological one, though churches that use the term orthodox in their title will often claim to be the true representatives of orthodoxy in the theological sense. For Maimonides, human words refer to human experience and are inescapably tied to the spatio-temporal framework that encompasses human experience. God is the source of truth (John 17:17), and He reveals this truth to us in His written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). Biblical and vital faith is one in which believers have a supernatural impartation from the Holy Spirit. Too Detail-Oriented 4. But I have never sat an exam before! Strategies to Help Students Excel. It was an enjoyable read, not quite autobiographical but with plenty of stories that Plass draws on from his own experience to enliven the three themes of the title. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The meaning of attributes affirmed of God is not to be understood univocally, although there is still some meaning. For many Roman Catholics, but also for others whose faith relates to if not depends on reason, God cannot bea thing that we can experience and observe in any normal way. I believe the New Testament is essentially cataphatic without falling into dry scholasticism (for lack of a better word with which to label dead, intellectual orthodoxy). //