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18 Cards in this Set

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Analogy

Describing something that is unfamliar to us by making a comparison - an approach to religious language

Why use analogies?

Religiously, analogies are the only option available given the difficulties of making univocal or equivocal statements about God

What are the two different ways Aquinas uses analogy?

Analogy of attribution


Analogy of proportion

Comments about how to understand God According to Aquinas

Argued that language cannot be used literally of God, Terms such as "God is Good" should be understood analogically. When someone says "God is good" it does not mean the same as describing someone else as "good" God's goodness must be on a different scale.

What is the Analogy or attribution?

The qualites that we ascribe to each other are a reflection of the qualities of God.

What was Brian Davies' analogy of attribution?

He uses the example of the baker and the bread, if we say the baker and bread are both good, there is a relationship between the statements. Because the bread is the product of the baker, his goodness or skill at baking transfers to the bread

What is Aquinas' analogy of attribution

Aquinas's example comes from medieval medicine, it was belived that is a bulls's urine is healthy, they are healthy. Their urine is a reflection of them.

What does the analogy of attribution have to do with God?

Attributes such as wisdom, love and Goodness that we see in others are reflections of the properties of the creator, God. So when we see these attributes in others, we are able to make analogies with the attributes of God.

What is the Analogy of proportion

The type of properties that something has depends on the nature of the being that possesses the properties.

What does the Analogy of proportion have to do with God?

When we use words to describe God, we are describing an infinite being, everything else is a finite being so the meanings cannot be the same, it will change in proportion to the nature of the being that is described.

What is John Hick's example of the Analogy of proportion?

His example uses the word "Faithfulness" if you use the word to compare the meanings towards humans, dogs and God, you'll get three different limitations of "Faithfulness", with God having no limit

What are the weaknesses of Analogy?

One difficulty with the use of analogy is that it assumes some similarity between Gods and humans. However if God is completely different to humans then it is difficult to see how words can be used in a similar way.


way.

What is Anthopomorphism?

Conception of God having the form, personality or attributes of man.

What is Agnosticism?

A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God.

What were Hick's comments about the use of Analogy?

Hick comments thay analogy enables is to make some statements about God yet still preserve the degree of mystery present in Judeo-Christian theology.



Hick offers the Christian idea of the incarnation of God, Jesus, as a possible solution to the problem of meaning. God's attributes are seen in the stories of Christ and this enables us to make some statements about God.

What are the strengths of Analogy?

Shows religous language can provide some understanding of God.



It avoids agnosticism and anthopomorphism.

What did Duns Scotus argue when assessing Analogy?

He argued that Analogy is too vague and leaves us unable to understand God and his actions.

Topic of Debate.

Analogy may not be much use when it comes to decribing something nobody has ever seen.