This week’s aims To explain and analyse Bultmann’s approach to religious language To review the religious language unit To practise planning and writing answers to past questions

Myth What is myth? Muthos (Gk.)  Originally referred to a word or speech or anything delivered by word of mouth  Came to mean a fictional story

Discussion What is a fundamentalist? What is an atheist? How might fundamentalists and atheists be a bit similar?

Niebuhr Reinhold Niebuhr held that myth must be taken ‘seriously but not literally’. This implies that there are two mistakes one can make. One can make the mistake of the fundamentalist believer and take every religious utterance literally. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the sceptic who eschews any interest in religion because many of its teachings are seen as ‘just a myth’. Booklets, p.27

Fundamentalism and Atheism Ironically, the fundamentalist and the staunch atheist perhaps share a view that religious statements must be taken literally and judged on that basis. Niebhur’s recommendation to take myth seriously but not literally opens up other possibilities.

Rudolf Bultmann A blind acceptance of New Testament mythology would be simply arbitrariness; to make such acceptance a demand of faith would be to reduce faith to a work Demythologising the bible The central message of Christianity: let go of self-centredness and open up to God’s grace Existential interpretation

Myth worksheet Fill in your line of the grid  Include lots of detail about the possible existential meaning of the story  Justify your answer about whether someone can be a religious believer and reject the literal truth of the story – you could use p in the booklet to help you do this Fill in the rest of the grid based on the other groups’ feedback

Traditional StoryPossible existential meaning Can someone be a religious believer and reject the literal truth of this story? Creation (Genesis, chapters 1 to 2) Fall (Genesis chapter 3) Flood (Genesis chapters 6 to 9) Virgin Birth (Luke 1:26- 38)

Traditional StoryPossible existential meaning Can someone be a religious believer and reject the literal truth of this story? Incarnation (John 1:1-18) Jesus’ miracles (Luke chapters 4 and 5) Resurrection (Luke chapter 24) Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46)

Written task – 30 minutes Briefly explain Tillich’s interpretation of religious language as symbol Briefly outline Aquinas’ views concerning analogy Briefly explain why Bultmann views religious language as myth

Evaluation Religious language is meaningful Religious language is not meaningful

‘Religious language is meaningless’Your analysis of this response Via Negativa Verification Principle Falsification Principle Symbol Analogy Myth Language Games

Religious Language: Evaluation Assess whether the weaknesses of your theory outweigh its strengths Seven theories:  Verification Principle  Falsification Principle  Language Games  Via Negativa  Analogy  Symbol  Myth 1.Explain at least four key strengths and four key weaknesses 2.Try to respond to each strength or weakness: is it convincing or can you think of counter-arguments? 3.Which side of the argument is more convincing and why do you think this? 1.Explain at least four key strengths and four key weaknesses 2.Try to respond to each strength or weakness: is it convincing or can you think of counter-arguments? 3.Which side of the argument is more convincing and why do you think this?

Sample exam questions – p.95 Critically asses the views of Paul Tillich on religious language. Evaluate the claim that analogy can successfully be used to express the human understanding of God. Critically compare the use of myth with the use of analogy to express human understanding of God. Critically assess the claim that religious language is meaningless. ‘The falsification principle offers no real challenge to religious belief.’ Discuss. Critically assess Wittgenstein's belief that language games allow religious statements to have meaning. To what extent is the Via Negativa the only way to talk about God? ‘Symbolic language is the best way to talk about God.’ Discuss. ‘Myths are more useful for talking about God than symbols.’ Discuss.

RealismAnti-Realism Religious language is objectiveReligious language is not about real entities Religious statements are literally true or false It does not describe literal truths Religious statements are true independently of our thoughts It guides our life, but isn’t about whether or not a supernatural being exists Religious language is descriptiveIt is symbolic and expressive Religious understanding is cognitive It ties in with forms of life Religion includes causal explanation Religion is an expression of a craving Belief is more important than practice Practice is more important than belief ‘God’ is a supernatural being‘God’ is a word we use to express hopes

Homework Log into Moodle and click on A2 Ethics and Philosophy – Homework and Assignments Look at the fourth block that says  4. Attributes of God Look at / read at least three links. At least one of them must be an article or website rather than just a YouTube link. Feel free to look at more links than this if you like.