1. RELIGIOUS
LANGUAGE

2. ESSENTIAL IDEAS Via Negative
Speaking about God in terms of what he is not
Univocal
Speaking about God using everyday language to mean the same things
Equivocal
Speaking about God in everyday language but knowing that it has a slightly different meaning
Analogy
Comparing God to something else but understanding that God is different/better than what we are comparing Him to
Symbol
Something that identifies a concept and also participates in the meaning of that concept.
Myth
A story that expresses a truth when no one is sure what exactly happened
Ayer
Language is only meaningful if it can be proved true or false
Strong verification – something that can actually be proven
Weak verification – something that can be proven in theory (we may lack the means to be able to do it, but we understand what we would have to do, the temperature of Pluto)
Strength of Ayer
Makes language factually significant – if we are using language to prove the existence of God then this makes sense
Weakness of Ayer
Conceptually restrictive – makes most of our everyday language (feelings, emotions, opinions etc) meaningless
Flew
Language is only meaningful if it can be proved false
Accuses religious believers of failing to take on board evidence to disprove their beliefs – they alter/qualify them instead – PARABLE OF THE GARDENER
Strength of Flew
Weaknesses of Flew
Hare – ignores the impact that beliefs have on a person’s life - PARABLE OF THE PARANOID STUDENT
Mitchell – ignores that many believers do actually question their beliefs – PARABLE OF THE PARTISAN
Wittgenstein
All language has meaning within a certain context – LANGUAGE GAME
It is a mistake to assume that scientific language and religious language should work in the same way as the two disciplines are completely different
Strength of Wittgenstein
More reflective of the human experience – we can still talk about feelings, emotions etc
Weakness of Wittgenstein
Just because people can talk meaningfully about something (eg witches and wizards) it does not mean that these things exist

3. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – THE VIA NEGATIVE
What is does it mean to speak about God in the ‘Via Negative’?
Give a strength of speaking about God in the via negative
Give 3 weaknesses of speaking about God in the via negative

4. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – UNIVOCAL
What does it mean to speak about God univocally?
Give a strength of speaking about God univocally
Give a weakness of speaking about God univocally

5. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – EQUIVOCAL
What does it mean to speak about God equivocally?
Give a strength of speaking about God equivocally
Give a weakness of speaking about God equivocally

6. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – ANALOGY
How did Burrell describe analogies?
What did Aquinas mean by the ‘gradation to be found in things’?
What did Hick mean by ‘downwards analogy?

7. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – SYMBOLS
What are symbols and how are they used?
How is a symbol different to a sign?
Explain how the cross expresses a Christian belief.
What does non-cognitive mean in relation to language?
Why should symbols not be interpreted literally?

8. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – MYTHS
Give 3 weaknesses of using language symbolically.
What is a myth?
Give 2 weaknesses of myths
Give 2 defences of myths

9. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – AYER AND VERIFICATION
What did the Vienna Circle believe about philosophical language?
What did Ayer say that language had to be for it to be meaningful (2 points)
Explain the difference between strong and weak verification
What are the consequences of applying Ayer’s views to religious language?

10. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – AYER AND VERIFICATION
How did Sutherland criticise Ayer?
How can Hick’s ideas on eschatological verification be used to criticise Ayer?
Why do some people believe it is reasonable for religious language to be factual?
Why might it be problematic to use Hick’s ideas on eschatological verification to criticise Ayer?

11. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – FLEW AND FALSIFICATION
What did Flew say about language being meaningful?
What did Flew say many religious believers do when they are presented with evidence for why their beliefs might be wrong? (name the Parable he uses as well)
What did Flew say about beliefs that people will not give up, no matter what evidence they are presented with to the contrary?
Why did Flew think that evil and suffering proved the idea of God being a loving father false?

12. ESSENTIAL IDEAS – FLEW AND FALSIFICATION
Give 2 weaknesses of Flew’s ideas
How did Hare criticise Flew and which parable did he use?
Explain Hare’s idea of bliks
How did Mitchell criticise Flew and what parable did he use?
Why do some people believe it is reasonable for religious language to be factual?

13. ESSENTIAL IDEAS - WITTGENSTEIN
What did Wittgenstein say about language?
What is a language game?
What did Wittgenstein say about the relationship between scientific and religious language?
What does it mean to describe language as anti-realist?
Give a strength of Wittgenstein’s ideas
Give 2 weaknesses of Wittgenstein’s ideas