Is it possible to use literal language meaningfully when the referent of our words is God?

Question

Peter,

I posted the question here since it deals with the philosophy of religion. My questions concerns how we talk about God in a meaningful way. Are we limited to analogies, metaphors and similes? Or is it possible to speak about God in a matter of fact manner?

Answer 1

Since God is a sui generis - a one of a kind being - any language we use to refer to him or her is limited. We can only speak by way of analogy in understanding who God is.

Another way of putting it is to say that God can only be known negatively - in the sense of knowing what he/she is not rather than by what he/she is. Since we know something according to our nature, it follows that a limited being such as a human being cannot possibly fully know that which is unlimited. Yet, we can know something, limited as it is, and our language expresses that limit.

Answer 2

i hope you first asked this in the religious section;if you
didnt,then you made a mistake and,if you forgive me,id say that if you made such a mistake that you ought to take the time and trouble to repeat any good or bad philosophic answers,that you receive,to the good people there(in the religious section). why?
Because words-with-god should be discussed Openly and Firstly with those genuine and interested people who only
go on to the religious section.You owe it to them(and to poss a lesser extent so do we here!).

Answer 3

Yes, I think so - if the God that is the referent is an immanent, impersonal god that resembles "The Force" from Star Wars more than an old, jealous guy with a long white beard.

Answer 4

Actually, I would say that it would depend on the audience to which the literal language is aimed at:

Talking to a bunch of preachers, yes.

Talking to a bunch agnostics, no.

Answer 5

It is possible...But it takes someone's intellectual understanding to actually say something you regard to as literal language....
What i mean is that, saying it may be easy, but what matters is how people who heard it view your point and how you utter it...

Answer 6

"literal language" is the equivelant of saying "actual reality"

And other than that, your question is kind of unclear.

Try saying it using words that you understand.