Hick and Knowledge of God

Assignment

Read Keller Ch. 1 and finish the questions in the OneNote for Monday.

Aryan God

Nazi form of life

Heaven's Gate Aliens

Literal Truth vs. Mythological Truth

California form of life 1

People's Temple

The Real

California form of life 2

• When we say things about God, or the Real, they aren’t literally true (the real truth), but they are mythologically true. They aren't "true" in the sense that any normal person uses the word, but have some other sort of truth value.

Questions for Review

• What we believe is mythologically true if it "orients us appropriately with respect to the real"

What is a negative concept? Give 3 examples.

What is a formal concept? Give a couple examples.

Why is this a necessary move for Hick to make?

Describe the difference between "mythological truth" and literal truth in your own words.

Why is the idea of "mythological truth" or "authenticity" necessary for the pluralist?

Which of the following religions/philosophies are mythologically true, and which are literally true: Islam, Buddhism, Pluralism, Christianity, Heaven's Gate, Nazi-ism.

Q: How could a completely loving God send people to hell who clearly seem to live lives based on "Christian morality?"

John Hick

Aryan God

Nazi form of life

Heaven's Gate Aliens

California form of life 1

Let the Reader Understand

People's Temple

English philosopher and theologian

The Real

California form of life 2

Group 1: Ryan, Harlee, Elise

Group 2: Quinn, Chloe, Matt

Group 3: Keith, Tyler, Sienna

Group 4: Elijah, Isabella, Shelby

Group 5: Taylor, Stephen, Kyle

Group 6: Aaron, Jeremey, Morgan

Allah (Islam)

Negative Concepts

Developed an important philosophy of religious plurlaism

Iranian form of life

• Simply concepts describing what something is "not"

To do:

• Read the handouts silently and:
• Underline the theme sentence of each paragraph
• Draw a squiggly underline beneath supporting points
• Write question marks by ideas you don't understand
• Circle words you don't understand and need to define
• Put a star next to ideas that are most important, or that you find interesting
• Put arrows around <names>

• Get together in the same groups from yesterday and:
• Compare what you underlined, squiggled, and starred
• Discuss and ask Mr Rossi about your question marks
• Look up the words you don't understand
• Write a group summary in your own words of the two handouts to turn in today with your handouts (your markups will be graded).

e.g. Not a horse, not a tricycle, not wise, not good

Brahman (Hinduism)

Indian form of life

How can we reconcile God's love with cultural and religious diversity?

The Real

Sunyata (Buddhism)

1922-2012

Japanese form of life

John Hick and the Real

What do you see?

Formal Concepts

Basic concepts that are logically necessary, everything that exists has to have them essentially.

e.g. having properties, being self-identical or equal to itself (it can’t be both a horse and not a horse, for example), able to be referred to, etc.

• Humans experience God (the Real) differently than the Real truly is in itself.
• For Hick, we cannot say anything about the Real except for “negative and formal concepts apply”

Hick and Knowledge of God