Page 54 - Pure Life 30
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The Nature of Religious Language… M. Mousavi Karimi and H. Tehrani Haeri / (53
Basically, is it possible for us, language of sacred texts,
humans, with limited knowledge instead of being descriptive
and linguistic abilities to speak and factual, is mostly similar
meaningfully, truthfully, and to the kind of symbolic,
factually about such a limitless imaginary and vague language
and Supreme Being? that is used in novels, poems
Literarily, religious sacred and myths?
texts have usually been amongst The roots of discussion
the most important and about the nature of religious
influential books in humans’ language can be traced back
cultural history. For example, to Plato. (Ref: Plato, 1892,
the Quran has always been Parmenides, Section 142;
not only the criterion of the Ibid, 1962)
correct use of the rules of Also, some past Christian
Arabic language, but also an and Muslim (Ref: Aquinas, 1947;
inspiring source of many Zarkashi, 1957; Suyuti, 2008)
literature texts throughout the thinkers have made notes and
world. written books on this issue.
Accordingly, these texts have The topic, however, did not
been viewed as inspiring lead to a heated debate until
sources of many literary texts the rise of analytic philosophy
throughout history. Now, is in the last century as well as
there any difference between the spread of Wittgenstein’s
the nature of the language of ideas and the opinions of the
Divine texts and the language members of the Vienna Circle
used in human literary texts? regarding language and meaning.
Can one not assume that the