Language About God: A Philosophical Analysis of Religion on the Concept of Divinity

Abstract

This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the problems of
religious language within the field of philosophy of religion, with a
primary focus on how limited human language attempts to
represent the concept of a transcendent and absolute God. The
main challenge examined is the tension between the cognitive
nature of language which is oriented toward empirical facts and the
nature of God, who is often considered to be beyond the reach of
the senses and linear logic. The research method applied is a
descriptive-analytical qualitative method using a library research
approach, which integrates various classical and contemporary
literature from both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions.
The results of the study indicate that language about God cannot be
understood univocally or literally without falling into the error of
anthropomorphism, yet it is also not entirely equivocal, which
would lead to total agnosticism. This analysis concludes that the
validity of religious language can be maintained through the
mechanisms of analogy, symbolism, and functional understanding
within the context of “language games.” These findings affirm that
although human language has ontological limitations, it still
functions as a vital means of expressing humanity’s absolute
concern and directing consciousness toward a reality that
transcends the boundaries of the phenomenological world.