Description
We live in a world of unimaginable horrors: nuclear weaponry, religious prejudice, and
ideological hatred. With such horrors comes a sense of urgency and a moral imperative
for us to raise the question, what is the purpose of religious language? Because religious
statements are considered truthful by a people; they allow their lives to be shaped by
them and project a world they would like to inhabit. At times societies employ religious
language to gain moral sanction for the acts of violence. However the Church in its
transformational mission is duty bound to encourage and employ the biblical metaphors
of reconciliation and blessing.
Religious language is meant to do something. This brings us to the question of power,
which undeniably shapes our individual and social behaviour. The purpose of religious
language is to use all available intellectual and intuitional means to interpret the nature of
ultimate reality and to invite the human race to share in the privileges of a personal
relationship with God. But religious language has also been used to justify violence. |