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Speaking About God in the Modern World

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The quest for meaningful religious language poses a persistent challenge in an age of secular rationalism and post-Holocaust theology. Through a discursive rather than systematic theological approach, four distinct universes of discourse emerge as crucial frameworks for speaking about God: aesthetic, moral, personal, and spiritual. Drawing on illustrative examples from sports, literature, and religious texts, the analysis reveals how these conceptual frameworks maintain unique primary meanings while frequently overlapping in religious contexts. Authentic discourse about God must begin within the spiritual universe, employing terms like "holy," "transcendent," and "sacred," while simultaneously drawing upon personal and moral vocabularies that characterize God as both personal being and moral agent. The research explores the complex interplay between rational discourse and religious language, demonstrating that while intellectual vocabulary may intersect with spiritual terminology, it primarily serves to express rather than define the holy. Building on Abraham Joshua Heschel's conceptualization of the ineffable and sublime as foundational to religious experience, the analysis affirms that meaningful religious discourse remains not only possible but essential in contemporary society. Such engagement with transcendent meaning constitutes a fundamental aspect of human consciousness and may serve as a crucial defense against moral degradation.

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    Published 1980

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    David Blumenthal