Paul+Tillich

Paul Tillich (1886-1965) beleived that religious language is best understood as symbolic and not taken as a set of ltereal assertions about the world. Tillich makes a clear distinction between a sign (such as a traffic light) and a symbol (such as a national flag). Both signs and symbols "point beyond themselves" and refer to the world. However, the two items are significantly different. Words, actions, objects and events may all be interpreted symbolically. For example, when people see the United States flag, which is a symbol for the USA, they associate it so closely with the country that it evokes passionate feelings, leading some to salute it and others to burn it. This association Tillich thinks of as the sign's coming to participate or share in the reality of what it represents. Moreover, Tillich believed belief in God can only be truly expressed through the use of symbolic language. For example, a statement like "Jesus is the Lamb of God". Lamb represents a symbol of sacrifice for human sin.