Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 12, 2014

The problem of religious language considers whether it is possible to talk about God meaningfully if the traditional conceptions of God as being incorporeal, infinite, and timeless, are accepted. Various theories of religious language either attempt to show that such language is meaningless, or that it can still be meaningful. The via negativa is a way of referring to God according to what he is not. Analogy uses human qualities as standards against which to compare divine qualities. Symbolism is used non-literally to describe otherwise ineffable experiences. A mythological interpretation of religion attempts to reveal fundamental truths behind religious stories. Alternative explanations of religious language cast it as having political, performative, or imperative functions. Logical positivists argue that religious language is meaningless because its propositions are impossible to verify. Religion has also been classified as a language game that is meaningful within its own context. Others have used parables to approach the problem, such as R. M. Hare's parable of a lunatic, and John Hick's parable of the Celestial City to propose his theory of eschatological verification.

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