Summary Of Religion And Theology By Gordon Graham

“Religion and Theology” Analysis Gordon Graham, the author of the article, “Religion and Theology” is an Anglican Priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church and currently is a “Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary in the USA” (Gordon-graham.net). He was originally born in Ireland and taught in Ireland, Scotland, and England (Gordon-graham.net). In this essay, Graham closely analyzes the connection between theology and religion and assesses whether or not a dependent relationship is necessary. There has been a long-standing debate where Christians claim that Christianity is a way of life, but many secular humanists refute it (Graham 217). Even though Christianity is a way life, its foundation is

The use of techniques derived from scientific theories is known as technology (Graham 219). These particular techniques are widely used because of the belief that they are effective and are truthful (Graham 219). One can equate this same logic to religion. If religious people perform specific practices based on their theological beliefs, it can be inferred that their beliefs explain why they engage in such behavior (219). In contrast, science and technology, mainly concentrating on medicine does not fit the doxastic model (221). “For instance, the eighteenth century witnessed huge advances in anatomical knowledge, and for the first time people came to understand the function of different organs properly. But it was over 100 years before the sort of surgery that made effective practical use of this knowledge was developed” (220). In this case, theory is learned way before anything is put into practice; belief does not explain behavior neither does it rationalize practical action. However, there are some areas of technology in which scientific theory is vital

He argues that signs and symbols are dependent on meaning. When you see a physical sign such as a stop sign, it points beyond the physical and promotes its meaning (stop or yield) (Tillich 41). Symbols and signs are two different aspects (41). Signs can change for many reasons, while symbols are constant and can never change (41). The symbol also “participates in that to which it points: the flag participates in the power and dignity of the nation for which it stands” (42). Tillich emphasized the importance of meaning to a sign or symbol. In order for a sign or symbol to be effective, a type of meaning must be present. Unlike Tillich, Graham highlighted that religion and theology are not contingent and do not necessarily need a connection. Theology would be the study or theory of God, while religion is the actual