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God Is a Metaphor
An excursion into the language of absolute reality
When a person utters the word “God,” an idea or image forms in the mind of the listener. That idea or image may not be what the speaking person intended, but the listener envisions something all the same. More often than not, the listener immediately accepts or rejects the concept of God before the speaker has a chance to elaborate, explaining what he or she means by that word. After all, no one uses that word without referring directly or indirectly to the absolute reality of the world in which we live.
The word “God” carries tremendous weight. In any language, it is one of the most powerful words a person can speak.
Symbolization and Humanity
Words are symbols. They are the means by which we human beings communicate ideas to each other — the more abstract the idea, the more powerful the word. Words are, to a great extent, what make us human. As the philosopher Suzanne K. Langer wrote in her book, Philosophy in a New Key:
In the fundamental notion of symbolization — mystical, practical, or mathematical, it makes no difference — we have the keynote of all humanistic problems.
The words we use shape every aspect of our humanity. Langer goes on to say:
