ARE THEOLOGICAL STATEMENTS MEANINGFUL?

Abstract

Theological statements, as a rule, are considered to be meaningful. How far is such a claim justifiable? Meaningfulness of statements in general is said to be justifiable by the verification theory of meaning. scope of this study is to examine the historical development of the concept of verification and to show the kind of verifiability applicable to theological statements. A theological statement, says E. Schillebeeckx, attempts to express the content of a definite act of trust in 1 And, The language of faith is made of precisely the same stuff as our ordinary human language is made of, language as a 'life-form' (Wittgenstein) and as a social reality. There is no special ghetto language of faith. • While discussing the ] ansenist doctrine of grace and the reasons for condemning it, P. Fransen writes: Let observe that the Pope concerns himself only with factual relations; for the faith is above all about facts. To put it differently, it is a fact that in the state of fallen nature, that is, the actual state in which we have our existence, always gives sufficient grace to keep His commandments. 3 And the need for an objective dogmatic principle in the development of dogma, which does not take place through a strict logical unfolding is pointed out by ] . Walgrave: ... true faith, although transcending the propositions in which its object presents itself, is not possible without dogma conceived as a definite unfalsifiable truth about the saving God. 4 Although it is presupposed by theologians that theological statements make sense and are somehow meaningful, in recent years it has been strongly argued that such statements are to be classified as meaningless. 5 present study argues that a theological statement like God is almighty and loves us is meaningful just like the statement Alexander