ymbols and ymbolism

Beliefs and Symbolism

Bibliography

Down one sectionIntroductory section Symbolism and Religion:   Religion, at least in the sense of "faiths" rather than "organized institutions for ritual gatherings," asks the same question of the person as do the arts: How do you respond?  No matter what your faith, theistic, political, philosophical, or other, it challenges you to respond and it has its symbols that call forth some response from you.  Otherwise, it ceases to be a "faith" and becomes (relatively) simple, impersonal teachings, the dogmas of our masks.  These are the beliefs we use to protect ourselves from other belief and value systems.  The beliefs in our faith, on the otherhand, inspire and motivate us; they are central to our beings, they are central to whom we each see ourself as being.  These beliefs center on what Paul Tillich called our "ultimate concern."  And that which forms this center of our values and beliefs, he said, "must be expressed symbolically, because symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate." (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, 41)  Therefore, when we express our core beliefs, we must use symbolism, no matter how concrete the images used to express that faith. (Tillich, Dynamics, 53)  Down one sectionThis is not to say that organized religions, whether those of primitive societies or the "world religions," do not express the faiths of many of their members.  These organizations could never have formed had not the religious movements out of which they emerged not expressed the critical beliefs and values of those who formed them into lasting "institutions."  Regardless, these values, these beliefs have to be expressed by symbolic language.  This does not mean that some, even most, of the believers do not take the language literally.  The problem with interpretation, given Tillich's statement about the necessity of symbolism, is that its interpretation is never complete; worse, the interpretation loses meaning, thus loses meaningfulness, as the Christian theological demythologizers of the twentieth century illustrated. 

  It is not just theologians, mystics, and religious leaders who speak of faith, of the power of beliefs.  William James, a pioneer psychologist in the study of comparative religious beliefs, made clear the difference between dogma and faith when he stated, "In the religious sphere, in particular, belief that formulas are true can never wholly take the place of personal experience." (The Varieties of Religious Experience, 457)  Indeed, a few paragraphs earlier he almost decried "philosophy" in terms that argue for symbols, for "truth and fact". (James, Varieties, 456.) 

Top of page  Carl Liungman's Dictionary of Symbols is covered in more detail in § 2, along with other dictionaries.  However, beginning on page 64 he has an impressive chapter dealing with the history of the Nazi selection, design, and use of symbols in their rise to power.  Additionally, he follows their continued development of such symbols and signs as the reverse swastika and the SS emblem.  Down one sectionGoing one step further, he deals briefly with the efforts of other political parties and nations to counter the use of the Nazi symbols.  Through it all, there is portrayed the struggle, too often overlooked in modern histories of the era, for faith and defining the faith of the masses, a struggle in which Liungman portrays the Nazis as succeeding more completely than their belated competitors both in design and comprehension of the importance of the symbols and signs used to represent their movement.  The author/editor provides an important view of a concrete example of the importance of both the symbols and the symbolism network in practice.  Given the emphasis on the "packaging" of candidates for political office, Liungman's coverage of this aspect of Nazism is very informative and relevant to today. 

  The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, edited by Ryken, Wilhoit, and Longman, is a major resource concerning the use of imagery within the Bible, as well as in surrounding cultures (including Classical Greek and Roman writers.)  It is full of cross-references, internal references (marked by asterisks), "see also" references, and is well indexed, both by scripture passage and by topic.  Indeed, its topical articles are the work's strength.  Many story "types" are described fully in various cultural contexts ("Cheat the Oracle," "Deception, Stories of,", etc.)  In contrast, many of the individual, concrete images ("Cross," "Donkey, Ass," "Rainbow," etc.) take up a column or less.  Indeed, the article on "Cross" (not "The Cross," which the author grammatically emphasizes to the point of poor grammarical constructions, nor the generic "Crosses") covers both the item of crosses and the process of crucifixion so briefly, vaguely, and incompletely, that the articles's description of its use as image seems to presume the reader has already more background in the matter than what the author(s) included.  Most articles on specific images describe the factual information about the image, then give some information on its general use as a symbol, with cultural information, followed by specific uses within biblical passages.  The longer articles usually include subheadings in bold and sub-subheadings in italics to make finding more specific information easier.  For additional information, many of the articles include brief bibliographies.  A very limited use of black and white illustrations does augment those articles to which they are attached. 

 

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