The third level is the most difficult but the most important. This is second-order negation, or the inversion of the inversion. Here we would say, “God is not a fire, but God is not a not-fire either,” and “God is not love, but neither is God not-love.” God transcends the (human-based) distinction between love and not-love. Obviously what is happening here is a deliberate straining of verbal logic. It may sound like mere mental gymnastics or game-playing, but it has a very serious purpose: To question and test language, to step outside of ourselves and ask ourselves what we are doing when we talk about God, to critique the very ground upon which theology stands, to search for that place — if there is a place — where concepts fail.

This is a  pull quote form a fantastic little essay about atheism and apophatic theology. Go read the whole essay here.

Painting by arteylena

Tags:apophatic theologyArteylenaAtheismmysticsmreligion dispatches