I, however, call on our Christians as individuals and as communities to open their eyes to the needs of their neighbours
5.1 Logos-based devices
5.1.4 Comparison for concrete explanations
5.1.4.1 Analogy
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The bishop first refutes the erroneous view of religion as an instrument of meeting one‘s needs, a conclusion drawn from the way people practise religion. However, his own definition is far from being objective. He tilts it towards his own religious affiliation: the Roman Catholic religion, in order to achieve his persuasive intention on the audience. He defines religion as submission to theTruth, and theTruth,to him, is the idea that the Catholic Church is the all-embracing means of salvation. The definition is meant to elicit from the audience a favourable attitude towards the Roman Catholic Church, an attitude that will facilitate loyalty. After all, Christians would want to identify with a Church that leads people to salvation.
The foregoing shows that the Roman Catholic bishops have used definitions in their pastoral letters as a rhetorical device to project the thesis of their arguments so as to influence the attitude and actions of their audience.
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in their pastoral letters as one of the rhetorical devices the in order to enhance understanding of messages and achieve conviction and persuasion. Its use in the letters is exemplified by text 30.
Text 30:
An attempt to limit the transformation of the world to only her material conditions is like growing a child without building his mind and spirit upon which real growth and maturity are measured…A man can grow tall and strong enough to lift an iron. He may have the intelligence to construct a machete. But he needs the guidance and power of the spirit to know when, how, and what to use it on. It is the mistake of our present day to dream of a world where God is either forgotten or denied. Living without faith is one of the sins of our materialistic world (OEO, p.14)
In the above text, the bishop draws an analogy between transforming the world and growing a child. He uses this analogy to advance argument on the importance of faith in creating a better world. The argument is that just as it is impossible to grow a child without building his mind and spirit upon which real growth and maturity are measured, it is impossible to limit the transformation of the world to only her material conditions. By likening the unfamiliar (transforming the world) to the familiar (growing a child), the bishop gives a concrete explanation of what he means. The analogy enables the audience to have a good grasp of the message of faith. It makes the message concrete and memorable.The device is thusused to facilitate comprehension and understanding of the message of faith to ensure appropriate response.
The use of analogy to explain concretely the message of repentance to ensure comprehension and appropriate response by the audience is illustrated by text 31:
Text 31:
However long and detailed our plans for a journey may be, it is only when we step out and embark on it that one can be said to be on a journey. Similarly, repentance is not about wanting and planning to turn back to God but actually making a decision and taking steps to live up to that decision(RBGN, p.20).
Theitems in comparison in the texts above are journey and repentance. To be able to explain his message of repentance vividly for proper understanding, the bishop likens repentance to a
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journey. Just as a journey begins with taking a step towards a destination, repentance begins with taking decision and living by that decision. The essence of the analogy is to make the audience understand the need to take a decision concerning their spiritual lives, the decision of repentance. It concretizes the message of repentance.
Themessage of love expressed in text 32 is made vivid and understandable through the bishop‘s use of analogy.
Text 32:
Interestingly, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus appealed to His Father to spare Him from the Cross…
God heard His prayer by ‗refusing Jesus‘ wish…and seemingly abandoning His only begotten Son. Like Jesus, the groans and sighs of the sick, the barren, the bereaved, the oppressed, etc., rise up daily asking ―my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.‖ But as in the case of Jesus, we see that God never abandons His people…we have the assurance of His Word, that for those who love Him, God turns everything, whether felt as good or evil by us human beings, for their good (Rom. 8:28). (RBGN, p.17)
The analogy here is between the prayers of Jesus Christ on the Cross and the prayers of people in suffering. Just as God ignores Jesus‘ prayers to spare him from the sufferings on the Cross which turns out to accomplish salvation for mankind, God sometimes ignores the prayers of his people in suffering, and instead turns their sufferings into blessings.The bishop uses this comparison to justify his argument that God never forsakes his people, even when he appears not to answer their prayers. The comparison relates to the theme of love: God‘s unconditional love for man.
Also, in text 33, analogy is used to explain concretely ideas relating to the theme of loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith, to ensure comprehension by the audience.
Text 33:
He [Esau] surrendered his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage! Later, their father through the ruse of Jacob and their mother gave the blessings of the firstborn to Jacob instead of to Esau.The girls who because of marriage abandon their Catholic faith can be likened to Esau. (FFF, p. 78)
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Here, some Catholic girls are compared to the Biblical Esau. The attitude of the girls is explained in terms of that of Esau. They are said to abandon their Catholic faith for a non-Catholic faith because of marriage just as Esau forfeited his birth right to his brother Jacob because of a pot of porridge. The analogy, which is drawn from the context of the bishop‘s exhortation on the defection of the Catholic faithful to non-Catholic Churches, is used by the bishop to advance his argument onloyalty to the Roman Catholic faith, and persuade the audience to remain steadfast in their Catholic faith. Through the analogy he createsa lucid picture of the point he is making to facilitate proper understanding. The well-known Biblical story of Esau and Jacob is used to make a point about the attitude of some Catholic girls.
The bishops have used analogy in their letters as a rhetorical device to drive home their points to the faithful and to persuade them to react positively. Through analogy, they inducefamiliarity with their message by relating the unknown to commonplace incidents and knowledge.They paint a vivid image of the situation they are trying to describe so that the faithful can visualize it and have a better understanding. Good understanding, of course, is a prerequisite for persuasion. The deployment of analogy in the bishops‘ letters is occasioned by the desire for concreteness in the abstract field of religion. The bishops are compelled to use analogy to explain concretely their messages of faith, love and repentance so as to ensure effective communication, and subsequently, persuasion.